Recently I asked a few of my friends how they balance Twitter and the rest of their lives. I chose these people because, in my opinion, they have totally nailed how to leverage Twitter to grow their businesses while enriching their lives.
These people are excellent at building relationships, connecting with others and sharing their message with clarity and consistency. I think we can all benefit from their advice.
Rachael Acklin from Brand Harmony Studio
My success in using Twitter for my business, and in building my brand, is based in a paradox:
I understand that Twitter is a strategy, but that it’s about relationships, and that relationships are NOT a strategy.
Understanding that making deep connections helps my business in the long run – because I’m strengthening the parts of my brand that are in deepest alignment with who I am – frees me from trying to force it to be something it isn’t.
Twitter isn’t a spam machine, and it isn’t a replacement for my email marketing or blogging. For me, Twitter is about being visible.
I show up, I treat people with the love and respect and curiosity that’s my signature way of living my life, and as a happy result, the perception of my business and my brand remains positive and strong. And I end up with more referrals and tire-kickers and people who love being part of my circle.”
Rachael also runs The Caffeinated Business Community for solopreneurs who are building a business, and a lifestyle, from the ground up.
Michael Martine of Remarkablogger
I don’t “balance” Twitter with anything because it’s too important to me. Twitter has priority. Twitter gets me opportunities, helps me build relationships and makes me money. I spend at least 3 hours a day on Twitter and it’s worth it.”
Michael’s “How to Write an eBook That Doesn’t Suck” is a must-read for anyone wanting to create a new product. HINT: This info is extremely valuable whether your product is an ebook or not.
Bridget Prilloud from Intuitive Bridge
Don’t spend your time trying to increase your follower number. It really doesn’t matter how many people follow you. It’s who follows you that matters. Instead, focus on creating quality relationships. In terms of marketing, make sure that you don’t market too much. I try to keep to a 9:1 social message : marketing message ratio.”
Sign up for Bridget’s always-inspiring SoulNotes where you’ll be totally convinced she’s written them just for you! She’s amazing that way.
Matthew Kimberley from How to Get a Grip
It’s all about the lists. I actively follow no more than 150 people, and keep them in a private list called, imaginatively enough, “The 150″. The idea came from Srinivas Rao. He’s a clever dude.
So, Tweetdeck gets fired up in the morning. I check my @ replies (never check my direct messages, far too much crap) and scan my list of 150, sending out a reply here and there.
Occasionally I read something cool online. It takes about two seconds to copy and paste a url into Tweetdeck. I’ve set notifications in Tweetdeck to only pop up when I get a reply, which is a few times a day. If I’m actively promoting something, I schedule my tweets.
For two fifteen minute blocks in the day I’ll actively jump onto Twitter, looking for conversations to have and stuff to retweet. This is the only time I look at my full feed. I follow anybody who looks interesting. In all, I don’t spend more than half an hour on Twitter each day.
It’s easy to get sucked in. Don’t get sucked in. Get a grip.”
Matthew’s book “How to Get a Grip” is finally available in the US through Amazon. Kindle edition will be released on 9/1. I pre-ordered mine and cannot wait to get my paws on it!
How do I tweet while balancing everything else? Well, honestly I don’t all the time which is why I turned to these friends for advice. I tend to work in waves of creative solitude followed by a hungry desire to reconnect on Twitter.
So…how do YOU tweet while still maintaining balance in your work? Leave a comment and let us know.
PS: None of the links in this post are of the affiliate nature. Rather, it’s a chance for me to thank the contributors while pointing you to their awesomeness. All of which I’ve tasted and can assure you is spicy enough to warrant your deepest consideration.
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