Think that the goal of twitter is to get the most number of followers possible? Think again!

Making any idea happen is not about the NUMBER of twitter followers you get, but getting the “RIGHT” followers! (Quality not quantity)

Here are some ideas on getting the “right” twitter followers:

• Customize your twitter profile. Include industry-specific key words that might reach your target market.
• Follow others in your industry and interact with them.
• Follow others in your geographic location or target market, and interact with them.
• Offer good customer service and opportunities for your target marketing EXCLUSIVELY on your twitter account.
• Post your twitter name all over your website, blog, email and on your business cards!
• Give away something for free that your target can ONLY get by following you on twitter.
• Use twellow and some of the other “twitter yellow pages” to find twitterers interested in your field. Click on their profiles and browse through their followers.
• Use Twitter-bait: key words that attract things your target may be searching for!

And always remember, twitter is for building new relationships – NOT for harvesting and advertising to people you do not know.

I will admit, I do like to waste my time. Sometimes I waste it on YouTube, or Facebook… looking through humorous bumper stickers. I waste mine – and other people’s time – on twitter, talking about useless facts and details of my life. 

But I don’t waste time on Myspace. 

I would like to do a survey on the type of consumers that still use myspace (besides the registered… and unregistered… sex offenders who, according to the lawyer I listened to at Wired Wednesday, pose as teens.)

Who are they? Mostly Generation X and younger (mostly younger). Kids who want to get online for entertainment purposes? 

I used to waste my time on Myspace

And goshdarnit I cannot seem to delete my myspace profile. I remember in the very beginning when everyone thought Tom was Jesus and the t-shirts came out and everyone made it a priority to have the best-looking background theme. Unfortunately… Myspace hasn’t developed into its potential.  

Myspace hasn’t graduated to become a business network

There are two types of internetworks: social networks, and business networks. Many networks aren’t even put in one category over the other… because they serve both purposes. 

For example… LinkedIn is considered a business network. But while Facebook used to be considered a social network, it is quickly graduating to combine business and personal relationships. 

I always tell people that each social network has a different purpose… Facebook is for friends and family, Linkedin is for businesses, and twitter combines them all. But the networks are changing. 

Facebook is BETTER anyway

Easier to use. Cleaner. Prettier. Better applications. Does nobody disagree? 

…

Other thoughts?

Pete Hollier of The Wizards Blog, posted some statistics and surveys indicating that the majority of North American companies believer that their companies can’t survive without social media. 

A recap: 

• 60% of American citizens used Social Media.
• 93% indicated business should have a Social Media presence
• 85% indicated businesses should interact via Social Networks with their customers

Consumers surveyed indicated businesses should use Social Media to:

• Solve Problems – 43%
• Obtain user feedback on product and services – 41%
• Enable consumers to interact with the company brand – 37%
• Market to consumers – 25%

Barriers to initiating Social Media Programs:

• Lack of understanding by Senior Management 58%
• Negative impact on employee productivity 49%
• Fear of unknown technology 58%

Companies currently using Social Media reported the following:

• Improved Feedback 78%
• Improved Customer Satisfaction 66%
• Improved Customer support 71%
• Increased Sales 40%
• Improved public perception of company 75%

Within the survey completed for Avande were some general statements which must be considered:

• 52% of respondents stated “Companies that fail to embrace social media technologies for business purposes will be left behind “
• 78% of respondents stated “As we enter a possible economic downturn we need to focus on new ways of communicating with customers which add real value.”
• 77% of respondents stated “If they did not initiate a Social Media Program Social Media would enter the company by stealth”

How much time is needed to be effective at marketing yourself through social media? Where should I invest my time online? What social media tools should I be using and how often should I use them?

Your time is valuable. I am a master multitasker, and even I have a hard time deciding where to invest the time I do have. 

1. How much time is needed to be effective at social media? Think of social media as a marketing project. It’s not a hobby (thanks @awpotter I like that line). The first step in any advertising or public relations campaign is research, then planning, then implementation. The research and planning phases – which are the foundation of your campaign – are going to take more time to build than the actual implementation. So in the beginning – you could spend 10-50 hours launching your campaign. 

