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Ignorant Twitter Bias and First Impressions

DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
edited April 2009 in Marketing
Have you ever met someone for the first time, and for whatever reason immediately decided that you didn`t like that person? Then after getting to know the person, you discovered that he or she wasn`t so bad after all?
Of course you have. We all have. Fair or not, it`s human nature to form erroneous judgements and opinions about people we really don`t know. And while it may be human nature to do this, it`s also ignorant.
I was guilty of this type of ignorance myself recently - but not with a person, with an entity. I formed a negative opinion about Twitter, based on erroneous first impressions.
I had heard that Twitter was a silly waste of time, and not really a useful marketing tool. Because those opinions comported with my own negative opinion of Twitter, I bought into the negativity, and began badmouthing Twitter at every turn, instead of doing my own due diligence.
Finally, wanting to check things out for myself, I visited Twitter`s website, and there they were - four words which would confirm my negative opinion about Twitter.
Those four words? "What are you doing?"
What are you doing? "Who cares what I`m doing, I thought to myself. I`m eating breakfast, that`s what I`m doing. But who cares?"
Well, apparently millions of Twitter subscribers care about what other Twitter subscribers are doing, because Twitter has an estimated 10 million users worldwide.
And as impressive as those numbers are, it took having lunch with a good friend of mine to finally make me see the truth about Twitter. My friend showed me how Twitter had dramatically improved his financial bottom line. He showed me before and after numbers. He showed me cold, hard proof, and I became a believer.
Bottom line: I was wrong about Twitter, and I don`t have a problem admitting that. Twitter is an excellent marketing and networking tool, which can be used to build relationships and promote virtually any type of business - profit or non-profit. You are limited only by your imagination.
 
As a result, I will be using Twitter myself this summer, when I launch my new website. I already have a million ideas about how to promote my business via Twitter. I can`t wait to get started!


In the words of Dick Jones from Robo Cop... "Good business is where you find it!"
 
Follow me on Twitter @CustomerReviews
 
David Jackson


 
DavidJackson4/27/2009 6:31 PM
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Comments

  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    I have not got into twitter yet. I don`t think I have the time to be successful at it. However, I have an open mind. I might just give it a go.
     
     
     
     
    Twitter has an estimated 10 million users. That`s a huge potential audience for your business. And unless you are independently wealthy, you should make the time to figure out a way to incorporate Twitter into your business.
     
    David Jackson
  • stonesledgestonesledge subscriber Posts: 608 Silver Level Member
    David, way to go! great post! Thanks for that!~erin
  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    David, way to go! great post! Thanks for that!

     
     
     
    Thanks, Erin! I was taught as a child, if you admit when you`re wrong, people will respect you for it. I`ve always found that to be true.
     
    David Jackson
  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    I now have a social bookmarking software that posts to Twitter
    and a bunch of other accounts.  Beats being logged onto Twitter all the time reading about
    what people had for breakfast.
     
     
     
    Over the last week or so, I`ve been consuming as much information on Twitter that I can find. And I`ve determined that the best way to use Twitter is not to let it control you, rather, you control it.
     
    That means I won`t be following a bunch of people and reading their tweets. I don`t have the time or any interest in doing that. I`ll announce my updates, and then see ya!
     
    David Jackson
  • vwebworldvwebworld subscriber Posts: 40
    Over the last week or so, I`ve been consuming as much information on Twitter that I can find. And I`ve determined that the best way to use Twitter is not to let it control you, rather, you control it.
     That means I won`t be following a bunch of people and reading their tweets. I don`t have the time or any interest in doing that. I`ll announce my updates, and then see ya! David Jackson  FYI: That approach - not following others - is not consistant with successfull networking on Twitter. While "celebrities" get away with it (having many followers and not following others), it is not a practice that supports the grpwth of contacts. Remember: Only people who follow you will see your Tweets (unless they are set to read all tweets).... and many people will not follow you  if you do not follow them. ~Roland
  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    FYI: That approach - not following others - is not consistant with successfull networking on Twitter.
     
     
     
    Let me clarify what I meant when I said,  "I`m not going to be following a bunch of people, and reading their tweets." I`m not interested in following thousands of individuals. I will be very selective about who I follow. I don`t see the point in following someone, just for the sake of following them. That`s not fair to either party. Unfortunately, I see a lot of that on Twitter.
     
    My time is extremely valuable, and I have to use it as effectively as possible. To take the time and follow someone on Twitter, I have to be interested in the individual, and what they bring to the table. After all, my primary reasons for using Twitter is networking and marketing.
     
