I have two Twitter usernames: craftMBA, which hopefully most of you follow, and meganauman, my original Twitter name, which I’ve been on since 2008. The two usernames represent two different approaches to Twitter.
My original approach to Twitter was all about conversation and community. I worried less about using it as a way to market my business, and more about a way to connect with my peers. Twitter is an ideal way to address the difficulties of working on a creative business alone by myself all day. I use Twitter as a place for impromptu critiques and feedback. It’s amazing that if I’m stuck on a design or process, or trying to decide between two photos, I can reach out to my Twitter friends for help. For me, this was one of the true values of Twitter, not as a marketing tool, but as a community and a critique group just a click away.
I approach the craftMBA Twitterfeed in a very different way. The closest comparison might be broadcasting, but I really like to think of it as sharing. I’m constantly thinking, “what kind of news, links, and information would my followers find valuable?” I worry less about that feed as a vehicle for dialogue because the conversation takes place here, on this site. There are plenty of other people who approach Twitter this way – some of which just let programs auto-post links to their Twitter feeds. I prefer the old-fashioned way – thinking about links and other information, and sharing what I think you’ll find valuable.
I’m sharing these two examples to illustrate that there is no single approach to Twitter. And there is certainly crossover between my two feeds. I post sold and relisted Etsy stuff at meganauman and I often ask craftMBA followers for suggestions on what they’d like to see here, or to suggest links for a post I’m working on.
I think the value in Twitter comes from it’s potential to be so many things to so many people. There are a lot of people who still write Twitter off, or look at it through the narrow lens of a marketing tool, and fail to see its full potential. When you stop thinking about Twitter solely as a marketing tool, and start viewing it as a place for conversation or a venue for sharing, it’s value increases exponentially.
So, how do you view, and use, Twitter? Community? Sharing? Marketing tool? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments (along with your Twitter username, so we can see first hand what you’re up to).
Oh, and in case you’re wondering how I manage two Twitter usernames – I use brizzly.
Fabulous post- I think it’s important to really look at how we use social media, particularly in regards to our business.
I reluctantly started using Twitter (after much cajoling by my Ad Man husband), I initially responded, “I hate technology.” But, I’ve come to really enjoy Twitter- it’s a way to connect & form a community in a world where distance doesn’t matter as much.
I have one account, “quiltish” and share a little about my life (but do try to keep boundaries in mind!) and a lot about my Etsy shop & blog. I’ve found it to be an amazing way to connect- not just to promote my shop- and have enjoyed ‘getting to know’ other crafters, small business owners, and moms trying to make it all work.
I take the hating technology part back 🙂
I swear Megan, you must be mind reading me to plan these posts, you keep bringing up just what I’ve been mulling over! I love it!
I’ve been debating changing my twitter name bookgrrl, to rebounddesigns, but I haven’t decided if I want to change entirely, or just make a new account. I use it both for business promotional stuff, and personal connections, but it’s probably more personal than not. I do sometimes wonder who those 630 people following me are. Are they customers, or potential customers? Competitors keeping track of me? I try to think before I post anything, to make sure it won’t paint my business in a negative light, but I’m sure sometimes personal stuff slips out that is less than positive.
Mostly, I love Twitter because it’s like a watercooler for the biggest crafty office in the world. I work alone, all day, and sometimes don’t speak outloud for 24 hours, except to my cats. Twitter lets me be connected to lots of other working crafters, all over the world! Yes, I waste a fair amount of time there, but I think the social atmosphere is worth it, just for my sanity.
