I hear it all the time and I heard it again today – I don’t really want to do Twitter because I don’t have time for it. Yes, Mr. Client.
Okay, I get it. Twitter is for kids. Twitter is for journalists. You’d rather be doing something more interesting than typing 140 characters into your computer and hoping someone out there responds.
Which they probably won’t respond to…at least at first.
Until you finally get that response from someone you don’t know, but would like to. Then, things get interesting…interesting like business deals, job offers and more.
But, like all things in life it doesn’t come overnight.
Well, here’s the thing, Mr. Client, you just asked me for ideas to market your business organically.
And, you’re bitching because no one reads your blog.
Well here’s the painful truth; aside from the prayer that someone will pick up one of your looooong-tail keywords in search, nobody is going to read your blog unless you talk it up through Twitter and other social media status updates (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.).
So, like any routine, here are some easy ways to make your Twitter experience more enjoyable.
1. Use the Desk Fitness Tips to Your Advantage
I love the article intro from FitWatch, “One of the drawbacks of our evolution from hunter-gatherers to a civilized society is that our work tools morphed from the use of spears to computers, causing our waists and backsides to expand from the lack of energy we’ve had to expend on our survival”.
So true! Except that I’m still in hunter-mode. Aside from that, my backside and waist are definitely in question (especially given these Honey Roasted Peanuts I’m munching).
Still, I take breaks from the desk during the day. Yea, they don’t come every half hour like FitWatch recommends, but they probably come every hour. And, I’ll do things like stretch, go for a quick walk…and I’ve been known to drop down and bust out some push-ups every now and then. I can’t let the gun-show down.
Well, do you know what I do before taking a break? I jump on Twitter or TweetDeck and see what’s going on in “my world”. That world is different from your world. It’s a world surrounded by marketing and tech geeks, firing off knowledge and links. And I’ve developed that world by listening and chiming in. I react by retweeting or sharing someone’s link because I think it will be valuable to my network.
Then I do my push-ups.
2. Realize It’s More Than a Popularity Content
I used to tweet about great things that were happening to me. Then, I started reading someone’s tweets about great things that were happening to him, and I realized that I needed to change directions. Because as great as I thought this person was and as interested as I was in what he was doing next, I couldn’t stand his constant self-absorption and me-me-me tweets.
Yes, I think God is great but I don’t need you telling me about it all the time. Yes, I want the best for you but stop talking about all these job offers you are getting. Because, whether I truly believe you are getting them or not, you still look like an asshole. And I actually liked you when you were a jerk, but not so much when you’re an asshole.
So, I resigned myself to try and not look like a jerk (or worse) and just post updates that are useful and meaningful to my network. While I might not be a rock star Twitter-guy, people click on my stuff.
3. The Really Mind-Blowing Realization: Bottom line, Your Content Might Stink
Sorry, but it’s the truth. If your content stinks you’re really not offering anything back to this big ‘ole inter-web. You might get lucky with a tweet or two, but after that people are onto your game.
You need to step it up. You need to produce something that’s from the heart and valuable to
other people. People are already producing tons of stuff from the heart and volumes of stuff that’s valuable – so for you to have any real impact you either need to be working at Google or combine both value and heart. It’s that simple.
Okay, really it’s not that simple. You can develop a powerful voice in a niche. It happens all the time. Especially when you have a quality distribution list to work off. But remember to create things that are interesting and compelling. Don’t be afraid to open yourself up a bit. Be true and be original. And most importantly, remember to be cool and do your push-ups.
