Tuesday, December 29, 2009

How do you break through the noise of Twitter?

Twittergrams: All TweetsImage by blprnt_van via Flickr
The constant stream of tweets makes it almost impossible to connect with your followers unless they are constantly online monitoring you. There are certainly people out there that seem to be consistently updating and informing their followers but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Additionally, these users are ones that are tweeting to try and promote their own brand or company. Twitter almost seems like one big advertising feed to me.
Yes, I know there are tools that can help you track and find certain topics, but these seem more geared toward the marketer trying to analyze their own data rather than an end user seeking out specific information. The constant flow of tweets makes it difficult to leverage your Twitter network for inbound marketing purposes. I have had some success with inbound marketing when I have offered free white papers or articles, but not everyone has access to the Harvard Business Publishing library like I do.
I would be interested in hearing how others have succeeded or failed in trying to break through the constant noise of tweets to generate tangible business results.
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4 comments:

Andrew Semple said...

I am all ears too...

Mike Volpe - HubSpot said...

Here are some ideas, but remember the most important thing is to "be interesting"

Tweet links to useful blog articles (does not have to be your own blog)

Tweet small pieces of advice like a "tip of the day"

Ask questions and see what people say, you can even take all the responses and turn it into a blog article

Follow lots of people (this helps you get noticed by more people)

Find people interested in the same topics you like using search function at Twitter.Grader.com

Tweet more, not less...

Steven Woods said...

Barrett,
I don't think there's a simple answer to your question at all. Mike's comments are very accurate. Other things to think of are

- building good relationships with key people in the industry so you are listed/retweeted by them

- leveraging anyone internal to your company so there are more voices, perspectives, and relationships

- building in the medium as a key part of all your marketing efforts; consistency leads to success as much as anything else does

Barrett Coakley said...

Somewhat disconcerting was the fact that i have recently posted some material and received approximately 20-25 spam invites to Twitter. I hope that is not a sign of things to come as the last thing we need is a spam platform.