This blog is twitterfied

Really? You still aren’t convinced that Twitter is an incredible tool for business growth?

As of today, Twitter sends me 31% of my traffic. 31%. That’s darn near one third.

Yesterday, it was 28%…it’s a growing trend. And it’s in direct correlation to how I use it.

1. The writing. When I tell people about Twitter, I always bring up the movie A River Runs Through It. Do you remember how the narrator, Norman McLean, would bring his father a page of writing, only to have his dad send him back to make it shorter, to do it again? Eventually, he’d whittle that full page down to a scant paragraph: succinct, pure, direct, on message.

This is the opportunity that Twitter affords us. Take it. Have fun with it, use it to become a better writer.

And, proofread. Yes, you’ll be somewhat creative in your spellings and abbreviations – but make those purposeful and clean up any accidentals. Read your tweets out loud – make sure they make sense!

2. Connect, connect, connect. I DM (send a private Direct Message) every single person* that follows me. Yes, this is time consuming – but the purpose of Twitter is to connect. How can I not do that if I don’t look at this new person, find something about them that I can relate to (picture, bio, site, blog, recent tweet content). This first contact, for me, is where the relationship starts…and aren’t first impressions everything?

3. Listen. Stop in and just listen to what people are tweeting. What can you add? How can you help? What can you learn about the world in this moment?

4. Give. Be generous. What do you have to offer to your community? Retweet good tweets. Celebrate your followers’ accomplishments. There IS enough for us all.

5. Be Authenic. Who are you? Show people what makes you, you. And remember: you can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people, all of the time. So get over it and be you – attract those that will appreciate you (and even some that won’t!). But don’t change yourself for anyone…that will only bite you on the tush later (because it’s lying and that’s what lies do.)

6. Seize every opportunity. Seriously, grab it by the horns. There are opportunities popping up all over Twitter every second. What do you do with them? I explore them. I smell them. I squeeze them. And I pick them when they’re ripe.

*If the person that follows me is clearly a spammer (posting only links to themselves or promising money or sex), I block them which lets Twitter know that they are bad news!

Now, go! Tweet, connect and prosper!

Filed under Critical Copywriting, How To, Marketing, Myth or Reality, Networking, Social Media, The Business | Tags: Blogging, copywriter, Julie Roads, social media, social media etiquette, social media guidelines, social networking, Twitter, Writing, Writing Roads | Comments (17)

Who’s got your back?

I went to high school with one of my brothers, Steve, who is just two years older than me. Here’s a classic scenario from those good old days at Clayton High: I’m standing at my locker – talking, flirting, what have you with some boy that had trouble written all over his face (and body) – and from out of nowhere, Steve appears.

“What’s going on here?” He would bellow. “Are you okay? Is he bothering you?”

I’m not kidding.

He drove me crazy and the boys away. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized this protection wasn’t actually a bad thing. I mean, what a concept? Someone watching out for you, able to swoop in just when you need them…hmmm, sounds oddly like a comic book I read somewhere…

How does it translate to being a freelance copywriter? Who’s got your back in the social media realm? The answer really speaks to the beauty of networking and being a genuine part of the conversation.

Because of social media, there are actual places you can go to be around people that understand your situation – like a local writer or tech listserve, a mom’s network such as Mom Bloggers Club or your own blog that builds community with conversation, comments and subscriptions/feeds. You can also cast your net somewhere like Twitter where word of mouth is fast and the conversation is faster. My experience with all of these examples is that most of the people using them are incredibly helpful, supportive and there to connect.

These people will help you navigate new proposals, pricing, finding the perfect word, tech breakdowns…and you’ll do the same for them.

When you participate in any networking group, online or off, you build relationships, and you make an impression. The quality of your relationships will span the range. There will be those you won’t get along with at all. Some people will actually become really good friends, trusted colleagues. And, you’ll find everything in between – acquaintances, fast & powerful encounters, steady contacts. As do most experiences, it’s got the makings of the classic bell curve.

Strong connections will be made with the most unlikely characters because the usual filters (class, clothes, environment, location, culture, etc.) aren’t present. No one is to be discounted (unless they behave badly) because you can’t predict where the jewels will be found.

Pay attention to the people that become the really good friends, the trusted colleagues, because they’re the ones that have your back. They’ll notice a typo in your last post, they’ll tell you what ‘LMAO’ means, they’ll be there if you need to share really bad news or really good news, they’re supportive – they’re real because you’ve been real with them. And, it’s likely, if required, they’ll show up at your locker and by your side.

Filed under Blogging, Critical Copywriting, How To, Networking, Social Media | Tags: Blogging, copywriting, freelance writing, Mom Bloggers Club, social media, social media etiquette, social media relationships, Twitter | Comments (10)