In my previous article on Twitter I focused on the advantages of Twitter as a resource tool and some of the 'cool' products you can use to gain productivity.
But many people have asked why bother Twittering either from a social networking or business point of view.
But first let me explain what Twitter is; first and foremost it is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time.
It is not an eBay nor is it a place for direct article or product marketing.
It is a place to build your social network through interesting tweets and the place to sell your products through subtle headlining using the art of subconscious influence.
So the main reason to join is that you want to influence, make friends and expand your business.
Here is a brief list of other reasons why you should Twitter and what you gain from doing it! Reason 1: Twitter is a great tool to practice headlining since you have only 140 characters per update.
This really makes you think what you want to say and how you want to say it.
Think about it, you only have a few words to get your point across and get them to click your link to your website or to reply to you.
This makes Twitter fertile ground to develop your headlining capabilities either to attract people to your social network and/or to develop your advertisement skills all in real time! Reason 2: Do you know how to get across who you are in 140 characters? The 'Bio' section only allows you 140 characters.
This really helps you focus on being brief about who you are and why people should want to get to know you or why to buy from you.
This 'Bio' and the quality of your tweets is the key to your success and influence on Twitter which nicely dove-tales with the next two reasons.
Reason 3: Similar to bygone ages where tribes or clans used to exist to give like minded people protection or common reasons for staying together, Twitter with its following concept is very much like the tribe or clan.
People follow you because they like what you have to say and how you say it (or what you 'tweet' in Twitter language).
This provides you with the opportunity to develop your influencing (leadership) skills from either a business or social perspective.
People want to follow someone they trust and respect, its human nature and many, many people want to be lead.
So here is a great opportunity for you to brand yourself whilst developing your leadership, a win-win situation! Reason 4: You can turn followers into perspective buyers without the headache of mailing lists.
Instant list building with like minded people, wow what a concept, now you instantly have targeted traffic with potentially high conversions! From a social networking point of view you can quickly meet like minded people allowing you to expand your sphere of influence into a huge resource pool of ideas.
Reason 5: Kenneth Wu (emailcopywritter on Twitter) has developed his sparks theory that when you put like minded people together and under the right conditions you can get an explosive growth of ideas that has huge marketing potential.
He also states Twitter through social networking can provide the platform for change, both of which positions you as a 'mover and shaker'.
You gain incredible influence and respect both across the business and within social networks.
Reason 6: Twitter works similarly to the human mind, namely in short sharp bursts of focused interest.
Most people enjoy variety and can quickly scan across tweets to find their areas of interest without wading through masses of text.
Use this human concept to build your influence and show the breadth of your understanding in your or any 'field' of human diversity and interest.
Unlike other social networks Twitter has huge diversity, a brilliant place to try out new and untested ideas quickly.
Reason 7: Informal setting, like a golf club membership, you can make deals, joint ventures and strategic alliances in an open and safe environment.
As you build your tribe, clan or membership you have a trusted set of allies willing to work with you and so are more open to deals social or business.
Reason 8: This is a great tool for basic market research.
Twitter itself tracks trends but additional tools like tweetdeck, tweetbeep, tweetlater and many others all help you manage the vast source of new and emerging needs.
A last point, one of caution, it is very easy to waste a lot of time on Twitter if you do not have a clear strategy or reason for using Twitter.
If you use it as social networking then make sure your tweets are of interest to your tribe.
If you are using Twitter to expand your business then make sure you use subtle advertising and do not over tweet your products.
Kenneth Wu has a great course on Twitter that shows you how to use Twitter to your benefit.
You can find this course on either of my web sites listed below.