In a nutshell Twitter is a worthwhile Social Media Marketing tool. But proceed with caution and understand how it works, otherwise you will waste a lot of your time, and that of others.
I started using Twitter back in February 2009 when it was still fairly new to the marketplace, and a lot of people were trying to figure it all out. After about 3-4 months I decided to give Twitter a break because I would constantly receive the famous “Fail Whale” icon/page, and if I am being totally honest, I didn’t have that much confidence that they were going to be in business for very much longer.
After monitoring on an off for the next 9 months, and then in more detail perusing the daily activities on Twitter, I decided to get back on board again recently with the view that it wasn’t a “flash in the pan”, and that they were going to continue staying in business and evolve in to Social Media powerhouse. My fear was that I would build up a good following, make connections with various people, and then the whole thing would collapse and have been a huge waste of my time. I know I am not the only one that had these same fears because at the time I conversed with quite a few of my colleagues and other entrepreneurs that I met in various forums, and most of them concurred.
What I can now say about Twitter, is that it is a good networking tool, but if you do not plan correctly, it can really consume an awful lot of your time and energy, which is fine, as long as you are getting some kind of return on your investment. It is not, and I repeat NOT, a get rich quick scheme that will make you money and have clients knocking your door down. It is one important part of your overall Social Media Marketing Strategy.
Stay tuned to this blog for more information on how you can utilize Twitter to your advantage.