Value… everyone wants some great value in today’s economy. Marketing companies are all about promoting value in advertising these days. It makes sense considering how these “tough economic times” are hitting many people.
My family takes a two-week vacation every summer and a good part of the planning is ensuring we receive good value for the money we spend, whether it’s at a hotel, attraction or restaurant.
This same principle can be applied to what you do and say on Twitter. People are looking for value with their connections on Twitter. If you add value to your tweets, you will find yourself having more conversations and connecting with more people. Ultimately it is these connections and relationships that help you succeed on Twitter.
So… how do you add value to a 140 character tweet? Simple. You make it worthwhile for others to read. You also need to realize that everything you tweet should not always be about you and your business. Big value can be had from making a post about someone or something else besides you!
Here are five tips to help you think of ways to post tweets with value:
- Teach. Teaching others something new or hand out a tip. It’s amazing how many tips many business owners have in their repertoire of past articles, newsletters and blogs. Use this information to make a simple post (or even a series of them) that can help people learn something.The hashtag #Twitip is a prime example. People are always giving out tips on how to better use Twitter. #VAtip is another one many follow; you can learn a lot on how to work with a Virtual Assistant and what a VA can do to help your business.
You don’t need a hashtag with your tip to make it work; but I do recommend it for people looking to ‘teach’ others on a regular basis.
- Compliment. Send someone a compliment about a tweet they posted or their service or an article or blog post. You can really brighten someone’s day by paying an unexpected compliment.
- Refer. If you have learned about a good deal or service or sale – tell others about it. And I don’t mean a sale on your service or an affiliate program you belong to. Remember this is about value for others, not you.
- Share. Share good news or a funny story or an inspirational quote. Others love to join in your happiness – or even your misery if you are sharing a frustration.
- Help. Help other people; think – Pay It Forward. If you see a post and it’s someone looking for a solution to a problem. Offer them a solution, and one that does not require a ‘sale’ from you. If you notice something amiss, let someone know. Many times I have been rewarded unexpectedly for this type of action.
I received a discount when buying a product online by pointing out a major spelling mistake on the website to the owner. I’ve been invited to write an article for a high traffic website by letting someone know their twitter bio was messed up with some weird symbols. Someone else had an error on their twitter username, when I kindly pointed it out and how it could easily be fixed, he said thanks – A few weeks later this same person contacted me for a consultation on how I could help his business with their social media plans, and turned into a client.
I never helped anyone to receive anything in return; it just appears that they valued my ‘words’ enough to go one step farther.
Adding tweets with value to your updates will show others that you don’t always have a sales pitch for them to read. They soon learn that reading your tweets can be pleasant, not intimidating and they receive ‘value’ from doing so. They look forward to your updates. A nice feeling especially considering the influx of ‘sales tweets’ as Twitter grows.
Twitter is a great platform to bring value to others and I firmly believe everyone has something of value to share.
Want more valuable advice? I offer a free Social Media Setup Guide that has many tips in it to help you start off the right way with your social media profiles – please enter your name and email on the right column above to receive your free copy.