What fun yesterday’s post, Why Not to Reach 50,000 Twitter Followers, during which I engage David Meerman Scott, a power influencer and author of numerous social media, marketing and public relations books, who did earn 50,000 Twitter followers recently via persistence and diligence.
The post was re-published on Social Media Today which earned 1,000 views there and four comments. It was in this venue that David replied to my post, although I tweeted the blog yesterday to him several times and the pingbacks he got from my blog post were myriad (although likely not too influential on his radar).
What David shared with me on Twitter and in his comment on Social Media Today was that he uses Twitter differently with 50,000 followers. Here’s what he said (lifted directly from his reply):
Thanks for sharing my post. I appreciate it.
The truth is that with 50,000 followers, the way I use Twitter has changed from how I used it when I got started.
1. I look at every mention of my Twitter ID, my recent book titles, and hashtags of conferences I am at or about to travel to.
2. I cannot answer everyone who says something about or to me, but I do try to respond to some.
3. I look at all DMs. Most DMs I respond to. I’m cool with requests or ideas or subtle pitches, but spam me once, and I unfollow in a second.
4. I rarely dip into the full stream of 33k people I follow. But that’s okay. Nobody ever said that it is a requirement to read every tweet from everyone you follow.
5. I use Twitter to curate content — send people to things I think are interesting.
You can’t be at every party in this life, so don’t try!
David
What’s more interesting to me is how Michelle Quillin of New England Multimedia regards my post (and its underlying objective which I firmly discount), David’s status as an influencer, and how the little guy uses Twitter compared to the big gun.
Here’s Michelle (who owns one of my favorite Facebook pages, too, incidentally):
- I remember when I first started using Twitter for New England Multimedia a little over a year ago, how enamored I was with the thought of having tens of thousands of followers! That was before I understood how Twitter worked for a business, though. For people like you and I, engagement/conversation/relationship with our market is very important, and a serious investment of our time each day. Without those relationships, our time on Twitter does us no good whatsoever. Time is money. We’d be wasting our time and driving ourselves into the poorhouse if we weren’t building relationships with businesses who may need our services, or with influencers of OUR target market who we hope will retweet us or engage with us and give us market credibility.
- David Meerman Scott has reached a different place on Twitter — that of a “power influencer.” The value of his Twitter following is different from ours. His followers find value not in engagement with him necessarily, but in hearing what he has to say. That’s how he became an author who’s actually selling books, a keynote speaker who’s actually paid to teach at conferences, and now the subject of a blog post designed to engage him and bring traffic to your site. (The latter being perfectly legitimate, by the way!)
(Jayme: Here’s where I’m dumb; I had no ulterior motive to increase traffic by engaging David; it just happened as I was seeking something to write about!)
Everyone gets to draw their own conclusions about the comments above from two vastly different businesses (in size, scope, and engagement objectives). As for me, Twitter provides hidden gems and to lose those with too many followers would be seriously depressing.
What do you make of all this and your Twitter experiences?
Yes, Jayme, Twitter is full of hidden gems I would never have discovered, incredible people I never would have come to know, and up-to-the-minute news from every corner of the globe. Those are all things that come as “icing on the cake” when a business engages on Twitter for the purpose of getting their name (and message) out to as many people as possible, building relationships with prospects or possible referrers and influencers, and then deepening those relationships! It’s one big networking event, 24/7/365.
Because of who I am as an individual, I approach business and Twitter from a “giving” perspective (How can I legitimately and really help others, with no strings attached and no expectations?), but I’m unabashedly there first and foremost as a brand representative, and with a marketing mindset. The non-business relationships happen along the way!
I used to wait tables for a living, one of the best jobs for a people-pleasing, service-oriented, outgoing personality. When I waited tables, I represented the restaurant, but I genuinely liked my customers. My excellent service, which was genuinely given because I really love making people happy, was rewarded with big tips. Servers like me, with great food from the kitchen, increased profits for the restaurant. I made great friends of the staff, built relationships with customers, and made a lot of money in the meantime. If I didn’t make great tips, and I knew my service was the very best it could be, I would’ve left for a better restaurant or customers with more to spend.Twitter reminds me very much of those years.
What you’ve shared about your goals and mindset oriented to social media are how everyone should be regarding it, and we’re not. At least not me. My goals have always been for phase one non-monetary. I want to build brand, image and position as a thought leader; if it came to business as a result; awesome.
Perhaps you’ve hit the nail for me…making the sale, closing the deal, negotiation…poor aspects about me as I’m oriented to the client service aspects and program execution with results for everyone else. PR training for 27 years has me always putting everyone else first; not me or my business.
I wonder if you’re reading this and shaking your head in astonishment?
IDK Jayme, my ego would like a lot more followers but not sure it’s in my best interests – or my followers. I’ve flipped back and forth on the numbers. My Tweetdeck is already on column overload w/ multiple accounts, lists before I even get to hashtags 😉 That’s when you just got to look at your stream.. think about how you’re using it, if it’s curation like David, relationship development, a combination or more. I am certainly using Twitter for business, a combo of strategies to make the most of my time which is why I’ve been pruning, cutting some noise. I’m usually more interested in what’s being said vs. who’s saying it, but that certainly does come into play. If someone I trust recommends a post highly ala “best post ever!” and I catch it, I’ll probably take a peek. But too many of those that don’t deliver.. probably time for me to rethink the follow (credibility like Michelle mentioned, David about RTing any old crap.) Hmm.. not sure I answered your question but it is something to think about, thanks.
These last two days of posts and comments here are incredible food for thought. Take a look, if you will, at the comment I just left Michelle about blogging and tweeting for business ROI; my mindset is not that and as a PR person I have differing perspective. Do you agree? What is your opinion on that, Davina? Thanks for your thoughts here.
Jayme,
Appreciated your dialogue at Social Media Today. You bring a great example to light with your commentary on David’s Twitter experience. From the evolution of his use of it as well as the evolution most likely of his followers’ expectations of interactivity.
Thanks,
Anthony
Thanks for stopping HERE to say so! If you don’t mind, I’d like to credit your post and run a bunch of it at The SMB Collective blog I publish. What you have to say is extremely insightful for small businesses.
Also, as Twitter gets older, more peeps will continue to reach 10K followers. This is going to be fascinating to watch how people evolve with this channel (using David as a prime example).