27 May
6 Benefits of Using Twitter as a News, Networking, and Marketing Tool
Posted by Jason
Twitter has proven to be a tremendous asset as a virtual networking tool to over 1 million users. If you haven’t signed up or don’t understand why you should start, here are the top 6 reasons I use twitter and the value that I have gained from it as a recruiting professional, networker, and blogger. 
- For conferences: Twitter has been used as a conference tool for quite some time. I recently had a firsthand experience with this while attending the @kennedyinfo conference in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. In addition to real time session updates, the conference and the use of twitter had an impact on my experience (see networking below).
- For news: In many ways, twitter has become one of my top news sources in many spaces. Both from news networks and people I follow.
- For recruiting: I have only started to scratch the surface with this, and tested it a couple of times. As a recruiting professional I see a lot of potential with twitter. Like with any other recruiting tool, it comes down to what you put into it. In a few examples, I have referred people to jobs I have heard about, as well as one I was recruiting for. In every example people were ultimately referred to the positions open through referrals on twitter. I have heard many recruiters make comments about “how many hires have been made from it”. For me, all of the positions are still early in the process so no hires can be officially announced yet, but I would caution shallow thinking - and focus on the potential for building your own referral network over time, and the branding aspect more broadly.
- For marketing: I have read many blog posts about the value with using twitter - in a variety of ways for both publishers and readers. Since I recently launched my recruiting blog, I was especially excited to see Cheezhead’s post that twitter was now the sixth highest referral source to his blog, beating out the nation’s third largest search engine. As he reported, visitors from twitter looked at twice as many pages, and stayed on the site 4 minutes longer.
- For networking: In the first reason, I briefly outlined the value for conferences. Not only is it a great resource for those that aren’t able to attend, but in the case of the conference I attended I was able to personally meet with and connect with over a dozen professionals I first met via twitter. Chances are likely this wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Twitter can also be useful in supplementing other networking tools you rely on. Since launching my blog and group on LinkedIn, I have added 100 members in a few days. Click here to join.
- For fun: Save the best for last, right? I have to admit I’ve had a lot of fun with twitter, and have met some great people along the way. The biggest challenge is balancing time sharing news and updates, and connecting with people. Here is a snapshot of my TweetCloud from my twitter profile, over the past 90 days:
In being a late adopter in comparison to many I know I have only scratched the surface. I have quickly learned how to enjoy the value and benefits of the service - while having fun. Whether you currently have a profile and use twitter, have been on since the early days, or are contemplating getting started, there is no shortage of tools or information available to you. Here are a few to get you started:
- 101 Everyday Uses For Twitter
- 101 Twitter Resources
- Yet Another Practical Use for Twitter
- Some Conversations Have Shifted to Twitter
So, “What are you doing?”
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May 27th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Awesome information….thank you so very much!
Lana Benton
http://www.socialcirclenetwork.com
[Reply to this Comment]
May 28th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I started using twitter as a social site and now I am amazed at how much I now use it as a professional networking tool as well. In fact, as a freelance sourcing specialist, I have been able to get candidate referrals from my twitter friends. I see twitter becoming the best recruiting tool for today’s recruiter/sourcer.
[Reply to this Comment]
May 30th, 2008 at 2:03 am
Lana, thanks for stopping by. Glad you liked the info and the post.
[Reply to this Comment]
May 30th, 2008 at 2:05 am
H. Schott, thanks, I couldn’t agree more.
[Reply to this Comment]
June 8th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I enjoyed this article because the cases mostly apply to my experience. Having met folks through twitter made it so much easier to connect in person at get togethers and a recent conference. Good share.
[Reply to this Comment]
June 8th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Todd, thanks, glad you enjoyed. I Absolutely agree with you, it does make it an easy way to connect.
[Reply to this Comment]
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