Are You Wasting Your Time On Twitter?

iyazam

Don`t get me wrong: Twitter is a great tool! Its a
great tool for marketing, its a great tool for building a network and
its a great tool for getting and sharing information.
But as a small business owner: Are you wasting your time on Twitter?What
I mean by that is that I see so many new website/business owners
downloading every single Twitter tool/app/and what not thinking this
will grow their business.

Friends:
Don`t waste your time twittering all day and signing up/downloading
every Twitter tool. Focus your time on building your business! You will
look back sooner or later and you will see how much time has been
wasted twittering all day.
It is important two or three
times a day to join in on a conversation or to share information. But
there is no need to be involved all day in conversations on Twitter
this will not grow your business.
Once you start to
develop daily disciplines in regards to social media sites - you will
learn how to use them effectively for marketing.

patentandtrademark

This is probably true of most social networking for most businesses.  It has a place, but it won`t pay the rent - unless you own the site, etc.
 
 

menexis

I agree with both gentlemen. Social network sites are good for brand awareness but will not pay the bill. the quality of the traffic is poor and will not convert well but as a viral/brand awareness tool they are great, especially twitter

MattThomas

I think twitter, or any social networking site is just one of many marketing channels. And when using different marketing channels, you should track where your traffic (either physical or via the internet) is coming from.
Because social networking has the potential to waste a lot of time, business owners should use it, but cautiously and monitor their results very carefully to see what is working with these channels, and what doesn`t.

DavidJackson

Hey...where are all the Twitter defenders?


When I said I didn`t see any point in using Twitter,  Twitter defenders came out of the woodwork. Looks like I was right after all.
 
David Jackson
DavidJackson3/25/2009 5:00 PM

iyazam

There is a point in using Twitter - I dont see any point in wasting time on all of the Twitter apps/tools/shmools.....(No joke if you go to Killerstartups.com you will see every day a new twitter tool.)
I got two client through Twitter. Where ever I get a client from - that source becomes a valuable source to me and I treat it with much respect.

DavidJackson

There is a point in using Twitter - I dont see any point in wasting time on all of the Twitter apps/tools/shmools.....(No joke if you go to Killerstartups.com you will see every day a new twitter tool.)
I got two client through Twitter. Where ever I get a client from - that source becomes a valuable source to me and I treat it with much respect.
 
 
 
Fair point.
 
David Jackson

MattThomas

Other than marketing, I think it can be a very useful NETWORKING avenue for connecting with like-minded individuals who can collaborate on projects with you.

CharleneBlacer

New start up: I haven`t gone to Twitter, I am a facebook junkie and most of my business has come from facebook. The bad part, is that these are people I know through one circle or another. I need to get orders beyond friends and family..I`m at a loss, because everyone likes the product, I`m prospecting constantly but the orders are slow..Also, my product is seasonal. http://smartiepantsapparel.com 

I am a FaceBook junkie as well.  There is an app that when you post on your twitter wall, it automatically post on your FaceBook wall.  It`s easy and "kills 2 birds with one stone!"  I love tweeting
Check it out-
@Tweeter is a Twitter Interface that allows you to post new tweets
through Facebook, automatically updates your status whenever you tweet
(from anywhere), and view tweets from your Facebook Network.

besthealth

I am on Twitter but I have not really gained much from it as everyone seems to be promoting themselves and your post can be easily lost with the thousands of others who are posting as well. My followers are mostly those in my area of business and a few others. I try to check in at least twice or so a day.

panospar

A great time-wasting-websites killer is this: LeechBlock, an add-on for Firefox, designed to block those
time-wasting sites that can suck the life out of your working day. All you need to do is specify which sites to block and when to block them.https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4476panospar3/31/2009 1:20 PM

iyazam

If we are already talking about Twitter......Here is an article I wrote on my site yesterdayDon`t do business with
someone tweeting in a meeting! How many times have you been in a meeting and someone in the meeting
is constantly checking Twitter and updating their twitter status? I
don`t know about you but I find this rather new behavior really
disturbing. In the old times people would simply listen to each
other..today? Well I guess Twitter is so important they just can`t miss
a tweet. If someone`s constantly checking Twitter - to me they are saying one thing: I am not interested in what you have to say.The
rule is simple: Don`t do business with someone who is tweeting in a
meeting. The old rules in business still exist - they ain`t going
anywhere to fast. Last week I was at a meeting. One
person at that meeting was checking Twitter literally every 5 minutes
and every 5 minutes he was asking the same question: "What was that you
just said?" - how frustrating is it to have meeting where someone keeps
on asking that question.
When you go to a meeting
it should be your top priority that the person you are meeting is
focused on you and if someone is tweeting....don`t do business with
someone tweeting in a meeting!

proactive1

I follow Investors Business Daily, CME Group and the Daily Crux on Twitter among others having a presence in Stocks and Trading since that is the field I work in. I`m certainly interested in their updates. Conversely, the marketing benefit for me is the exposure I gain from communicating on a business level with like-minded indivduals and, or companies. On the other hand, I can see people getting carried away with Twitter, but like anything else, there`s a right way and a wrong way to usse it.

JulioF

Fully agree with iyazam. I have little respect for those who attend meetings and either:
1. Twitter
2. Check and respond to email
3. Work on a report or other document
4. Accept phone calls on their mobile.
For those who do this. You are NOT impressing anyone with your innate abilities to multitask. You ARE impressing upon me that you lack focus, and that your work most likely is of a mediocre quality at best. You are invited to meetings to be a participant - this is not to be considered as study hall or recess!
Throw in the basic fact that you are also being rude by your mental absence, and it`s a slam dunk. I do not trust you to provide the degree of quality which I demand.
Concerned at all about losing your job in these tough economic times? Then learn to PAY ATTENTION and participate. It is part of your job. Perform your duties, or I will find someone else who will.
As for Twitter being useful... I`m sure it is. To some degree, if used wisely. There certainly seems to be an early point of diminishing returns, though.
Spend 30 minutes a day with it, and derive 30 minutes of benefit.
Spend 90 minutes a day with it, and derive 45 minutes of benefit (while being sucked down into the pit of opportunity cost). There are better uses for your time.JulioF3/31/2009 2:39 PM

SandyPI

I have tried to make sense of Twitter and so far have not.  To me it is confusing and time consuming.  Maybe I am missing something
SandyPI3/31/2009 2:41 PM

jumbopanda

I agree with iyazam.  Whatever bring in a client is worth having.  People go crazy with it.  Like iyazam said, killerstartups.com made me thing twitter was trendy garbage.  From a viral marketing point of view, however, it can slip you into places you never even thought about.  People take in information without even realizing it, and if you give them a reason to remember your name, or establish yourself as the go-to guy, when that time comes, you name will pop into their minds.  People spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising.  A few minutes a day (and not more) in a handful of places can help you spread the word.