I was recently categorized as a “social chatterbox” by a colleague, referencing my frequency of tweets and engagement with followers on Twitter.
…I’ll give you all a few moments to nod your head in agreement…
I’ll admit that for a split-second my reaction was to be insulted but that quickly passed since I’m not hung up on what people think about me but more importantly – and frankly – because being a social chatterbox has improved my business skills. Yes, Tweeting has improved my business skills, which both I and my clients benefit from.
How you ask? (OK, pretend for a moment that you asked)
Speaking in Headlines
The 140 character restriction of a tweet forces you to edit your thought down to its core meaning; the nucleus of your argument. While some call this “speaking in headlines” and criticize the medium and its posts for having little value as a result, I argue that those who learn to do it well provide more insights than those who require a 2,000 word blog post to convey a sentiment.
And with the often-cited “content overload” that is modern day media, the ability to convey an impactful message in the fewest words possible is a definite virtue and business asset.
You know when you’ve been successful: a well-written Tweet elicits an intellectual and/or emotional response within your audience base, which results in replies and re-Tweets. Ambiguous Tweets fail to impact your audience and drop with a resounding thud.
The exercise of creating a tweet that connects with your audience forces you to think and re-think your understanding of the subject. It’s not uncommon for me to edit a tweet 5 or 6 times before I publish it. In each edit, I have to carefully select the words that convey my intentions in the limited space available.
The act of determining appropriate wording challenges me to clarify my real thoughts on the subject. In fact, at the risk of sounding schizophrenic a Tweet has often had me arguing with myself in order to debate what I really wish to convey.
Consolidating a sentiment down to 140 characters or less generates an internal dialogue that has been the genesis of many of the articles that I’ve written. Participating in Twitter conversations and chats has been the best education and inspiration for defining my point of view and advocating it on behalf of my personal and corporate brand.
And in the end that’s what it comes down to. What do you stand for? What is your point of view? With so many voices and “noise” out there, differentiating yourself and getting your message heard is becoming increasingly difficult. Proficient tweeting is an excellent resource for both sharpening your message and sharing that message with a greater audience.
What say you? What is the business value, if any, of proficient tweeting?
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