At times I find myself Twitter’s round the clock cheerleader. I love this place!
Part of why I love it is that it educates me, introduces me to great friends, and makes me better. That and it has totally exploded my small business, fleur de leigh photography. So this blog is for the sceptics, the naysayers who think that small business can’t benefit from places like Twitter and Facebook. Here’s a true story.
Late one evening fully sate with Pinot Noir and bad hair that was driving me crazy, I decided to wield the scissors. I know. I know… Having seen the wreckage the next morning, I tweeted:
Being the savvy marketer that she is, Cindy who manages the Twitter account for Michael’s Salon & Spa (@MichaelsSalon), a beautiful local salon who follows me retweeted mine tweet and ALSO sent me a DM saying. “We’d be happy to fix those bangs for you. Give us a call and we’ll fit you in quickly.” Which I immediately did. Kinley (shown above) fixed my bangs…free of charge! Now several months later, I am a faithful client. I switched salons because she reached out deliberately with an act of kindness that CONNECTED with me. Now Michael’s earns the $150+ month business for my hair care. (being blond isn’t cheap) Thank you Cindy, (@CynthiaDeVelvis) you ROCK!
This is just one way the Big Bang Theory grew business through social media. Here are 3 ways to springboard your local social media connections deliberately.
1. Pointed search: Utilize Twitter search for your local people. (ie; enter words like Dayton, Centerville, hair) and follow people who appeal to you or your brand. Then use tools like Listorious to access lists people have made related to your search terms.
2. Reach out: Having followers you don’t communicate with is akin to window shopping. You get nothing of value in your bag. Say hello to people. Take time every day commenting/engaging/befriending people (or potential clients) you follow. You’ll find that these people will return your follow, engage with you, and potential become advocates for you. Beware of the hard sell. Build relationships earnestly that’s what makes friends that sometimes become clients for you.
3. Be a community evangelist: Share the successes, inspiration, stories of your community (people you follow) through RTs. Attend or coordinate Tweet ups (where you can come face to face with your tweeple!) Tweetvite is a great way to find or initiate your own tweetup. Embrace those in your community who are advocates of social media universes like Twitter.
Dig in and try it. While I can’t guarantee your business will prosper for it, I can predict that you’ll probably make a friend or two. Which isn’t all bad 
11 Comments
good article! i am still figuring out twitter and have somewhat given up on it. i feel like you constantly have to be connected, and even though i’ve tried it has never seemed to pan out. i comment on others blogs all of the time, and try to re-tweet, etc. but i’ve also had a hard time getting people to follow me back..
thanks for the advice!
i will keep trying
Thank you so much, Jenny. Keep trying. germination takes time…and let me know if I can help you with any questions you have! I appreciate you.
Leigh,
Thanks so much for this blog! I’m still learning something new every day in the Twitter and social media sphere, but the thing I try to keep in mind is that there are REAL people out there to connect with. Speaking of which, I would love to meet you IRL next time you come in to Michael’s – somehow we haven’t crossed paths yet! I still feel like I’m new to Twitter- you were actually the first person I reached out to through @MichaelsSalon. I’m glad I could help get your bangs fixed, and also help Kinley earn a new client!
PS – I’ve been inspired by looking through your photos, as I’m a budding photog/wannabe myself
Great post Leigh. I’m a twitter newbie and have lots to learn. I know I like to play in my comfort zone on social media…linked in, facebook, and my blog. I’ve opened a twitter account due to the pleasant teasing of Jules and Joy Bianchi. But I just don’t get the retweet thing, or the differences between @ and #. I have an article to read called Twitter for Dummies. Guess I should get on that. Thanks for the tips. I’ll let you know which work out the best for me.
