Know, Like and Trust - A Twitter Trilogy
Know, Like and Trust - A Twitter Trilogy
It happened again this morning. I opened Tweetdeck and had half a dozen DMs that were all exactly the same, telling me how I could put twitter on autopilot, build a huge following and make tons of money doing it. In a word - Bull!
Here is why. I don’t know you, which means I can’t like you yet and I sure as hell don’t trust you. BTW, you’ve already got negative marks on the like and trust thing with the spam. Don’t kid yourself, just because I follow you back doesn’t mean you get to bombard me with crap! You can send me interesting articles, your blog entries and from time to time an offer or direct link to something that you monetize, but if you are selling me crap before you say hello, get lost.
Which brings me to the auto DM. I used to use one, and it said “Thanks for the follow, Happy tweeting.” I turned it off about a month ago. It was a choice made because I stopped reading the ones that I got, even the ones that said “Thanks for following.”
Know
Here is some expert advice from @TheExpert on the first step of Know, Like and Trust.
One of the folks that gets this right is Jessica Swanson, you can follow her @shoestringing or check out her Shoestring Marketing Kit. I interviewed her a few months ago, the interview is here.
Like
The next step is Like. This can be a tricky thing to accomplish, so maybe it would be easier to show how not to get some folks to like you. Dr. Ellen Brandt has a great post on her blog that covers three experiences where people didn’t exactly put their best foot forward. It’s Titled “I Don’t Like What You Wrote. You Should Be Poisoned, Garrotted, Stabbed With Stiletto Heels, Thrown Off A Tall Building and Have Vultures Eat Your Liver.”
I want to make my view on this known. It is perfectly acceptable to disagree, but you don’t have to be disagreeable when you do it. If your rebuttal starts with Socialist or Fascist or any other manner of name calling, my ears slam shut! Make a case on facts and be civil about it. Just because it is the internet, doesn’t mean that you have the inalienable right to be an explicative deleted.
Trust
Trust, now we are at the pinnacle. There has been a lot of talk about “The Oprah Effect.” Which means that I will move on. Trust comes from being responsible and acting with integrity. One of the folks that I follow on twitter is @chrisbrogan. He co-authored a book coming out called “Trust Agents.” Here is a little video of Chris doing a presentation about the book’s content.
So, your turn. Please leave a comment below.
Have I got it all wrong?
Was this useful, or a waste of time?
Give me your feedback, your twitpics of hiking trails and links to useful stuff, but please say “hello” before you attempt to monetize me!
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Hey Chuck,
Great post. I think many people forget that you need trust in social media. This trust allows for people to make a connection and to maintain that connection with another individual. The consistency in one’s action allow for tust to build. As soon as you are inconsistent, you erode that trust. It goes back to the question of what you are after? Is the the quantity of “followers” or the quality of the “follower”? Are you after presence or engagement?
For some, it may only be a numbers game. Others are in it for a little more than that. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Cheers, @jenn_lee_ca
You are so right Chuck! Unfortunately, so many people get it all wrong when using Twitter as a marketing tool. It’s all about Know - Like - Trust! Excellent advice.
I love how you’ve worded this! There is a definite progression of how you interact with people using Twitter just like there is face-to-face and some of these ‘marketers’ seem to forget this. I’m on Twitter because I DO want to get information about things that interest me, but I’ll be more likely to listen to you if you talk to me first. Like a person. About nothing you’re trying to sell.
Of course you have it right. Anything less would be setting yourself up for all kinds of nonsense. Regarding hiking trails, I have no digital pics for you, but there are lovely trails all over Minnesota. Hope you’ve gotten to try some.
@Jenn_lee_ca
Thanks Jenn,
I think you are right on with talking about consistency. I have started posting about my time on submarines and a short story about trust.
We fired 5 people, all submarine qualified and all nuclear trained, because they recorded a temperature that they did not have a calibrated thermometer to take it with. In Navy terms it was an “Integrity Violation” and showed “Demonstrated Unreliability.”
You just can’t fool around with Trust.
@Jessica Swanson
Thanks Jessica,
I think a lot of folks forget that marketing is more than just putting the product in front of people, or even the right people.
It comes down to the “pink spoon” conversation we had on the show. Give people a little taste of who you are and let them decide.
@Amy Shropshire
Thanks Amy,
I’m hoping that blogging more frequently will help me find a voice. I appreciate the feedback.
I do think it is a progression. It reminds me of what are called “domains” in education. They have different levels. It is one thing to remember something. Another step to be able to apply it to a different situation. A third and higher step to be able to apply it and make something completely new from the information.
@Jean Strande
Thanks Jean,
I was in MN a few weeks ago and will be there for a few days next week. I have a project that I am working on with a client near Hibbing/Virginia area.
There is some beautiful country up there!
Good comment.
Hi Chuck! I could agree with you more. I run both my own Twitter acct and my companies and even though it’s time consuming I personally welcome every new follower with a personal note. I actaully had someone DM me back asking how I did that (referring to my comment about something in her bio)- she wondered if I had some auto program that read people’s bios. I told her no, I figured if you took the time to follow me, the least I could do was to stop by and say hello. She said she liked that and would start doing that herself. And then I got her auto-welcome DM.
In my time on Twitter and developing a new network of associates and friends I think the trickiest part of this 3-level process is actually getting from “known” to “liked”. Obviously “trust” is the essential level to ultimately earn and attain but one must be firmly in that “liked” category first. And moving into their with strangers who’ve recently become online acquaintences seems the trickiest part.
My experience is that it first comes from closely following and listening to people who have similar interests and then consistently contributing good information before starting to move up into the @reply conversation with some of these people. It takes time and diligence to cross that river from being just one of the followers to being one who is now being heard and responded to. And liked.
Great and succinct post on something I’ve certainly thought a lot about but hadn’t broken it down like you have.
@Joan Abraham
Thanks Joan,
I see Geoffrey’s post got some major love!
@Mike McClure
Hey Mike,
Thanks! That almost sounds like you are trying to be social with social media. Careful mister.
@Steve Gaines
Steve,
Thanks and thanks for the link from your post!
I would agree that the know to liked step is the largest. Once you get liked, trust comes from sustained superior performance. That by definition is a function of time and not screwing it up.
I will say this, my experience is that if you don’t start a @reply conversation, I can guarantee you won’t build a relationship. Which is closely related to a quote from a great sales manager I know. “If you don’t have any quotes, I can accurately forecast your sales.”
Come on in, the water is fine and life returns to those who ask!
Fantastic post Chuck!
I fully agree with everything you’re posited.
The next level from trust, is love. When there’s love, there’s respect, trust and all that good stuff. There’s also forgiveness when you (or your brand/company) does wrong.
All the best!…and thanks for a great post
@Iconic88
“You can send me interesting articles, your blog entries and from time to time an offer or direct link to something that you monetize, but if you are selling me crap before you say hello, get lost.”
Spot on, Chuck!
Hey Chuck,
I just ran across your blog, and more true words have never been spoken. I was just having the “know, like, trust” conversation with an associate a few days ago. I agree with you 100%. The purpose of Twitter is to ‘interact’, not ‘autoact’ or ’spamact’. I love the post. Thanks for sharing.