Twitter – make an exhibition of yourself

In our role as Internet Strategists we constantly strive to introduce clients to technology, tools & services which are a good fit and appropriate to their needs. A common tool which is worthy of consideration is “Twitter” but the equally common client question is “but what would we say?!“.

This question is difficult to immediately answer because, in reality, it is much too open ended; it’s like trying to teach someone how to use Google and they ask “but what do I search for!?“. Or showing someone a mobile phone for the first time and they ask “but who should I call?!” – just because the answer isn’t immediately obvious doesn’t mean that the tool itself is rubbish. A strategy is needed.

A good example to give clients is to talk to them about exhibitions

Many clients will have attended or even displayed at business exhibitions. They will have set up their stands, laid out the brochures, worn the company t-shirt, put out a bowl to collect business cards etc…and they certainly will engaged with the audience.

Engaging with the audience

Exhibitors will have spoken to people looking over their stand, discussing that person’s needs in light of their products/services in (hopefully!) an inquisitive, helpful & non hard sell manner. This is a relationship building exercise after all.

During a lull in people visiting the stand they may well have spoken out loud to the passing mass of people – hoping to entice some in to the stand with a mouth watering array of relevant messages.

Bringing our your personality

Furthermore they may have engaged with people when they weren’t even on the stand; when they were having a coffee, outside having a cigarette, coming back from the toilet etc. And some of these conversations may have been a bit less “on topic” than when on the stand, but you’re still engaging with the audience. And you’re also giving a personal dimension to your business. It’s not just about “sell sell”.

Different types of audience?

A business exhibitor may also find that they typically have more than one audience at an exhibition. There maybe different prospects who’s needs are different (“ah! ok, then perhaps you should take a look at this brochure instead…“). Furthermore they may use the exhibition to keep an eye on the competition, to learn what their industry is doing and look for collaborative opportunities.

The Twitter Factor

So, many businesses would be able to understand Twitter better if they thought of it in context with how they themselves behave at business exhibitions. Twitter is a communication tool and, without any context, it is hard to explain why it should be used.

So, the next time a client says about Twitter “but what would I say?!”, you have an answer.