Red on Marketing Blog

Twitter is the ultimate cocktail party where people from all over the world come to learn and - occasionally - laugh. You create your own corner based on who you follow, what topics you tweet about and #hashtags you participate. The secret to building relationships with the people you meet there are similar to the etiquette you would follow at a live event.

1. Engage in conversations. Don't just shout out to the room about your new product or offering. Ask questions, answer questions, participate in chats. Thank those who share your insights. Be human.
2. Use Twitter as part of an overall campaign that includes other forms of social media, blogs, webinars, ebook offerings and newsletters. All should be focused on offering value based on the client's interest and should therefore be driven by their request to connect rather than pushing stuff out automatically.
3. Listen and learn. Twitter is a great way to gauge what people are interesting in knowing. You can pinpoint needs in the market and structure blogs and products to meet those needs in real time. It can also be inspirational to see all the neat things people are doing every day.
4. Connect in person. Meet your local Twitter followers at Tweet-ups and conferences. You will find that your online conversations take on a new level of engagement.

Have fun.