Twitter has made a HUGE difference for me! I’ve been a photographer for years, but only took the plunge the middle of last year to start my own business. I had definitely been a “poo-pooer” of Twitter, saying I’d never, ever be caught dead with a Twitter account. But, curiosity got the better of me and I checked it out. Sure enough, I found it extremely useful and am happy to say I am no longer one of those “poo-pooers.” I’ve learned so much from other people in the same line of business, I know my own business has benefited, and my mind has expanded in great ways. It’s fantastic! There’s no way I would have found nearly as much useful, relevant information through a standard internet search. And, it’s not all online for me – I’ve met other great “tweeps” in my own town (face-to-face) and have struck up meaningful vendor relationships as well as friendships. Yep – I’m definitely a Twitter cheerleader too!
Cindy-
You were awesome to reach out and it has helped build your business. I’ll make sure to touch base with you the next time I am in. Thanks again for doing what you do in social media. It’s a great biz model
Leigh
Shelly,
Thank you for joining the conversations! You are are riot. Just be you, be willing to engage and reach out (which you are doing by the way) and be patient as you watch your social media friendships, connections, network grow in size and scope. I love the book Twitter Marketing for Dummies, by Kyle Lacy @kyleplacy. It’s my go to guide for SM with a marketing approach.
If you have ANY questions, feel free to hit me up!
Leigh
Kristine,
Thanks for your fabulous comment! Loved this: “I’ve learned so much from other people in the same line of business, I know my own business has benefited, and my mind has expanded in great ways. It’s fantastic! There’s no way I would have found nearly as much useful, relevant information through a standard internet search.” I’m fashioning you your very own Twitter Cheerleader uniform
It is amazing how something so global can connect you with local peers, friends and venders in photography. LOVE it!
Leigh
Hey Shelly!
I forgot to clarify the difference between the retweet (RT), the @reply or @mention and the hashtag (#) in my way:
The retweet can be used to pass on/promote/share a tweet that you valued. I share funny, informative, complimentary tweets from others which puts them in front of other people whose paths they may never have crossed. The retweet is a great compliment so I always thank people for passing on my words to others. A retweet shows up on your twitter stream for all to see.
Sample retweet:
“RT @julesbianchi: Photo 101 2night! Bay Area Moms: want 2 learn how 2 make ur camera do what you want it to? http://www.julesbianchiworkshops.com”
The @reply is a convo or response to a person/persons in particular. A singel @ reply shows up on the Twitter streams of that person and only the people follow that person unlike a RT. Be sure to keep an eye on your @mentions so you can respond to them with thanks or conversation.
Sample @mention or @reply:
@julesbianchi can’t wait for photo 101 tonight. Thanks for organizing this cool 411.
The hashtag (#) is fairly confusing but very helpful. Use a hashtag as a way to be captured as part of a conversation, event, topic, theme, industry. The #followfriday or #ff is a very popular one. When bunches of us photographers were in Vegas for WPPI 2010 you saw the hashtag #wppi or #WPPI2010 everywhere. What’s great about the hashtag is that while the event was going on, I had this search up as a Tweetdeck column. I was privy to tweets related to WPPI from people whom I didn’t necessarily follow. I gained info on happenings and met knew followers this way. Use them to include yourself locally for example for tweets related to others in your town.
Photographers use the hashtags #togs or #photogs or #photography in their tweet as a way to show up in the general photography community.
Sample uses of hashtags:
“RT @julesbianchi: Photo 101 2night! #BayArea #Moms: want 2 learn how 2 make ur camera do what you want it to? http://www.julesbianchiworkshops.com” (now anyone who uses the search BayArea and Moms will see this tweet.)
Be sure to join us at our #Vegastweetup in the MGM Centrifuge after your fun day at #wppi. (now if i was search “WPPI” I would learn about this event)
I hope that makes sense for you. Hit me up if you want more info!
Leigh
I freaking love that salon. I haven’t been able to get as good of a haircut since… Great use of Social Media…
Love this story about how you connected! Hey, responsiveness and reaching out to connect counts, big time. I’ve become a big time evangelist of a few brands who have connected with me and resolved my issue quickly.