Sadly this is a case of misunderstanding how to use Twitter and the value that can be added to any business through Social Media. I have commented before about the danger of advertising based posts on Social Media and this is a specific example of doing just that. To publish your business telephone number, or links to the company web-site alone on Twitter is not how to leverage the channel properly.

People who use Twitter every day do so as a part of ongoing conversations. Yet each of these conversations have relevance for business if you tap into them correctly. Twitter (and for that matter other Social Media channels) are all about communications, and most especially joining the conversation. Notice I said conversation. So for this hotel they should be searching for people who want information about their town and be involved in the conversation about visitors and their local city. Everyone knows who they are because their Twitter account will give all the relevant contact information.

What is there to see? Where should I go? How do I get to? Tell me about this local attraction? These are all topics that are open for discussion and it is important that this business be involved in that discussion. They should be providing valuable information that will entice a potential visitor to make the trip to their city. For the person to decide to stay at their hotel they must become the trusted expert.

Having a Blog is also another vital component of attaining success on Twitter. The blog gives you an opportunity to write beyond Twitter’s 140 character limit. You can write an article about each of the local attractions and who might enjoy them. Have the blog showing clearly the name of the business and contact points (eventhough the blog’s web site may have a name that does not directly relate to the business name). This way the blog will in and of itself build a following, in fact it may also be references as a local expert resource by other hotels. Have blog posts sent to Twitter and other Social Media channels automatically and you will be seen as contributing to the body of knowledge about your business.

For the hotel this provides them an opportunity to give local knowledge of some of the town’s attractions, which will help people decide to come to their town as well as their hotel. It proves they are local experts and have the visitor in mind when they come to the town. This is all about demonstrating expertise and building trust, which in the long run contributes to the revenue stream.

Many rules have been published before. Here are the 13 most important rules to remember and practice everyday:

1. Have a BIO – those 160 characters can say so much about the quintessential YOU.

2. Have a picture or avatar. It help us identify you. It is also best this picture is consistent with the image used on other Social Media sites.

3. Never (ever) use bad language – I am one of many people that will stop following people then its used.

4. Talk Business, avoid Politics & Religion like the plague.

5. Be inventive with your 140 characters, its not much but it is so powerful.

6. Follow people in your marketplace, your customers, your prospects, your competitors.

7. Be a marketplace expert – give your followers information of value through your blog.

8. Be a marketplace expert – answer people’s questions

9. Multi-Level Marketing schemes are not welcome here either.

10. Unless you are associated with Show business following stars does not get you followers.

11. Be active! ONE message a week is an absolute MINIMUM. One message per day preferable.

12. The wider the group of followers you build the better. Remember it is safe as no-one knows your email address unless you tell them.

13. When you get followers, build relationships with people. Not everyone responds those that do can become key contacts.

Twitter can be a great way of building a large number of business contacts in a short period of time. You must treat people as you expect them to treat you, with respect.

Connect with me on Twitter at @pgiblett

It is the professional networker and superconnector that has come along and found a tool that fulfils our needs to touch the lives of a large number of followers and do it safely. One of the key aspects about Twitter is that you do not need to give a person your email address, phone number, or real address. It is possible to stay entirely anonymous. You can find me as @pgiblett and if I don’t wish to tell you my other contact details then that is all you shall know. Yet at the same time I can talk to you about business opportunities, jobs, or anything else that is relevant.

I have obtained consulting work through Twitter and I am currently leveraging Twitter as a marketing tool for an upcoming web solution in order to build interest even before we have a product to demonstrate.

Having 5,000 followers I thought I was in the bottom 10% or 20% of users until seeing this statistic. Yet also some people ask if you have over 5,000 users you cannot know what they are all saying all of the time – very true, but I cannot hope to and really do not wish to. It is not a case of being rude it is a case of how professional networkers use Twitter. Here are some things that are worth thinking about:

► “I am off to the cinema now” type communications are not normally relevant.

► 99.999+% of everything on the internet is of no relevance to what I am doing right now.

► Networking (including Twitter) is merely a means to extend the scope of what I am doing.

► The people on my personal ‘A-list’ warrant special attention.

►Replies always need personal attention

For professional networking answering Twitter’s question “What are you doing?” is normally the worst way to use the site. Facebook‘s “What is on your mind?” is probably closer to the truth. But the professional networker is really on Twitter to “Tell the world something significant“. At the end of the day everything you say is visible to the world. Blogs are the darlings of the search engines as they provide gigabytes of new content every day to be analysed. Twitter is one mechanism to driving people towards your message and it is pretty effective at doing just that.

The question “What are you doing?” should not be answered unless you are telling people in a conversation that you are no longer available (e.g. you have gone to a meeting). Your reason for being on Twitter is twofold: to promote what you are doing; and to intervene in the marketplace. Revenue opportunities do exist, but they will come in the course of your other activity. Don’t expect Twitter be become an instant money making machine.

Promotion of what you are doing: This is your opportunity to promote corporate blog posts, forum discussions and everything else the company is doing. Every message you send should be:

► Up-to-date

► Relevant

► and provide real value

Intervention in the marketplace should be about making you the expert in your market. Whenever anything is said about your product, your brand, or your company then it is important intervene intelligently and appropriately. If someone complains about how this is the third time they have travelled on your airline this month and you have been late each time, then it may not be correct to give them a 10% discount voucher but it may be appropriate to arrange for a senior customer services manager to call them and listen to their concerns.

Building Twitter connections is one method that can be leverage in getting your message out. You should be connecting to:

► Customers

► Prospects

► Anyone else who in the future may be interested in our product

► People having interests in our marketplace

► Competitors

The reason for this is to demonstrate expertise in our marketplace. A must for connections are customers, people who work for them. If a prospect is on Twitter connect with them. “Anyone who may be interested in our product” – this can be quite a wide net to cast, however if you are a realtor in Queens then you are interested in connecting with anyone in New York to start with as they may be interested in the properties you have for sale. When people follow you think about whether you can potentially help them, then follow back.

In following back you are not interested in people offering naughty naked pictures of themselves, those pushing MLM schemes, or those pointing you at sites where you can make astonishing wealth. These folk are not interested in your message.

A final word on following. Get connected. Don’t be afraid of followers, they cannot get to you unless you give them your personal details. If you do decide to give details then only do so via a Direct Message.