May 8th | by Mike Frizzi (The Curmudgeonly Ad guy )
A lot of people who join Twitter follow this 3 step pattern:
1) Begin following people and hope that somehow people will begin following them
2) Realize that Twitter is not the equivalent to the holy grail or an uncashed lottery ticket
3) Not only cease using the service, but become vocal detractors of it
The problem is that many people simply don’t get Twitter or understand the elegant simplicity of it. Twitter, more than most social media outlets, really does give back what you put in. With that in mind, I have put together this guide:
5 ways to use Twitter - What to talk about, how to talk about it, and who to talk about it with.
1) Use Twitter to try to make yourself some money - There are several services available that, with minimal investment, will generate you tens of thousand of followers. These followers then receive every message you send down the TwitStream. If you send out some links to say, your blog, and your blog has ad content on it…that’s money generated for you. In my case, my blog does not have any ads. Still, my whole blog is an advertisement, it advertises me – my thoughts, in my words on my site. Many things may come of this traffic, including: guest columns on sites like this one, more eyes on your words, paying gigs writing for publications, even full- time job offers.
Still, we have only scratched the surface.
Maybe you have a new item on ebay? Tweet it.
Are you available to do some freelance work, to take part in a speaking engagement, to offer any of your services to your followers? Tweet it.
Do you have a clever idea for a Twitter related site? Use Twitter to get in touch with people who have similar aspirations and make it happen. The only limitations are your imagination and energy investment.
2) Use Twitter to seek out information – Many people prefer to query the Twitterverse than to query Google. The answers tend to come very quickly and, if you’re following the right people, very accurately. Have a problem you can’t seem to solve? Need some insight? Ask a Follower.
You can also accumulate information in a more passive manner. I have learned so much about my field (advertising/marketing) simply by reading the blog posts and links that are posted by the people I follow. The information is timely, current and comes from people in the industry. That kind of information exchange was unimaginable just a few years ago, but is now being fed to my computer in real-time….for free.
3) Use Twitter to connect with people and build relationships (network) – Some people prefer to use Twitter in a more strictly social manner. They don’t really care to use Twitter to generate money and they don’t have an interest in using it as a learning tool – they just want to network.
Perfect.
One of the things you can do is make a list of people who matter to you. Identify thought leaders in your industry, identify people who are in positions you would like to be in or positions similar to yours, and identify people you respect. Find them on Twitter and follow them. If they have a blog, comment on it. If they make a good Tweet, ReTweet it. If you have something to say to them, say it. Pick their brains, learn from them: build a relationship.
This is a fabulous way to use Twitter and it could not be easier to execute. Check out the advanced Twitter search. Enter the relevant keywords and you will be rewarded with thousands of people who have either used those keywords or feature them in their profile.
You can use a site like NearbyTweets to find people using Twitter right down the street from you.
Again, the only limiting factor is the amount of energy you are willing to put in.
4) Use Twitter to find like-minded people - I, like many of you reading, have very particular tastes. I like The Beatles but not The Rolling Stones. I like dogs but not cats. I like beer but not wine.
The great thing about Twitter is that it is so easy to find people who share your interests. Whatever your hobby may be, there are people who are passionate about it and who are sharing that passion on Twitter. Whether it’s politics, religion or heated discussions on Jagger/Richards vs. Lennon McCartney, you can easily get connected with like-minded people on Twitter.
Remember that you are in complete control of who you follow and who follows you. You can finely hone your Twitstream until it is an efficient delivery system of only the information you care about. If someone consistently posts things you don’t like, just unfollow them and they’ll go away forever. It’s that easy.
5) Use Twitter for all of the above – There is no need to limit yourself as far as your Twitter usage. If you are uncomfortable mixing your passion for Star Trek in with your day job of running a small business, just use two separate Twitter accounts. If you feel comfortable using Twitter as a money making service, a free education, a simple way to network, and as a portal for discussing your life’s passions then by all means DO IT!
Maybe you have even more ways to use Twitter. If so, please leave a comment about it below and share with the rest of us, because if there is one thing that Twitter teaches me on a daily basis, it’s that I have a lot to learn.
