How to build relationships with Twitter

It’s a Monday evening and I’m half watching TV and half chatting to my followers on Twitter – some discussing the Dragon’s Den episode which is currently on, some taking about their day and some just chatting about what they have been up to over the bank holiday weekend. It’s interesting to think about why we give Social Media platforms so much time and effort – why do we feel the need to constantly be “plugged in” to them? I think the answer is simple. We like to make friends – we like to have people who are interested in what we have to say and it’s nice to have the opportunity to chat to people we would never meet in reality.

We are now very fortunate to have this opportunity to connect with an unlimited number of people, this obviously creates enormous potential but also raises things to consider. How do you interact with your followers? What value do you offer them and do they understand what you do? What are you looking to gain from talking to other? If the answer to the last question is “clients” then you are approaching Twitter in a very narrow minded fashion.

Your profile on Twitter needs to grow organically, you should be looking to give out more than you receive. There is very little to be gained by simply bombarding your followers with sales speak. Take the time to understand what your followers are all about – what they do, who they are and how you can help them. That way if you think that your service may be of interest to them you can offer to have a chat about it over the phone or face to face. In our opinion, you should never try to sell to someone if you don’t know how specifically your service would benefit them.

Remember – Twitter is best used as a tool for learning and developing your own understanding of things you don’t specialise in, so use it don’t abuse it, and you will be sure to create stronger relationships.