“You can observe a lot by just watching.” — Yogi Berra
With apologies to Yogi, you can also learn a lot by listening too. Especially on Twitter.
A lot of people have the mistaken notion that Twitter is just another way to broadcast your message far and wide. In theory, it sounds like a great tool for getting a public relations message out.
True, it can get your message out, but it is not very efficient as a pure broadcast medium. “Tweets” roll down the page of Twitter awfully fast and the chances of your single message gaining traction that way are limited.
The true genius of Twitter is in creating relationships and engaging in conversations. When others find what you have to say interesting, your thoughts and ideas cut through the noise on Twitter very quickly.
But relationships and conversations require listening. It is not enough to simply send out press releases on Twitter, you must also read other peopleís messages and respond to them.
But there is an even more important, and unexpected, point of listening on Twitter. You can learn a lot.
For example: Twitter has become my primary research tool (even supplanting Digg.com and Google Alerts) for a book and numerous blog articles Iím writing, and also for the speaking engagements I prepare.
I simply set up various keyword searches on Tweetdeck.com and I am fed a daily stream of information on the topics I have an interest in.
If you are an executive for a corporation, or are a publicity agent for such an organization, you should immediately stop reading this article and set up a keyword search for your company name and for your major products. This will enable you to learn what others are saying about you in real time.
Imagine being able to respond to negative PR quickly before it spreads. Also imagine being able to take advantage of a new trend before your competitors even know what hit them.
Another important way to listen on Twitter is to ask questions and solicit feedback. Again, you will get instant responses to your tweets. Nothing I know can give you information faster than Twitter.
Or you can use Twitter to get help brainstorming. Got a problem? Need ideas and solutions? Just send out a tweet asking for help. So many people out there will willingly take time to help you. Your fellow Twitter users are an untapped resource that your competitors are probably not using.
Of course the power to get this kind of feedback grows with the more followers you gather, which is fueled by having interesting things to say, so it really is a two-way street.
The beauty of Twitter is that it is not a one-way tool to dump sales pitches on the web. Those who succeed on Twitter, those who get it, know that it is a two-way conversation. They will engage the ìtwitterverseî as a learning tool as much, if not more, than they send out their messages.
———————————————-
Charles Brown is a social media / rainmaking / personal branding coach located in Fort Worth, Texas. He is working on a book on personal branding that he expects to finish by fall 2009 (hopefully). His Twitter username is @charbrown. Check out his blog at: https://webmarketingcoach.blogspot.comî>https://webmarketing-coach.com
You can Follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/charbrown and visit his blog: webmarketing-coach.com where he writes about social networking, personal branding, thought leadership, viral marketing, rainmaking for professionals and lots of other cool stuff.
Related articles by Zemanta
- Get Your Post Viral On Twitter (slyvisions.com)
- Can Twitter be journalism? (billbennettnz.wordpress.com)
