@THE_REAL_SHAQ is Following Me on Twitter – SO WHAT?

@THE_REAL_SHAQ is Following Me on Twitter – SO WHAT?

Posted on 07. Dec, 2008 by Nate in Starting an Online Business, Twitter

why twitter is a good time investmentIs this a valid question?

How would you respond to a question like this?

I was so excited about getting @THE_REAL_SHAQ (Shaquille O’Neal) to follow me on Twitter but as my wife recently asked, SO WHAT?

What about this series of questions, which I’ve also heard: “Who cares if you have 670+ followers on Twitter and are number 10 in the Utah Twitter Elite?”

As you may have noticed, especially since Blog World Expo, I’ve caught the Twitter Bug and have been using it a lot more lately.  I know my wife has noticed some: I talk often about the connections I’m making and she see’s the time I’m investing in it.

So, what is the answer? 

Is Twitter Really Worth the Time?

How do I benefit from Twitter, or do I?

Does a Follow from @THE_REAL_SHAQ, @garyvee (Gary Vaynerchuk), or @MCHammer really matter at all?

Here are 5 Reasons Why I Feel Twitter is Worth the Time

1. Connections with Big Names in my Industry

Need I say more?  If these marketing master-minds are investing their time on Twitter, why shouldn’t you and me?  I realize that each of these industry experts has their own unique Twitter strategy but all of them use Twitter as a source for networking and communication.

2. Potential New Business

Five Telephone Contacts Via Twitter in the Last Week: Five new relevant contacts in my industries within the last 7 days may not be much to you, but if even ONE of those contacts turns in to something of value, I’ll continue to bless Twitter’s name!

I’m preparing a Tuesday Tutorial on How to Connect with the Right People on Twitter – Stay tune.  One of the things I’ve liked most about TweetDeck, a Twitter Client you should check out, is that you can group people you follow.  For example, say I’m looking for Twitter people that are cloggers – there may not be too many but go with me…Once I find them, I can add them all in to a group that I watch and stay up to date with.  One of these people may propose the question, “Does anyone know where I can find used clogging shoes?”  Pick me, Pick Me!  I would immediately message them to check out www.ClogOn.com for a wide variety of new and used clogging shoes.  Make sense?  Good!

3. Brand Recognition and Placement

Twitter is helping me building my brand to thousands (if not millions) of people. Here are my current Twitter numbers:

These are mediocre numbers to some, but they continue to grow, even as I type this content.  More importantly, here are some of the numbers of “big Tweeple” (Twitter People) that are following me:

@MCHammer

@garyvee

@guykawasaki

@THE_REAL_SHAQ

That’s a total of 89,208 followers.  The one thing I have to be aware of is that not all of those followers are interested in what I’m doing nor will they all follow me; however, after getting Shaq to follow me, I received over 100 new followers in 24 hours without adding a single to person to my list.  Not bad for a days work (and a few of them have Direct Messaged me for more information on what I do).

4. Increased Direct Traffic

Currently over 7% of my direct traffic at MollerMarketing.com is coming from Twitter.  This is probably actually a low number because some of the visitors may be using a Twitter client that won’t track where visitors are coming from.

Please keep in mind that traffic, in and of itself, is only as good as what you do with it, but “something is better than nothing”, right?

5. Ask a Question, Get a Response

More and more, when I have a technical question, want feedback on something, or whatever, my first impulse will be to go to Twitter for the answer.  As I read other twitter posts and follow specific blogs about Twitter strategy, I’ve seen some of the big names use Twitter in this way too; here’s what Darren Rowse says about Twitter for research:

So, there you have it – my comeback to the wife’s question about -

Why Having People Like Shaq Follow You on Twitter is So Awesome!

Let us know who’s following you on Twitter and why it’s been so beneficial to you.

Tags: ,

18 Responses to “@THE_REAL_SHAQ is Following Me on Twitter – SO WHAT?”

  1. Andrew Melchior

    08. Dec, 2008

    Good stuff here Nate. I think Twitter is a valuable tool to help network and drive traffic to your site and stories. I also think that using Twitter as a tool for building your brand is extremely valuable. Props for a good read.

    Reply to this comment

  2. Dave

    08. Dec, 2008

    Not to mention the increased credibility you have as an online maven.

    Reply to this comment

  3. Dan Patterson

    08. Dec, 2008

    The other great thing about twitter is that it can help you to keep up to date on what is going on in your industry, as long as people from your industry are using it. I’ve been made aware of a lot of great blog posts, articles, and all sorts of other information through twitter.

    Reply to this comment

  4. Gerald Weber @the_gman

    14. Dec, 2008

    This post answers a very good question that a lot of people ask. I have personally only been using Twitter for a few month but I can say I agree with and use it for some of the very same things as you mention here in this post. I often times use it a s resource as well as often times find myself being the resource. A great deal of my direct website traffic also comes from Twitter. It’s also a great way to let your followers know when you have a new blog post. The networking possibilities are virtually unlimited.

    Reply to this comment

    • Nate Moller

      14. Dec, 2008

      Thanks for the comment. Who have you connected with that has been influential in your Twitter marketing campaign?

      Look forward to hearing about the effectiveness Twitter has had on your networking possibilities.

      Talk to you soon.

      Reply to this comment

  5. The Daily Blonde

    06. Jan, 2009

    The real question is: ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME?? I’m not Shaq (I’m only 5′3) and I’m not a famous Twitter person like @problogger…but come on…I’m a daily dose of reality. I’m going to check you out….and follow you ;)

    Reply to this comment

  6. Ed Winslow

    31. Jan, 2009

    I’m going to twitter now.

    Reply to this comment

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