More followers, or Quality followers?

I am riding the Twitter train right now because it is really becoming a valuable tool for business owners and social media guru’s. Twitter is now growing at the same rate as Facebook and doesn’t have any signs of slowing down. If you’re an entrepreneur do you want to connect with existing and potential customers, find out their likes/dislikes and be able to solve problems right on the spot? Of course you do!

I don’t think people really understand how valuable these social media tools we have are worth. Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and so on, they allow us to brand ourselves and brand our businesses and if you do it THE RIGHT WAY then your going to reap the benefits of listening. Listening is the key to social media. Bragging about numbers, or describing new products is not what social media was meant for. Businesses can take advantage of the fact that we can tune in on what people are saying about our business. We can ride the wave on the praise and we can fix the problems that are mentioned that we would never hear about if we didn’t participate in the social media ring. It’s so hard to find out problems with our business when we are so focused on the product line rather than what our customers are actually saying.

Dell is one of the companies that has done a great job at jumping into the social media spotlight. Hiring Radian6, an amazing social media listening company, has helped them with customer service and promoting a more positive brand image in the minds of consumers. The more companies look for avenues to listen the better off they will be. This makes sense in all areas of life, not just business. The people who listen to what others are saying and implement even a simple strategy to show that they are listening are generally people everyone likes to be around. No one likes the person who talks about themselves all the time and is mainly interested in what they are doing and where they are going. Social Media is not rocket science its a branch that connects people. Business deals may occur through social media but you will notice the companies that are most successful in social media are the ones who have taken the right approach. It’s not a go in and get a deal approach. It’s ok, let’s see what people are saying about us, maybe we can get some buzz going, and if anyone has any questions or thoughts we could make it available to millions of people instantly. Hmmm sounds like a tough decision right?

This leads into the strategy that I see some people taking more often than not and its bugs me. The more people they have following them the better. WRONG. You cannot actively listen to 200,000 people. Twitter is a great tool to reach your niche and there are many groups out there that you can join to follow people that may be able to help you in your business venture. Taking the approach of helping them first is what makes you valuable to them. Think THEM first, then YOU, then your business. If you work your way into getting a few thousand quality followers on Twitter you most likely can manage re-tweeting or replying to each of them over a span of a few years. If a few of them become clients or help you out in any way, think of the benefits that you have accumulated from spending 20 mins a day on your BUSINESS. Many people have the mind set that social media is a waste of time, but that’s not true. I see it as a business arm that connects me with people that share information on the same things that I love.

I have always chosen Quality over Quantity and there’s a lot to be said for people who are really good at what they do and take the time and effort to perfect their craft. Social Media and online marketing is my craft and I thoroughly enjoy it.

If you want to succeed at online business and connect with professionals like yourself then remember this post! If you like my posts sign up to my RSS Feed!

Related posts:

1. Branding Yourself First New product or service? Don't make the mistake so many companies make and try to bombard the online community with...
2. How powerful Social Media is - the GaryVee example Many business owners want to know - why should I invest time into social media or what some call...