Twitter for me is like that old friend that you can go years
without speaking to, but once you reconnect, it’s as though no time has passed
at all. Twitter was founded in 2006 and I started my first account on August 28,
2008 with the tweet “figuring out this new site!” Though it was for a brand
(@onecoconut), it was also my own personal Twitter account. H2H before it was
the buzzy trend term it is today? Nah. Much more of a case of A) me having no
clue what I was doing and B) my having no clear boundaries between my life and
my life at that job, and C) my letting that job completely become my identity. I ran that account until January of 2013 and
to this day, tweets still come into it that begin with my name. Sometime in
between I started my current account @lucyrk78 for myself, but never truly
nurtured it or looked into the importance of it outside of having fun,
following celebrities and people I knew in person, looking for jobs and finding
pictures for my next tattoo. I participated in a few Twitter chats throughout
the years, but never realized until a few months ago that chats happen every
single day on the hour.
At the risk of sounding melodramatic, Twitter Chats have
changed my life. They’re addicting too, and each morning as I look at my
schedule of what chats I want to participate in that day, I can’t help think of
the scene in Fight Club where they’re going through their schedule of meetings
and picking out who will go to which meeting each day.
Twitter Chats are just like life. There will be people in
them that you absolutely fall in love with and there will be others that bring
no added value to your life. There will be others that truly want to help
others and there will be people that just want to sound important and gain a
million followers. I surround myself with people in the same way online as I do
offline.
What makes me loves Twitter Chats as much as I do?
·
Networking:
I cannot stress enough how important and precious networking is to me. And not
in the sense of “What can (insert the name of anyone/everyone you know here) do
for me?” but in the sense of waking up every day and thinking “How can I be of
service? What can I do to help you today?” The more people you know, the
smaller and warmer and more inclusive the world gets. You are able to do and
accomplish and see things beyond your wildest dreams, and get the opportunity
to help other people do and accomplish and see and be a part of things beyond
THEIR wildest things. This is where the only selfish part (at least for me)
comes in – HELPING OTHERS FEELS GOOD. If this seems naïve or altruistic, I
understand. I have been burned numerous times, wanting to see the good in
everybody. I haven’t let myself become jaded, but I also don’t want to realize
that some people network purely for the good of furthering themselves. I hate
that cutthroat aspect of networking so admittedly, I tend to dismiss the idea
of that with people I’m surrounded by acting that way. Twitter chats open you
up to the possibility of meeting more people than you ever could by simply
living offline – and there are people you will meet that feel and live the same
way you (I) do, and will enrich your life and your business in ways you
couldn’t have possibly imagined. Travel for work? Have the time to travel for
fun? How great is it that Twitter chats allow you to meet people from all over
the world that you can then meet in person as you travel? The networking
doesn’t end after the hour of the Twitter Chat. Relationships take time online
just like they do offline – find people in your chats that you’d like to speak
with outside of just the chat. Remember, Twitter is open 24/7!
·
Small
Business Marketing (SMB): While not restricted to small businesses in any
way, Twitter chats are great for smaller businesses to include in their
marketing mix, as you don’t need the massive budgets larger companies
enjoy. Twitter chats are 100% free and
open to anyone that can follow a specified hashtag. There are over 600 chats
each week, so it will take some time to sift through the offerings to find the
ones that speak specifically to your business, your target and your community.
o
Becoming
a Human Business: If you are joining Twitter Chats from “behind a logo,”
it’s taking a first step in becoming a humanized brand. There’s much more to
do, but it’s a start. If you are able to speak with people as the person
actually doing the tweeting, honestly and with transparency (not in a jumble of
corporate speak), then people will be more drawn to your brand. Consumers want
(and deserve) more than just a great product. They want (and deserve) a great
company. Who you attract to your business through Twitter Chats depends on your
ability to speak to people as though you were tweeting from your own personal
account. You can be professional while maintaining all the things that make you
a cool person to be around. No one wants you joining their Twitter Chat just to
hijack it by constantly selling to them and pitching them.
·
So. Much. Learning: Fully being present in
Twitter Chats allows you to learn so much. You have people sharing their
thoughts, best practices, and what’s gotten them as far as they have in life
from all over the world. Not only do you have the opportunity to share things
you’ve learned with others, but others are sharing that same knowledge with you
and it’s invaluable. In each hour during a chat, you are also learning how to
become better at Active Listening. Unless you go into a chat thinking you know
everything and are only there with something to prove (hint hint, it won’t
prove anything except that you’re not someone people want to be around) you
have the chance to be a part of great debates and sharing of knowledge where
you can truly learn hour by hour. And for free!
Perhaps cliché, but you truly do get out of Twitter Chats
what you put in.
Part II of this post is: Why I Like To Bring Online, Offline.
Do you have any favorites throughout the week? Tweet me and
let me know which ones!
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