How I Use Twitter – Tips from @blfarris

One of the key influencers in our marketplace tweeted out an article she wrote about brand journalists. I replied that we have had a writer on staff for years. She immediately replied with a request for an interview.

Whenever I’m at an event here in Chicago people will say, “Aren’t you @blfarris?” They know me through twitter and because of that know my area of expertise. I also think that Twitter makes our other social media and content marketing channels more effective. I had a prospect recently tell me that. “The only reason we are working with you is that I got to know you through the Anchor Advisors YouTube Videos that you tweeted out.”

I recently had John Jantch from Duct Tape Marketing join me for a webinar. He replied to a tweet I sent where I linked to one of his blog posts and I added, “…we’ll be talking about this a lot at EnMast.com this month.” @ductape responded with “How can I help?” I invited him to join us for the webinar and he said yes!

What do you tweet and how often do you do it?

I try to tweet 2 – 3  articles or posts each day that I feel will be interesting to my target audience (owners of small businesses 10 – 100 employees). These are usually blogs that I have read and commented on, or news items I saw that day. I also include a quote or other encouraging message about once a day. Then I’ll take 10 minutes 2-3 times a day to reply and “chat” with people in my stream. The interaction is a lot of fun — it’s the best part of Twitter!

I use more sophisticated tools now than when I started. I use Twitter’s search function to find people talking about small business ownership and the specific issues or challenges that I’m focused on right now. I also use search to follow hashtags for conferences or particular issues. This is a great way to meet new people. I use lists extensively to make sure that I stay focused on a subset of my followers that I want to stay in front of. I’ve also been adding “mentions” to the end of tweets sometimes when I want someone to notice a particular tweet.

Twitter isn’t something you master in a day. Like anything else worth doing it takes some time to learn and build up a presence. Look around at how people you admire are using the tool and see if you can learn from their strategies and tactics. But the truth is there is no one “right” way to do it. You need to find a way that works for you.  I have one client who uses Facebook only as a recruitment tool, they speak only to prospective employees there without trying to get any clients or prospects. There are many ways to find value, watch others and see what might work for you.

About Brad Farris:

Brad Farris (@blfarris) is a Small Business Advisor at Anchor Advisors in Chicago. He also shares tools for small businesses at EnMast.com, a community for small business owners.