    As far as people following me...if they`re interested in me as an individual and what I bring to the table, they`ll follow me. If they`re not interested, they won`t. I`m fine with that. That`s the way it should be.
     
    David Jackson
    DavidJackson4/28/2009 10:18 AM
  • tigerlilymediatigerlilymedia subscriber Posts: 0
     
      Let me clarify what I meant when I said,  "I`m not going to be following a bunch of people, and reading their tweets." I`m not interested in following thousands of individuals. I will be very selective about who I follow. I don`t see the point in following someone, just for the sake of following them. That`s not fair to either party. Unfortunately, I see a lot of that on Twitter. My time is extremely valuable, and I have to use it as effectively as possible. To take the time and follow someone on Twitter, I have to be interested in the individual, and what they bring to the table. After all, my primary reasons for using Twitter is networking and marketing. As far as people following me...if they`re interested in me as an individual and what I bring to the table, they`ll follow me. If they`re not interested, they won`t. I`m fine with that. That`s the way it should be. David Jackson   I couldn`t agree more about the time issue. I dropped Twitter because I simply didn`t have enough time to separate the wheat from the chaff. What I saw from the few people I followed was either a) valuable, but way too much to process or b) complete garbage that was not worth the few seconds it took to read. As far as people following me because they were interested, that was not my experience. In the interest of researching Twitter as marketing tool I followed a couple of big companies who immediately began following me, although I had contributed nothing of value. I found that rather offputting. It was clear these companies were not interested in anything I had to say, but felt very comfortable inundating me with their marketing messages.  I know I should give Twitter another chance, but seeing as I can barely find the time to keep up with my blog or even these StartUp Nation forums (such is the life of a mompreneur) I can only congratulate those who have managed to find success with Twitter and hope that some day I can return to see what all the buzz is about.   tigerlilymedia4/28/2009 6:41 PM
  • mrsatwoodmrsatwood subscriber Posts: 1
    Glad to see you gave twitter a chance David. Having access to the 10 million twitter users = unlimited opportunities. Twitter is a regular part of my day.
  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
     I dropped Twitter because I simply didn`t have enough time to separate the wheat from the chaff. What I saw from the few people I followed was either a) valuable, but way too much to process or b) complete garbage that was not worth the few seconds it took to read.
     
     
     
    Well, Twitter isn`t for everyone. Apparently, it wasn`t for you at this time. I can respect that. I`ve always been the type of person to do things my way. That`s worked for me to this point. I see no reason to change now. I`ll do Twitter my way as well, and let the chips fall where they may!
     
    David Jackson
    DavidJackson4/28/2009 8:49 PM
  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    Glad to see you gave twitter a chance David. Having access to the 10 million twitter users = unlimited opportunities.

     
     
     
    Yep, 10 million opportunities and growing!
     
    David Jackson
     
  • vwebworldvwebworld subscriber Posts: 40
    I keep trying, but I am still not seeing a ton of value in it for my business.  I have followers.  I try to tweet interesting things every once in a while.  I have way too many "social marketing gurus" following me!  It`s hard to keep up with so many people, but tweet deck has really helped. 

    Have you performed a twitter search on your targeted keywords? This can identify other Twitter members who have an interest in your product/services.
    ~Roland
     
  • DavidJacksonDavidJackson subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
    I keep trying, but I am still not seeing a ton of value in it for my business.  I have followers.  I try to tweet interesting things every once in a while.  I have way too many "social marketing gurus" following me!  It`s hard to keep up with so many people, but tweet deck has really helped. 
     
     
     
     
    It`s important to keep in mind that Twitter is not a panacea. It`s a tool - nothing more, nothing less. And even though I`m a Twitter newbie, I have a clear and concise vision how I`m going to use it.
     
    My advice to you would be to "trim the fat." Having a huge number of followers is only a good thing if they`re the right followers. Conversely, laser-target who you`re following down to the lowest common denominator.
     
    Also, it`s not necessary to read or respond to every tweet. Most of it is just plain nonsense. Don`t get bogged down in the chit chat. Prioritize and streamline, and you`ll start seeing tangible results.
     
    David Jackson 
    DavidJackson4/29/2009 8:58 PM
  • patentandtrademarkpatentandtrademark subscriber Posts: 103
    The only group worse than the social marketing gurus is the search engine optimizers - and they are running neck and neck for the "who can sling it the best" award.
     
     
  • vwebworldvwebworld subscriber Posts: 40

    The only group worse than the social marketing gurus is the search engine optimizers - and they are running neck and neck for the "who can sling it the best" award.   funny  but unfortunately true  
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