It’s a relief to know I’m not alone with my frustrations of running my own business, and I’ve made lots of new friends with people I would have just considered colleagues before. Just like Megan said, I use it for critiques, or choosing between photos, or other decisions, it’s like poking my head over the cubicle wall! But without ever having to work in a dreadful office.
i use twitter my twitter name (@urbanitejewelry) for both conversation and ‘broadcasting’. i use it as a way to both promote my business but also to connect with my customers and fellow entrepreneurs. i think a lot of people probably use it this way so i don’t necessarily find my approach all that unique.
however–i have stumbled upon one thing that twitter is incredibly useful for (and that people don’t often talk about): connecting with people LOCALLY. i recently moved to a new city (and a new country, for that matter) and began to connect with local businesses through twitter and i CANNOT tell you how many doors it has opened for me! through twitter i have made connections which allowed me to pull off an indie wedding show (http://www.wedbyhand.com) in only a month’s time; i have met numerous numerous customers and made tons of in-person local sales; i have made invaluable business connections and increased the visibility of urbanite jewelry ten-fold in only six months.
do i live in a city that’s big while still being small? yes. i live in ottawa, which despite being the capital of canada and having a million people is still ‘small’. so, in that way, i benefit from the smallness of our comminuty. however–i highly highly highly recommend anyone trying to increase the visibility of their business to use twitter to reach out to like-minded (and even different) business owners and customers LOCALLY through twitter!
I use twitter as a mix between sharing links, conversations, and promoting my artwork through my blog and Etsy, etc. Like Krista mentioned, I’ve found it incredibly useful for building local connections and for networking with artists across the country. I actually wrote a guest post on Inkling Media’s blog about my twitter experience. You can find it here: http://inklingmedia.net/2010/02/guest-blog-post-how-twitter-changed-my-life/
Feel free to connect with me or just check out my twitter feed at @wtek
Just wanted to say hello and thank you guys, for sharing your Twitter experience. I am a new Twiter user, started just a few weeks ago, and still learning what is the best approach.
I am an artist and illustrator, and a Vedic Astrology student. I live and work on my own, in a small coastal town in South East England, which can be a very isolating experience. I moved there a year ago, after living in London for 19 years. So I really need to connect with other artist/makers….
My Twitter user name is MaariShop
I wish I was more active with Twitter. I only go there maybe once every 2 weeks to broadcast something or share something not too personal. However, I see that if I spent more time there we could benefit from it in so many ways. I have only recently found other artists all over the world and also near my mom’s studio in Finland. It’s funny, because I often tell my mom what is going on near her, because I have already read about it on Facebook or Twitter. So the value of being on Twitter is definitely there, but there simply are not enough hours in a day to do everything.
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great post! Best articulation of different approaches to Twitter I’ve seen.
I take the conversation/ community approach to Twitter (CopperLeafSt). As an artist, I find seeing the person behind the work is very important, so I keep it pretty casual. Artists who try to sound too formal on Twitter can feel stuffy at best, snobby at worst.
I also find the networking aspects to be far more valuable than the marketing, and your comments about connecting with your peers and the dynamics of working as a solo artist hit the mark. I will be full-time in a few months, working from my home, and the amount of people I’ll interact with on a daily basis will go from about 150 to… one. That’s a huge transition. And the other networking aspects have been invaluable — Twitter has opened up collaborations, exhibition opportunities, blog and magazine features. With so many possible ways to use it, I am always surprised to hear someone adamantly say they DON’T.
I’m a bit of a techno-phobe and have resisted launching into any of these mediums (facebook, twitter, linkedin, etc) for a couple of reasons but mostly because I’m worried that they will suck away my time. I feel like I barely have enough time to craft, let alone talk about it on twitter! That said, I’m realizing that I need to start thinking about using these tools. I love how you’re describing your use of twitter…any suggestions on a beginner’s guide to using these tools????
I started using Twitter as a business tool (@Millinerium) at the urging of a friend and have found that it does help a bit with increasing traffic on my site. I don’t have time to use it to its full potential but I did buy the book Megan blogged about, Inbound Marketing, and have just started reading it. I’m hoping it will help me as much as it helped you Megan learn how to market in the new era.
I wish I had more time to use Twitter (and Facebook) to connect with a larger community, but so far I’m stretched beyond thin and can’t do any better than posting updates a few times a week. right now I only use it for business. I think if I were to create a personal account, I would keep my posts completely separate. That’s what I did with Facebook – I’ve got a personal account and one for my business – and it works well for me.
Excellent post. A Twitter lifestyle has to be acquired, at least for some, and yor post put in perspective balancing two worlds. Thanks for the thoughts