Relationship Keys for Branding, Networking and Leadership on Twitter

Twitter is all about relationship building. It’s about building your market, creating that “know, like, and trust“ feeling and developing a community network, so that when you do have your products and services, you have people that are invested in you. This is truly relationship marketing and not a quick fix … they purchase ‘stuff’ and then they are gone.

So, if you are going to design it, you need to build it up for the long run, and grow a long term clientele. It is important to develop strategies to achieve your goals. The days of 2 – 6 touches are long gone. That strategy simply doesn’t work. It now takes about 20 impressions or more to create that buying decision. Also, remember not everyone will buy from you.

The most successful way to build relationships on Twitter is to be an effective tweeter. The best ways I’ve discovered can be expressed by envisioning each of your tweets to contain at least one of the following elements, the 4E’s: Entertain, Educate, Enhance and Engage on Twitter. Look for opportunities to impact people’s lives. It’s never crowded along the extra mile. It’s not about you, so Ditch the Pitch.

So, why is Twitter the ideal platform?

The reason I love Twitter over all the other social networking is because there are NO Gatekeepers – you can follow anyone you like, have a conversation with anyone who is willing to chat back with you. Deepak, Neale Donald Walsch, T Harv and Richard Bach – all reached out to me from messages I shared. Not trying to impress you – but rather impress upon you that thought leaders, authors, speakers, celebs are more easily accessible on Twitter than anywhere else. Who would you like to Tweet with? The Twitterverse is waiting for you.

Also, other sites have the permission system, which reminds us of some of those exclusive clubs where you were vetted, inspected, dissected and eventually neglected, not Twitter.

On Twitter there is no opt in or friend request to gather their information to send them an email or another offer. On Twitter there are massive opportunities to create connections with your growing audience, and expand the relationship to a phone or Skype call or in person meeting.

Importantly, before you start on Twitter keeping a consistent brand is vital. It is critical that your profile is complete. The profile is the Twitter version of your business card. When someone clicks on your tweet in their tweet stream it will immediately take them to your Twitter page. Your profile is the 1st thing they will see. Research has shown that within 4 to 10 seconds that visitor will decide if they will stay or go.

In that short time you need to convey who you are, what you do, why you’re an expert, and what do you want them to do next or where can they find out more about you.

You wear a nametag when you go to networking events. Your profile is your name tag or business card, and creates an opportunity for people to ask or comment on your profile. Your profile is indexable by the search engine, and should contain the same key words you’ve chosen for you website. Remember, you only get 160 characters in your profile to share your services or passions.

What is a great advantage of Twitter?

Every person is the Gatekeeper for everybody they know. There are countless conversations going on at the same time, and the same is true in your Twitterverse.  Of the large number of followers you will attract only a small percentage of those will be reaching out or engaging with you. Focus on connecting with those people already showing some interest in you. Always remember that everyone we meet is the Gatekeeper for everyone they know.

Twitter has been around for a while now and there are probably already several thought leaders in every niche imaginable.  Searching in Twitter will help you locate those people who already have an audience of people you share your interests or may eventually be interested in what services you have to offer.  Engaging and RTing these leaders and the most active people in those conversations will help establish you, as someone to take notice of.

It is very important to realize that making money or selling to people should not be your primary purpose. The main component of social media and networking is being social, creating relationships that can turn followers into fans into brand ambassadors into referring or joint partners and customers.

Spend the time to build a relationship and develop a community.  Have a safe place for people to come. If they buy from you one time, there is probably a good chance they will continue to buy from you, as long as you come from a place of service and help them solve their problems.

Learn the 4 E’s of Effective Tweeting.

This article was originally posted on Mindscapemind. com. Jennifer Touma builds leadership strength through mental toughness. She is a leadership & mental toughness coach, speaker, second degree black-belt martial artist, and author of Moment of Impact: Harness the Explosive Power of Three to Maximize Your Mind, Life and Business.