A few weeks ago I learned that I was chosen as one of the "Top 25 Online Marketers to Follow on Twitter" by David Vogelpohl over at Marketing Pilgrim. (I'd like to thank my family, my 2nd grade teacher...)
While it was cool to be chosen, more interesting to me was how David characterized my Twitter account: "...an engaging Twitter feed where she makes the most of interacting with other Twitter users...With enough quips to make her feed personal and interesting, she maintains a mostly serious and professional Twitter persona."
That does seem to sum up my Twitter existence, although I had to laugh at the serious and professional description, since I sometimes tweet some crazy stuff! On the other hand, I agree that the mix of personal and professional is a large part of the appeal of my Twitter account. In fact I think it's key to nearly any good Twitter account. For more on that, Lisa Barone (also on the top 25 list) just wrote a great article: "The Myth of 'Professional' Twitter Accounts," with which I agree 100% (see my comments over there).
I thought it would be interesting to look at and dissect both the professional and perhaps not so professional ways that I have used Twitter this month to see what exactly makes up a top-25 account. With that, I give you:
10 Ways I've Used Twitter This Month:
- Expressing Extreme Emotions:
So far this month I have expressed love for Pandora adding comedy channels, my iPad, a spammy site I reported being nuked, and clients who no longer need me because they're doing so well.
And I've expressed dislike for SEO getting blamed for malware, irrelevant blog and forum comments, Panera messing up my order (twice in a row), and email spam via my website's contact form.
- Creating Content:
- Crowdsourcing to Help Clients:
- Promotion of Myself and Others:
I don't just tweet my own articles, however. When I read other great articles, I tweet them as well. This provides my followers with more interesting information than just I can give them, and also endears me to those whom I am promoting. I honestly don't do it to get anything in return -- it's just good networking and a win-win all around.
- Catching Up With Family and Friends:
Aside from getting the international news from my family, I can also keep tabs on the fact that Corie was thinking of getting a new dog or let my cousins know I was having dinner with their mom and dad! Also, many of the friends I've met through events and conferences are on Twitter, and it's a great way to keep up with what they're doing. In fact, I'm having lunch with one such friend this week that stemmed from a Twitter chat.
- Answering Questions:
- General Chatting:
- News and Information Gathering: This is where who you follow on Twitter is important (as opposed to who follows you). I follow those who will not only entertain me, but who will post interesting and newsworthy links, especially those related to the search marketing industry. I get a good portion of my news from Twitter.
And now that I have my iPad, I use the Flipboard app each morning to see a magazine-like view of all the articles posted by my followers. This catches me up on anything interesting going on and also provides me with potential stories to submit to Sphinn to fulfill my editorial duties there. - Ranting and Raving About Boston Sports: If you're a Boston sports fan, you'll understand this one. The gist is that all of our teams can be the best and the worst all in one night. It helps to cheer or scream with with others on Twitter!
- Fun and Silliness: In this case, a picture is worth a thousand words: Me wearing a sombrero on Cinco de Mayo. Whether you've never understood how to use Twitter or are an old Twitter pro, I hope the ways I've used it inspire you to find new ways of expressing yourself online. I should also note that the mix of humor, authenticity and professionalism shouldn't be limited to just Twitter. I am certain that it's that same combination that has made the High Rankings Advisor Newsletter so popular for nearly 10 years. The bottom line is that people prefer to do business with those whom they feel connected with. Twitter and other online communities provide us all with unique ways to make those connections – we just have to be willing to put a little bit of ourselves out there! Jill Jill Whalen is the CEO of High Rankings, an SEO Consulting company in the Boston, MA area since 1995. Follow her on Twitter @JillWhalen
Jill Whalen, CEO of High Rankings a Boston SEO Consulting Agency, has been providing SEO services since 1995. Jill is also the host of the High Rankings Advisor newsletter and the High Rankings SEO forum.
Mary
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Wonderful article! As a prolific Twitter nerd, I found this helpful, informative, and fun. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my most common uses of Twitter, and it really just amounts to venting. I find that if something pops into my head that I really love or hate, it makes me feel good to mention it on Twitter.
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