5 Reasons Not to Let Your Twitter Account Go Stale
Author: Jamie | Filed under: Social Media
Keeping your Twitter account going takes time, effort and regularity. For some people that gets too much, particularly if they’re running a business at the same time. However, there are a host of reasons not to give up on it. Here are just five of them.
Customer confidence
An abandoned Twitter account sends out bad signals to your customers. Existing followers and new visitors to your profile may both wonder the same thing – did you stop tweeting because you went out of business?
Regular tweeting is a clear signal that you’re still around. Silence online means death.
Missed networking opportunities
One of the great things about Twitter, particularly for small businesses, is that you never know who you’re going to meet. The lack of social boundaries is a big draw for Twitter, and often it’s the unexpected meetings that really show the value of a Twitter account.
If you neglect your account, just think how many people you might be missing out on meeting.
Competitive advantage
Or to put it another way – your disadvantage. If your Twitter account goes stale while your competitors are racking up new followers by the day (including those valuable networking opportunities) you’re ceding potential customers to them by default.
Attention spans
The average attention span of today’s internet user is woefully short, and nowhere is this more true than Twitter. People automatically scan their streams for the people they’re interested in. If you disappear for a while, rather than wonder where you went, they’ll probably forget you were there at all. And if you do come back, their eye may drift right over you as if you were a stranger in the street.
Staying up to date
Of course, Twitter is about far more than just getting yourself out there. Canny business owners also use it to keep abreast of what’s happening in their industry, or even to keep an eye on the competition.
If your Twitter account lies fallow, chances are you’re not logging in any more, and if you’re not logging in, you’re missing out on what’s happening in your niche. Or at the very least, you’ll find out after everyone else.
A stale Twitter account is worse than no Twitter account at all. Make sure you reap all the benefits of using the service by logging in and updating regularly!
Image Credit: how can I recycle this
Totally agree with the points you have made Search Blogger.
Would like to add, people may throw negatives at you about using Twitter such as:
Twitter takes up too much time or Twitter takes you away from productive work. If this is the case then respond with:
Twitter can help direct people’s attention to good things.
Twitter at events helps people build an instant “backchannel.”
Thanks
Hi Perry, thanks for your comments. In one of my recent articles I wrote about 5 things Twitter can teach small business owners. It can be a very useful tool for building your skills in other areas.
I also agree with your final point, I’ve been to many networking events where people have recognised me from Twitter and already known what I do. It’s a good tool for breaking the ice.
Thanks again,
Jamie