On Twitter, the people whom we connect with, our connections, matter more than all the links in China. People must be our focus to succeed on Twitter. Links become secondary to relationship building. Here is why.
There are lots of links posted on Twitter that drive traffic here and there. There is no shortage of great information as well. But the greatest value that is found on Twitter is the people whom we connect with.
People are more powerful than links
After all, links cannot refer our business as well as our friends; the people whom we connect with and build relationship with. People make the best advocates and referrers for our business. Now, I am not saying that we should stop sharing links, or acquiring links. What I am saying is that we should always make people our top priority. Building with people matters more than all the links we generate.
Social media requires a social presence. It is not good enough to be “ON” social media. We have to “BE” on social media. I always look over those who have followed me. I look to connect with those peeps who value conversations with others. These are the ones I look forward to getting to know and connecting with.
People need to value connecting with others
When people are one way broadcasting, this is where they send their information out and do not spend anytime listening or interacting with others, it’s hard to do business with them. It’s hard to make a real connection with them because they are not HOME. I like information, but I appreciate conversations with people more.
When people start using sites such as commun.it or tweetjukebox.com, they are using automated systems that send out a top interactor/ tweet to their followers. And if they let that be their sole interaction on Twitter, then they are missing the point of true interaction. Robots do not build relationships. They do not build trust. I have even reached out to people who have used these automated systems, and many, sad to say, do not reply. They are missing out on people power. People are the ones who generate opportunity and help us build success.
So what have we learned today?
So what’s our learning moment for today? We must make an honest attempt to reach out to people today. We must try to engage 2 to 3 people today in conversations on Twitter. As we do, we will be building something of real value.
Links are good. They can drive traffic to our end points. But they are not the be all end all of Twitter. Connecting with others on Twitter is key to setting up a responsive referral network. People matter. People buy from us. We must strive to make our Twitter account dynamic by reaching out to others first. That’s the real value in Twitter.
