"Help, I've been sending out Tweets for months and no one ever responds!"
October 26, 2009
by Guest Blogger, Lena West, Chief of Social Media Strategy at xynoMedia
I was about to go on stage to speak at a conference when a woman ran up to me. She was completely out of breath and she stammered, "I'm on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I've been sending out Tweets for months and no one ever responds! What am I supposed to do about this?? I'm just wasting my time! I've wasted so much time!"
I had a few minutes before my presentation began so I took the time to ask her a few questions about her business:
- What type of business are you in?
- How exactly do you help your clients? What type of service(s) do you provide?
- How long have you been in business?
- Who is your market?
We went on in this question and answer mode for a few minutes and finally, I looked at her and I said flatly, "You don't even need to use Twitter if you don't want to."
To which she replied, "Really?! I don't?"
This happens a LOT. When you don't take the time to figure out who your market is, where they are and what type and format of content they want from you, you can waste a LOT of time doing things that really don't make sense.
For some reason, business people have been led to to believe that they need to be everywhere. It's just not true. The only place you need to be is where your market is.
Hint: Your market may not just be your potential clients, your market may also include your centers of influence and your peers.
Bottomline: So, if you can cover all your bases using LinkedIn alone, I say fish where the fish are and don't make work for yourself.
Great story. Just because I can add 27 spices to my chilli doesn't mean I should. Understand what options you have and choose wisely, same way you would with any other form of marketing.
Posted by: Ed Martin | November 04, 2009 at 03:27 AM
@Steve
The operative word being "apparent". :)
Thanks for reading and commenting,
Lena
Posted by: Lena L. West | November 02, 2009 at 02:09 PM
Lena,
We're cool on that - I did say "evaluate the systems they use or don't use" - I just thought I'd poke at the apparent contradiction.
That's probably worth calling out: There are few "Must use" or "Must not use" environments.
Everyone should evaluate what they want to get out of their participation, and then use the system as well as they can to do so.
Happy Monday!
steve
(And I just noticed the widget to get gapingvoid on a blog - I'll have to check that out - another win for the day;-)
--
Steven Tylock
The LinkedIn Personal Trainer
http://www.linkedinpersonaltrainer.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetylock
Posted by: Steve Tylock | November 02, 2009 at 02:00 PM
@Steve:
Yes, people do need permission - I guess that's why there are experts I reckon :)
Oh, I do love it when someone tries to catch me up with my own words - especially since I usually chose each word I use. :)
Look carefully at last week's Twitter post and this week's Facebook post. Miss anything?
Let me give you a hint: last week the person didn't need to be on Twitter at all, this week the person in question knew her market was on Facebook. That makes all the difference in the world, my friend.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Posted by: Lena L. West | November 02, 2009 at 01:39 PM
Perhaps not as neatly, I suggested the same thing to readers in June when I said "It's ok not to tweet" - http://www.linkedinpersonaltrainer.com/archives/its-ok-not-to-tweet/
You'd think people actually needed permission not to do something they've been told they must do.
Of course - I do need to point out that not a week later you're suggesting Facebook is inevitable. [ http://www.lipsticking.com/2009/11/kicking-screaming-all-the-way-to-facebook.html ] What's the deal;-)
Or maybe it's this - everyone needs to evaluate what systems they use or don't use - and make wise choices thereafter.
I'll agree with that.
steve
--
Steven Tylock
The LinkedIn Personal Trainer
http://www.linkedinpersonaltrainer.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetylock
Posted by: Steve Tylock | November 02, 2009 at 12:41 PM
@Tiffany:
Thanks for the kind words!
You're right - taking the time before you start saves LOADS of time later.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Posted by: Lena L. West | October 28, 2009 at 06:46 PM
Hear, hear! All too often, small business owners (and others) feel they have to jump on the latest social media fad or they'll look completely out of touch to prospects and clients... regardless of the return of investment on their time, effort, and cost.
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even blogging isn't a good fit for every business. Taking a little extra time--at the beginning--to evaluate whether the latest marketing trend is a good match with your target market is always a wise decision.
Good for you for giving such candid and needed advice!
Posted by: Tiffany Jonas | October 28, 2009 at 06:06 PM
@Pat:
No one can do it all and people who say they can are fakers.
Social media is not about neglecting your business. It's about adding to it. It sounds like you might want to look at how you can balance out your social media activities with everything else you have going on.
I'm about to launch something exciting that will help with that! So keep your eyes peeled - it's been a long time coming!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Posted by: Lena L. West | October 28, 2009 at 02:56 PM
Lena, good points to ponder. I have just recently decided that I can't do it all. All social networking and no attention to the business is not going to work for me! Thanks for the timely post.
Pat
Patricia Rose-A Potpourri of Fabric, Fragrance and Findings
www.patriciarose-apotpourri.com
www.patriciarose-apotpourriof.blogspot.com
Posted by: Pat Morello | October 28, 2009 at 02:44 PM
@Jenny:
Absolutely! You're doing what it takes to get results. It sounds like you're hanging out where your market is -- and that's a good thing. Keep plugging away at it and eventually, you'll reach critical mass and people will start writing about you!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Posted by: Lena L. West | October 27, 2009 at 02:40 PM