The question was posed, “Should I have a Twitter account?” I wasn’t quite sure how to answer since Twitter is my least favorite form of social media. I much prefer Facebook and Pinterest. I am on Linkdin but rarely use it. However, it did land me a freelance writing job once and in that it was worth having the account. Since my blog automatically Tweets my posts it may appear I am on Twitter more then I really am. I had to get HootSuite linked to my phone so it would alert me to Tweets that mentioned me because I had missed so many. I did not want Twitter linked up because my phone would be going crazy with all the Tweets. Yet, there are times I wonder if I should have rocked the tweets more to increase my level of exposure. You see, everyone is on Twitter. Since everyone is on Twitter you cannot afford to ignore the platform. Your competitors and your customers are on Twitter. I have to recognize that not everyone dislikes Twitter as much as I do. Some dislike Facebook and love Twitter. All I want as clients and connections. So regardless of my personal feelings of dealing with one more form of social media, it is one more way to gain exposure. Exposure is the name of the game. Without exposure you could sell the best widgets in town but no one would know about it.
So why should you have a Twitter account? As stated, exposure. Also, it keeps you in contact with clients and those you may not connect with through your site, blog, or other social media outlets. Twitter has lower commitment and expectations then Facebook. Twitter is sharing information and without a ton of room to be witty or ask engaging questions, you don’t necessarily have to perform. It is the perfect place to simply tweet. Tweet a sale, a deal, a release of a new book or post. No pressure to entertain. That does not mean your tweets are meaningless it simply means you cut to the chase and get down to business while being friendly and personable. So, while I still don’t care for it, I won’t give it up. I think every business needs a Twitter account. No sense on shutting the door on this method of free advertising.