When I think of ways that tools such as Twitter, Facebook, or Linked In work, I find it easier to understand what they do by imagining I am having a conversation with a person whom I have just met in an informal setting. I think about what is permissable within the framework of a “over coffee” conversation.
Good social marketing is about listening. When meeting someone new you ask a lot of questions, and you listen. Pretty soon the prospect starts asking you questions back. Or maybe they thank you for a twitter favor as is shown in the conversation tree below.
Back and Forth
If you carry on the conversation with a mind towards understanding the prospect you are often given an opportunity to ask the qualifying questions that matter. Start a conversation on twitter using re-tweets. In the next post I will discuss the methods of retweeting that lead to having real followers that are interested in what you do.