2. How much time do I need to spend on a weekly basis promoting my cause through social media? Once your campaign is launched, it is a process of learning. The first time you do something it always takes longer than the second, then third time, and eventually you have it down and you don’t have to think about it anymore. But that doesn’t answer the question, does it?

The answer varies depending on:

     A. Your purpose and goal

     B. How fast your typing is, how fast you are at writing, your internet connection speed… are you getting the point? 

Scenario: You are promoting your wedding cake business online. You already have a blog setup with a linkedin account, facebook as well as twitter. You are experienced in your field and excited about weddings. So, you write one blog a week with good information for brides, then you use that blog to promote what you do by searching for brides on facebook and sending twitters out daily. You also find some unique wedding website communities to contribute to, like offbeat bride and weddingwire. So, you spend an hour a week on your blog, a half hour a day on facebook and another 15 minutes a day on twitter. Then you spend an average of 2 + hours a week on other sites. Minimum Time per week = 7 hours (an hour every morning with a cup of coffee!)

3. What social media tools should I be using and how often should I use them? There are four basic tools every professional should be using: Blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Each has a different purpose in gaining new leads, check out my training on becoming a trust agent. Your field is going to have additional tools available (like weddingwire for cake makers or photographers). But how much time you spend on each depends on your field and your purpose! Check out the scenario above. 

And to respond to Chris Brogan’s thoughts on being realistic about time, Chris points out that ever since the web happened our expectations about response time has changed. Chris says, “We can reinstate boundaries and manage expectations. Business has to move fast, but do we really want the future where we’re all tethered to Twitter?”

It’s true. Boundaries are important. Nobody can expect people to be as good as me at multitasking (hah!). But – it is also true that the internet and social media has changed our ability to response quickly. We can get emails, twitters and facebook responses on our mobile phones. We can hire virtual assistants to manage our LinkedIn accounts! 

As I have said before, Social Media has turned 6 degrees of separation into new and instant connections across the globe! So, set your boundaries, don’t overexpect people to revolve their valuable time around you – but also know that there are tools out there so we can capitalize on our God-given abilities and human beings to be the ultimate task-masters! 

Check out our social media 101 program that will help you get a hold on your marketing >

Ok, so first I tell you that you need to tweet more… now I am telling you to tweet less?! (If you don’t know what tweeting is go here). 

The truth is, there is no specific magic formula for twitter. So, we have to look at two things:

1) The purpose of twitter: you can’t reach a goal if you don’t have one, and

2) What other people are doing: its like what my father told me once, “Sometimes you learn from people who do things the right way… other times you learn from people who do things the wrong way.”

…

Lets start with drafting a goal. For business professionals, the purpose of twitter is, to name a few, to 1) prove credibility through sharing knowledge and thoughts; 2) gain trust by showing your human side; and 3) gain new leads by networking, making friends leading them to your website/blog/email/convergence method. 

How can you reach any of these objectives without first getting people to read your tweets? Right? This is, of course, after they are following you.

1) It depends on the number of people they follow. If they follow 10 people, chances are they will read all of your tweets. But if they follow 300… chances are its impossible. Especially if they are busy people. 

2) You write something that catches their attention. They need to notice you – write something that they can relate to, that is unusual, or something they are interested in. 

3) You build a relationship with them. @ Reply to them, direct message them and mention their twitter names in your twitter feed. Have a conversation with them through twitter!

Ok, so once you have their attention, you need to keep it. This is where overtweeting comes in! If you under tweet, they won’t notice you. But if you overtweet, they will get annoyed and stop reading your tweets, or stop following you altogether. 

The issue of device following

One of the biggest problems with overtweeting is that when you do have people reading and paying attention to your tweets, sometimes they follow you via “device updates.” Device updates allow you to follow tweeple via SMS. The tweets come as text messages! So, you can just imagine, that if you overtweet… people are going to be looking at their text messages EVERY time you tweet. I can just hear them now… “Oh, ANOTHER tweet from xxx…” 

So, my lesson for today:

Twitter strategically. Give people value, show them who you are, but do it effectively… don’t give them more than they can handle at one time. 

