Top 10 Twitter tips for newbies revealed at 4Networking Bath
There is an ever growing appetite for businesses to learn about Twitter, but it was still a delight to discover more than 30 friendly networkers at 4Networking Bath this morning where I was delivering another Top 10 Tips for Twitter Newbies.
There was a real energy in the room at the Bailbrook House Hotel, albeit a crowded one with so many 4Networking members and visitors, ably managed by group leader David Lossl, from The Really Useful Mortgage People Ltd. He added something a bit different with a mystery object to identify, apparently a regular feature!
The area leader, which unfairly makes him sound like some kind of cult (I said cult!) messiah is the charming Kim Hambley of Call the Office, was also at the meeting and as friendly as ever both he and fellow Travelling 4Bury veteran Olly Culverhouse of Bristol web design company Centation was there too and are planning to support me when I visit 4Networking Bridgewater on October 22nd and will be at 4Networking Gordano on October 23rd.
The Twitter Tips were as popular as ever and there were further questions about the use of hashtags. Hashtags are used to follow trending topics and can help Twitter users. Hashtags are searchable on Twitter and appear as hyperlinks – one click and you see everyone who is using them currently and this can lead to new followers who you might not otherwise meet on Twitter.
I was also able to make good capital of having a banker in the room! Perhaps it was a cheap shot, but with a Business Relationship Manager for Barclays Bank, Neil Evans, among the 4Networkers I was able to recount how one of our Twitter friends, Claire Shiels of Claire Shiels Marketing had tweeted her frustration after a foreign call centre for Barclays had hung up on her. I retweeted it and so did lots of others and at no time did Barclays step in to offer to help. It illustrated why you need to be on Twitter, at least listening to your customers.
It was great to see the 4Networking Timelord (she freezes time with her camera!) Dorrian Carrington from D&D Carrington at 4Networking Bath – I normally see her when I visit 4Networking Cirencester and she generously lets Morgan PR use her photographs – as we have been able to do today! Including a shot of my breakfast!
Incidentally there was another photographer in the room who displayed the generosity of spirit that neatly illustrates how 4Networking thrives with similar businesses in the room when so many other networks ‘lock out the competition’. Neil Phillips of Neil Phillips Photography was warm and deferential to Dorrian, which went down better than trying to compete. After all, there is plenty of work to go around!
Once again a trio of 10 minute meetings added something different to this networking format (actually they were nine minutes as the full house had made timing tight!). Firstly I met with David Cummings from The Best Marketing Solutions and discovered how well he can simplify messages into powerful motivators for a host of clients ranging from local tourism through to international clients. He was curious how social media and not least Twitter can help his clients.
Next I had a terrific chat with the friendly Jasper Williams a design consultant and founder of Juice Factory. He had a stunning portfolio and proved what a small world it is when he turned the page and revealed he works with Eleanor Yearwood of Key Talent Partners, who Morgan PR have also worked with! Jasper has that warmth and accessibility that can sometimes be lacking from creative souls who can be precious about their undoubted skill and he is someone we would definitely want to work with in the future.
Twitter is especially useful for designers, photographers and artists – anyone who creates images that can so easily be spread on social networks. People are mostly visual and will readily help good stuff go viral. Twitpic is a very powerful tool for this!
My final one-to-one was with print broker Robin Parker, from Competitive Colour Print. Robin was refreshingly honest about his scepticism about using social media. Typical and genuine concerns about the time it can take and the return on investment were the main reason and I made a valiant effort to explain how social media offers additional channels – and when he gets enquiries he normally wins them – for example he won the fiercely contested contract to print the 4Networking Community magazine!
After the meeting I also chatted to Craig Chapman, an independent financial advisor from Money Wise in Bath. He was keen to use social media tools like Twitter and I explained how regulation had yet to tackle the lack of a health warning in Twitter’s 140 characters. We suspect as you cannot buy from here and would have to interact further; compliance with health warnings about your investment can still be effective – and legal!
Finally I had a terrific chat with Nicky Marshall of Holistic insights, a psychic and reiki master who took my jokes that presumably she knew that we would work together already, in the earthly spirit in which they were meant. Actually very grounded and offering a wide range of services to help people get more from their life, she had a better proposition from some of the psychics I encountered as a journalist; she also told a hilarious tale of BBC Radio Bristol accusing her of being in league with Satan!