How to Use Twitter as a Networking Resource, Not a Time Sink
Search marketing is pretty much a rote step-by-step kind of motion.
You do keyword research.
You identify keywords.
You stack your keywords into groups
You write content for your groups.
You get links.
When you step out into the wild west known as social media, things are not so rote because suddenly you are dealing with the real life emotions (pride, stupidity, crazed minds, etc.) of actual people. Things get a lot tougher. Audiences aren't like the search engines and are much more discerning.
The Good news is, as a search marketer you are steps beyond your average blogger who gets far more comments on their website (and sometimes even more traffic) and has mastered social platforms. The bad news is you are entering a world that will virtually suck your time dry if you aren't careful.
I made a comment recently on dannybrown (who does know social media) and unwhittingly figured out that I already knew my social media strategy but just hadn't put it into words. Tell me if you agree with me...
The Set-up
The set up is going to take the longest time but go ahead and take your lumps. Doing it right will make using social media a breeze without eating up your time. There are several steps.
1. Identify your social circles- If you are new to the market, chances are you are going to have to do a little digging. If not, you are probably already in a circle and may not even be aware of it. For instance, I happen to be in the circle that is rooted by a blog or two (which doesn't exist anymore). Unfortunately, this circle isn't really big on social media. In this case, it is a lot like starting over.
2. Identify other social circles that are in your niche-Finding social circles is a fairly easy process. Websites typically will "band" together, highlighting the blogs they like and reciprocating. Typically, you want to start from the top and work your way down.
In a small niche, you usually can find at least 3-4 circles. Larger niches will have many more circles to select from.
If you are in a niche that isn't social (ie. toilet rings), then move up to the broader niche.
You can check out my article about social clusters and how they work here.
3. Start with Twitter- Twitter is the easiest social media platform to network in because it's largely friction free for networking. Create a profile (make it personal and non-salesy..do I really need to say this?) and then we are off to the races.
4. Create a list for the Influencers- You will be able to find these guys fairly easily as they are typically the ones who don't follow people back but have 1,000′s of followers. If you don't know the influencers, all you need to do is identify one of them and then look at who they are following. Typically, influencers follow each other.
This will be your one of your broadcasting sources for information.
5. Create a list for those in your Social Network- This is more of a maintenance move. After all, these are the guys who put food on your plate, so to speak. These are people that you know, have spoken to before (via comments, chat, or email) and that will likely be the most engaging for you.
6. Get a standalone Twitter Platform- I personally recommend Hootsuite. You can read my review of the product here. You need this for a couple reasons, the biggest one being that you will be using the Klout score to make your decisions on who you will follow (and no, it has no bearing on their importance).
It also makes sifting through your stream seamless and easy.
7. Set up Two More Lists-At this point, you are probably following 50 plus who are influencing your market and then various people who happen to be in your social circle. Now it's time to build two more lists.
We will call it the "A" and "B" list.
The "A" list is those people who would be considered influencers within their social circle. The criteria for adding them is this:
~They use social media and engage- You can check this out by looking at their Klout score.
~They have a platform to engage people with other than social media.
The "B" list is the people within the circle that are directly below the influencers. Typically, they broadcast messages. Once again, the criteria has to be the same; they must be active with the social platform and they must be able to engage visitors other than using a social platform.
While Klout clearly has its issues, it is the only metric we currently have to help judge activity. My rule is that if a user's Klout score is above 30, then it means that they are active socially. If it is above 40, then they have a bit of sway. And 55+ means that they are a poweruser.
Anyone below a 30 Klout score probably won't be good candidates worth pursuing unless they are personal friends of yours or in an existing circle of friends.
I should also state that following people just because they are following you is a bad move. It pollutes your stream. It makes managing data harder. There is a reason why most influencers have less than 500 people they are following; because they are actually following them and are willing to engage them.
Making it work
So, the set-up is complete. Now you want to spend a bit of time on it.
At first, you are going to be a feeder. A feeder just simply aggregates and distributes great content. Utilize the influencers and find content that you think is worthy of sharing. If you have an RSS reader (and chances are you do, you nerd), find content that way as well.
Scan both lists A and lists B. Find good content there as well. Retweet it. If your platform allows it, schedule tweets throughout the day.
If there is no content shared, converse instead.
What you are doing.....
People that don't understand Twitter wonder what is the point because so many people view it as a broadcasting tool (broadcasting their message that is) instead of a sharing mechanism. If you are following 1,000′s of people, your stream will become massively polluted beyond repair; you will essentially just see a bunch of noise.
Worse still, if there is no interaction between you and the people you are following, then what's the point, right?
By choosing only to follow those who are engage-able, you are able to aptly network without losing focus on the networking aspect of social networks.
In other words, you are creating real, viable networking opportunities.
Total time spent should be no more than 30 minutes a day.
Routine is key here. You can't commit for a week and expect anything great to happen. Eventually, you will find those who are willing to network with you. When you do, add them to your other social networks. Leverage your budding relationship. If you don't know how to make people feel good about themselves, buy this first.
Aim for reachable targets-While you may get more leverage out of the top dog in the circle, usually you will need to start low and work your way up. Find those who are willing to engage and possibly reciprocate. When you find them, engage them more.
Don't get sucked into the "I follow anyone" mentality as all this will do is make information from sources you actually like harder to find. Your ego may suffer but you are looking for real networking opportunities, not reciprocated numbers.
The "Why"
Okay, so many search marketers are probably why you would want to go through all this trouble to be "social". Since you are focusing only on those who are most likely to engage, you are cutting out the fat so to speak. Gone are the people who don't engage and have very little value to your business or brand.
First of all, by networking, you are making yourself visible to your market and those who talk about the market. That's means links and opportunities. The more known you become in your market, the greater your chances for opportunities that most won't get.
Secondly, by engaging, you are giving your brand a better chance of gaining traction. Most search marketers don't get that. They think of ranking as the ultimate traction. It may be the case, but marketing requires people as well.
Recap
So there you have it.
- Identify your social circle.
- Identify the influencers of your market.
- Identify other social circles in your niche
- Set up "targets" for networking opportunities within the other circles that are active on Twitter.
- Consistently deliver shares in the form of retweets and conversation.
- Separate those that engage you and engage them more, build up the relationship.
- Add them to your other social platforms and engage with them on their website.
- Repeat process.