If not, then you could be missing out on a potential client base.
I’ve had a Twitter account for sometime now and it really took me sometime to understand what it is about. But now I’m hooked! I couldn’t understand what people were doing or going on about and there are some mundane things there. But amongst all that is some really useful information and people willing to lend a hand. You can literally tweet events such as blogradio, podcasts, teleseminars, webinars, or you can tweet for advice or a help message – you will get replies (make sure you check the replies section otherwise you can miss them).
I began registering for email series on how to use Twitter from those who have been on it longer than I have, and started applying some of those things only 2 or 3 days ago. In the past 24 hours I’ve had an increase of over 100 followers with several actually corresponding with me, which is great. Some were ‘old friends’ I used to know on other networks some time ago. And I have a potential new project on the horizon simply from a chance (and flippant) comment to someone after they saw a tweet I’d made. Amazing but that project has possibilities.
I also see Australia’s PM, Kevin Rudd, twittering about his activities and feel it’s great that he and his staff keep abreast of social networking tools to remain visible and up-to-date. I’ve since come across several US Senators who tweet, including the Governor of California. My team and I were just chatting on the VA forum the other day about what a cool job that would be – being employed to act as a social networker on behalf of the Prime Minister (or whomever is in office).
I’ve also learnt about Twitwall which allows you to add to your meagre bio at Twitter. And it is free and connects to your existing Twitter account so picks up on your chosen background.
I see a lot of Virtual Assistants on there and many I know are finding new clients as a result. I’ve picked up two new clients late last year and begun working with them this year – because of my active social networking online. Just goes to show you can’t dismiss a new tool or fad too quickly on the web – people keep finding new things they can create to add to an idea and build new businesses just from that alone!
Have you begun twittering yet?
Pattie Mason says
Hi Kathie,
Nice post. I was also one of those people who was aware of Twitter but just never really “got it”. I’ve just started making a proper effort with it and you’re right it becomes pretty addictive pretty quick! It’s quite exciting to get your first followers. It’s also really thrown up some great free resources and really informative content that’s out there on the web. It still seems predominantly US focused but I wonder if 2009 will be the year Twitter goes mainstream and we’ll see a lot more uptake of it for small business owners.
Ray Gale says
Yes, you are on to something here, Kathie. A friend, Michael, created Twitwall. I use it mainly for music related posts. It is a great tool. I can follow others who have a similar interest. Through it, I met a Hawaiian musician who encouraged me to do a video project.