If you like this article, follow me on Twitter.
Brian Carroll’s “B2B Lead Generation Blog” is always a source of really good information to anyone who needs customers and sales (do any of you fit this category?). But his recent article, Can a social media like Twitter boost your lead generation results? is especially enlightening.
I have dabbled on and off with Twitter for about a year now, without actually going all in (to use the famous poker term). But Carroll’s thoughts have me taking a new look at the popular social media site.
For those of you who don’t know, Twitter is sort of like a blog that limits your posts (called “Tweets” in the Twitter world) to 140 characters. It is precisely because they are so short and sweet that has spurred Twitter’s popularity. People who would not read blog posts of the length typically found on sites like my own, avidly read tweets from many people on Twitter.
Brian Carroll describes some of the lead generation uses he has discovered for Twitter:
Well, I’ve started to use my Twitter account a lot more, and I’ve found some productive uses for the application:
- Sent mini survey question and got answers quickly
- Promoted new blog posts and upcoming webinars
- Shared articles, resources, and blog posts that I found interesting
- Learned what topics my network finds interesting faster
- Discovered some useful blog posts and resources by using tweetscan.com
To these uses, let me also add one of my own. I constantly encourage my clients to start blogging as a way to get the work out about their businesses. But as you can well imagine, most business people or professionals are short on time.
Now, thanks to Brian’s thoughts, I can encourage them to start posting on Twitter.
Anyone, no matter how busy, can write 140 characters.
----------------------------------------------------
NOT USING NON-SPAM EMAIL MARKETING FOR YOUR BUSINESS YET? Learn why email marketing is the easiest, most effective and most affordable way to get new clients. Download my free ebook and receive tips, ideas and case studies to help you get more new customers at http://www.trafficwave.net/lcp/chbrown/emailmarketing/6604.
-----------------------------------------
COPYRIGHT © 2009, Charles Brown
4 comments:
Charles:
Good post and thanks for the link to Brian Carroll's post on getting leads form twitter.
The more I look into social media, the more I am convinced of the truth of what Rebecca Neufeld of BlissPR tells me: one reinforces the other and the more you use all of them the more exposure and impact your content has and the easier it is for prospective clients to find you. I just ran a post on Getting Leads from LinkedIn, which I mentioned in the discussions pages of the interest groups I belong to on LinkedIn with a resulting spike in readership. This is just the electronic version of something we all have known: that integrated marketing works better than isolated bubbles of activity.
Ford Harding
Good point Ford. I can't help but notice how often social networking goes hand in glove with creating a personal brand online. The social networking creates links all over the web, which result in your becoming more and more of a "micro celebrity" within one's own field.
By the way, your article is excellent. Here is the link for anyone who wants to look it up: Getting Leads From LinkedIn
Charles,
Thanks for the post. I've been playing around in Twitter for a few months now. I saw an interesting Tweet today, RT @styletime: RT @ManiKarthik: Twitter is not about who follows you but whom you follow ! ;) http://bit.ly/wydQd
I must admit I hope this is wrong. Though I too am learning from peers through Twitter and reap the benefits from some great links and advice, what I want to gain eventually is to be followed by potential clients. That way I can offer them useful tips, engage them in conversation, and help drive measurable results for both parties!
My challenge is finding those potential clients on Twitter and in other locations online! So far, Twitter's search feature is not my answer ... but I'm working on it!
Thanks for the follow and for your valuable tips!
Laurie Dunlop
NetStrategies
Laurie,
Have you tried Twitter Search to find like-minded Twitterers? You might also want to combine a blog and your Twittering (see 10 Tips For Tweeting Your Blog Posts).
Twitter has incredible potential but it is not a stand alone resource, use it with other web tools and you should have a lot more success than the guy who wrote the article you cited.
Post a Comment