Are your customers at the cocktail party?

Twitter is the cocktail party of social networking – think of it as building relationships. Facebook on the other hand is the water cooler and Linked In would be the office – where professional relationships are built and maintained.

The one word which ties all three together is “relationships”. tweetgroup

Before you begin to develop a Twitter Plan, identify whether or not your current customers or potential customers are even at this cocktail party or at the water cooler or any of your chosen social networks. Do not assume that “if you build it they will come”.

If your market is GenXers then it’s likely you’ll find many of them on a social network – GenXers were born into a world of computers.

Yet on the other hand, if baby-boomers are your target then it could easily be a mixed bag of results – the younger the baby boomer the more likely. The area in which you do business makes a difference as well, i.e. Older baby boomers who live in the Silicon Valley are more likely to social networkers than say those who might live in a very rural area with less technology a part of their daily lives.

I’m a baby boomer, but I’m also an early adopter of all things technology. I also live in a rural area… But, if I were your customer, I’d be signed up for email newsletters and asking if you have a website. Which in-turn means you you should be asking me if I have a facebook account or twitter account. Which basically means that conducting a review with your customers to find out if they do have twitter or social network accounts and what they’re using that network for is essential.

It may very well be that your market isn’t at the twitter party, BUT, if they are, then it’s time to begin forging relationships. Start your social networking marketing plan and remember you should be utilizing your a brand image, and a variety of ways your message solves problems, provides valuable insights into what you offer, intrigues and differentiates you from your direct competition. And, should you want to promote products – don’t just drop an ad – let them know why it can bring value to their life… It’s all about building valuable relationships.

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