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Kyle Lacy is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Kyle Lacy and other professionals just like you. Learn more.
Shoot. What’s the point of Twitter? I have caught myself numerous times at meetings, seminars, and in casual conversations not being able to answer that question.
It goes something like this:
“Uh, well I use it for information gathering and well… some people use it to keep up to date with friends.. Yah, ya know… You might as well use it for 30 days and just figure out what it can do for you.”
Stupid answer. I know.
I have been debating this for awhile now and have even written about the concept of Twitter not having much of a brand identity (which I will write about later). I was reading a new post from David Armano of Logic+Emotion called Tapping Twitter’s Viral Nature and he has been talking about the “viral value” of re-tweeting. The main point of Twitter? I would lke to think so.
What are the two main marketing tools small business owners would love to have working on their side: Word-of-Mouth Marketing and Viral Marketing. When you are using Twitter the most valuable tool you have are the friends/followers who will re-tweet the information you are sharing.This is viral marketing at it’s finest.
Why is Re-Tweeting So Important?
1. Your followers are sharing the information you provided with the people following them. Your Twitter name gets shared, as well as your information. The link you provided or little nugget of information will be shared numerous times between (potentially) hundreds of people.
2. In my opinion, Re-Tweeting is the backbone of Twitter. It gives users the ability to combine information, share and converse on topics with hundreds of people at once.
Is there business value to Re-Tweeting and Twitter?
The business value of Twitter and re-tweeting could be a completely seperate post. The biz value of Twitter is all dependent on your goals when using social media as a marketing solution.
Do you feel Twitter and re-tweeting has business value? Is sharing content of your blog and other related information give you a return on investment for your time spent sharing information?
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Interesting questions, Kyle.
When I get asked what the point of Twitter is, I simply ask them "What's the point of networking? Answer that question, you'll have the answer to the question, what is the point of Twitter."
Twitter is networking. Sure, you're not physically stood at a party or bar camp event. But you're still networking. Building friendships and business associates.
That's how I treat Twitter, and what I feel the main point is.
I'd say re-tweeting is a secondary point. Once you've networked and built relationships, your new friends start to spread your word via re-tweets. They won't do this unless you have networked and worked on building a relationship.
Jamie
I've been trying to figure out what twitter is and how I might use it. I checked in on the twitter posts some of my favrotie blog authers have and the stuff they are writing for their contacts didn't interest me and I can't figure out why their contacts would be interested either.
So far twitter is not for me and I don't see the value.
For those who are not sure Twitter and other social networking sites are for them, you may want to watch this video: http://www.tailored.com.au/2009/01/best-explanation-of-social-media-ive....
The explanation given by Perry Belcher is one of the best I've seen.
Jamie
I agree that re-tweeting is a powerful way to use and gain from Twitter. It blows my mind that Twitter hasn't incorporated an easy way to re-tweet (like their reply function). A simple re-tweet button next to each tweet would transform what is now a downright annoying process into something more widespread.
I'm also interested to know how folks feel about twitter feeds that are dominated by links versus link-free missives. I prefer a healthy mix, since there are a number of other places (Google Reader, Facebook, etc) where I come across links of interest. I get pretty fatigued by bloggers who ONLY self-promote and by folks whose Twitter feed resembles an RSS feed from their blog (especially when I'm already subscribing in a reader...).
To me, the folks who use Twitter best pose provocative questions, sprinkle in a few links to their own work and other stuff around the web, and provide a personal touch and context to their blogging.
I also love Twitter feeds that do one niche thing well, like @Twittercize: http://twitter.com/twittercize. Good idea, knows the audience, etc.
Don’t judge based on popularity or blind reciprocity, instead make sure they “get it” and just as importantly, that their followers “get it”. More...
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