Linda posted on November 11, 2009 10:44
Just a quick post before I head out for another conference, this time in Nashville.
Unless you have just wandered across this blog and you don't know me at all, you probably know that I spend a lot of time on facebook, twitter and linkedin. I am probably asked at least once a week if I think this is time well spent, or just time wasted.
I'm a busy person. If I thought it was just time wasted, I would find something more productive to do with my time. (Remember that long reading list I told you about in my last post?)
The conference I was at last week had over 1200 attendees. While I already knew quite a few people who were there, I obviously did not know them all. In the week or so before the conference, as well as during the conference, those of us who use twitter regularly where talking about the sessions we were looking forward to and the vendors we wanted to talk to. Some of us were even having quick conversations, not just sending out undirected comments. By keeping a search open on ConnectWise and the #cwps hashtag, it was easy to follow, and more importantly participate in, the conversation.
Consequently, I had several people who came up to me at the conference and introduced themselves to me. They were people who had been following the comments I had been making prior to the conference. They came from New York, Florida and Australia. Since the conference, I have also received messages from people that are sorry we did not manage to connect at the conference.
The people that I met I probably would not have met without the use of twitter to make the introduction. And when we met, we already had a basis for moving the conversation forward.
And you don't have to leave your city for this to happen. At almost every event I attend in Lansing, I am approached by someone who already knows me strictly because of twitter. And there are people that I recognize for the same reason. When we finally come face to face, we are able to immediately connect and have more meaningful conversations that we would otherwise.
Now if your question is really "can I start using twitter and see an immediate increase in revenue?", the answer is no, you can't. Don't think of social media as an advertisement; rather think of it as a way to build more relationships with more people faster than ever before possible.