Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this post are those of the author only, and are not shared by Jay S. Fleischman. It is instructive to read this post if for no other reason that to witness the divergent opinions of the legal community with respect to the use of social media for lawyers.
First, what is Twitter? I’ll let this great Common Craft video explain it to you:
It didn’t take long for business owners to figure out that there *might* be some business use in Twitter but so far, I remain unconvinced it’s the right model for everyone. For service providers, Twitter serves as a marketing tool – to get your name out there.
Twitter users are hoping that if they can connect with the active Twitter user base, then there will be a hidden lead out there. Frankly, this can probably be accomplished through Facebook using wall posts and status updates too, but people who actively use Twitter really do LOVE Twitter. Facebook marketing is still untested – for the moment, the userbase doesn’t expect to be the target of a sales ploy. Facebook itself doesn’t allow businesses to create accounts (though you can create a “page” to show off your wares and services.) On the other hand, Twitter users have become accustomed to random “follows” by users who are clearly trying to sell something.
A visit to an active Twitter user’s page is not unlike walking into a networking mixer and not knowing a sole, anxiously wondering if anyone will even care enough to ask what you do and take one of your business cards. The signal to noise ratio is alarmingly low.
But if you have the time to invest in Twitter, it might be worth it. Note also that Twitter adoption in your locale may be an obstacle too, if you can’t provide products or services outside of a limited physical radius.
The flawed Twitter business plan, if it can be articulated, probably goes something like this:
- Follow other users (seeking a shred of tangbile relevance),
- Hope they follow you too somewhere down the road,
- “Tweet” away about what you do like a used car salesman.
The “proper” Twitter business plan is not unlike the flawed model – the only difference is your demeanor:
- Follow other users (if you have a genuine interest in following them – don’t blindly follow everyone)
- Hope they follow you too – but don’t sweat it if they don’t.
- “Tweet” away about what you are doing – but get out of sales mode!
Dell, the computer sales giant, recently showed how effective Twitter marketing can be but let’s not forget that the Dell name probably drove most of that traffic. To be sure, “Joe’s Computers” has probably not had similar success through Twitter.
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