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Twitter doesn’t make sense

By Becky McCray

“Twitter just hasn’t clicked for me,” a young woman told me.

She works for an art gallery in a small town. She has a Twitter account to manage, but hasn’t found it useful yet.

Alva's Graceful Arts Gallery
Small town art galleries are
natural community-builders. 

We talked a little longer, and I gave her this advice. I thought you might like it, too.

Don’t think of Twitter as a megaphone. Think of Twitter as a listening device.

  • Follow smart people. Learn from them. 
  • Politely step into conversations when you have a question or something to add. 
  • Filter out the noise to focus on listening. 

Focus on what you can learn on Twitter first, then think about what you can share second. 

Who might be smart people for this art gallery to follow?

  • Customers 
  • Suppliers
  • Other locals
  • People who work in the same role at other art galleries

I don’t care how many followers you have. If you want a number goal, find 50 smart people to follow.

What advice would you share with someone new to Twitter?

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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Downtown is your town’s core: How to make your case - February 22, 2021
  • Zoom Towns: attracting and supporting remote workers in rural small towns - December 10, 2020
  • In an economic crisis, spend your brainpower before your dollars - November 25, 2020
  • Video: How to fill empty car dealership buildings for the holidays - November 6, 2020
  • How has 2020 changed the challenges rural small towns face? Tell us here - October 20, 2020
  • The Idea Friendly Method to surviving a business crisis - October 6, 2020
  • Join me for the Rural Renewal Symposium online Oct 13 - September 26, 2020
  • Cheap placemaking idea: instant murals - September 11, 2020
  • Refilling the rural business pipeline - July 7, 2020
  • Huge vacant buildings: grants to renovate? - June 9, 2020

February 18, 2013 Filed Under: marketing, social media

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Comments

  1. Tracy Brown says

    February 19, 2013 at 12:36 am

    I definitely use Twitter as a “news gathering” tool. It’s a quick way to get new information that is relevant to me. And that’s what I recommend to others who aren’t sure how (or why) to use Twitter.

    At this point I haven’t personally used it to connect with prospective or current clients. Maybe down the road!

    Have a great week!

    • Becky McCray says

      February 19, 2013 at 1:45 am

      Tracy, sounds like you’re using a great approach!

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