If you’ve read anything about social media marketing, you know that the new philosophy is all about giving in order to get. The video above clearly depicts the value of this philosophy. The originator of an idea is only a "lone nut" without the people who choose to follow and spread the idea.
The retweet on Twitter, perfectly encapsulates the mechanics of this marketing method and demonstrates its value. Typically someone tweets a link or useful bit of knowledge, others see the tweet, decide to share it with their followers and so on and so on. When you retweet, you accomplish several very positive things at once:
1 – You help spread valuable information
If someone tweeted it first, the chances are good that it’s valuable information that people are looking for. Tweeting on a regular basis establishes a solid presence for you on Twitter. You can make sure that people come to associate your Twitter handle with getting something they can use by posting helpful information. The easiest way is to watch the Twitter stream, click on links. When you see something useful, retweet it. (Note: make sure to read or at least thoroughly scan articles before retweeting otherwise you may accidentally retweet spam.)
2 – You help promote other people which may lead to beneficial connections
OK. You could just take that link and tweet it yourself offering no credit to the original tweeter. Maybe you think that by doing this, people will think you are superior to the retweeter because you posted it first. This type of thinking will only hurt you in new media marketing. First, there is a good chance the original poster of the tweet will figure out your game, and you will ruin your reputation with a key influencer on Twitter. But most importantly, you have missed a great opportunity to start forming a bond with this influencer. Retweeting promotes other people and as Chris Brogan says, the best way to promote yourself in social media is by promoting other people.
3 – You distinguish people who are worth following, including yourself
When seeking people to follow, I generally look for people who #EIR, engage, inform and retweet. If you are retweeting useful information posted by someone else, I can see that person posts great information and might be worth following. But I also know that anyone who retweets a post is much more likely to fall in with the #EIR method. In fact, if I check out your profile and I see that you have been doing a significant amount of retweeting, that is a VERY big plus from my perspective. It means you interact on Twitter and are much more likely to retweet my tweets!
The days of me-first marketing seem to be on the wane. The good news is that new media marketing taps into our innate desire to connect with other people. Sure there’s a greater element of risk, but the potential rewards are much greater too; new ways to reach potential clients, greater customer loyalty, new opportunities for beneficial partnerships, the list goes on. It all begins with helping others. Retweeting is a simple, easy way to do this that costs nothing and takes very little time, so RETWEET!!
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Jenise Fryatt is Co-Owner and Marketing Director of Icon Presentations , audio visual for events located in the Palm Springs area of Southern California. Her blog, Sound ‘n Sight , offers information on the events industry with an audio visual and social media bent. She is married with two teenagers (one now attends college in Canada) and has a background that includes print & broadcast journalism, PR, theater production and acting.
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Tags: #eventprofs, event planner, event planners, Social Media/Technology, Twitter
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