‘10 Twitter Agendas – What’s Yours’? was published by @snowvandermore. 

She did a good job of summing up the different kinds of tweeple. But, truthfully, she did a better job of making fun of everyone (other than herself) than really defining a purpose for Twitter. 

She pointed on the people who are just on Twitter to get a date, versus the twitter giants who have a million and one followers, news publishers who tell us what is going on in the world, and my favorite the “Combo Meal” which she defines as “achieving total Twitter nirvana” which is basically a mix of all the different Twitter agendas pumped into one 140 character message. 

A lot of what she said was true… most Twitter users fall into this category: “You establish a comfortable group with whom you have regular conversations, albeit in 140 character segments. It’s fun, entertaining and you manage to pump up each others’ egos one tweet at a time. They read and comment on your tweets and blog posts, and vice-versa. You feed off of one another and there is little risk involved.”

Who is she forgetting? 

Those of us who strive to use twitter in the most effective way possible for its “social media optimization” purpose of “generating publicity through online communities.” We are out there to build relationships, yes, but in a more profound way: achieving success with the holistic method of combining our personal lives with our business lives with every other vision and passion that drives us.

Twitter is a place to bring all worlds together – while having an agenda! 

For those of us who fall into the “forgotten” category there is risk involved. Relationships. But its worth it. 

“…They’re simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they’re going to shake up just about every business — including yours.”

Business Week said this in 2005. Now just think… with the evolution of blogging, twitter and other social media in the past 3 years – what has changed? 

Business week addresses that here:  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_18/b3931001_mz001.htm

“…It doesn’t matter whether you’re shipping paper clips, pork bellies, or videos of Britney in a bikini, blogs are a phenomenon that you cannot ignore, postpone, or delegate. Given the changes barreling down upon us, blogs are not a business elective. They’re a prerequisite. (And yes, that goes for us, too.)”

Nannette Saunders coined a new phrase “You Had Me at Follow.” She is, of course, talking about what Twitter has done for her business.

As a realtor Nannette has really been hit by the economy. If it wasn’t for the networking she’s been able to do through Twitter she would be even more effected by the recession. 

So, what can Twitter (and other social media) do for you? 

Create a whole new referral network where 6 degrees of separation is turning into new and instant connections across the globe. 

My realtor, Nannette Saunders, opened my eyes. I have been using Twitter for a few months but never seriously… never with intention.

As stated on the Twitter wiki: “Twitter is a way of life. It’s living with a publicity policy. It’s friends, Romans and country people the world over engaged in timely snippet conversations that fit into 140 character chunks.)

How does it work? 

All you have to do is sign up at Twitter.com, find your friends and colleagues, link it to your cell phone, and text “40404″ every time you want to update your “status.” So, this morning, I changed my status to: “Working from home for a few hours… the rain helps me concentrate.” 

Now, this isn’t some profound or instructive marketing statement. Then what is its value? 

Sometimes informative and useful tips are good, too, but I want my target to know that I am a real person! I want to help you understand that I am a trustworthy and accountable person… and I want to build a relationship with you.

Nannette was right: this is a new LEVEL of social networking. Tools like Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter allow us as professionals to build better referral networks in months than we could do in years. By keeping connected with the world at all times.

When we were looking at homes yesterday (hoping to buy before the end of October), she made a fairly profound statement, that went something like… “I used to do a lot of direct mail… now I don’t have to do any.” 

Of course, there is strategy to be learned in using online social networking tools. Here are a few tips that I have picked up to use with Twitter:

1. When choosing people to follow, ask yourself: what kind of professionals would I want to follow, who would want to follow me, and who would refer others to follow me? Then, follow all of them. Hopefully they will return the favor. 

2. Connect Twitter to your cell phone and update consistently. Don’t go a day without Twittering!

3. Look for ‘Tweetups’ – which are local gatherings of people who Twitter… supposedly a great networking opportunity! 

4. Don’t forget to signup and follow me: jamills