Let me encourage you to devote a few minutes per day to Twitter

 

Social media platforms provide a great opportunity to build a rapport with potential clients or business partners online, even when you can't communicate regularly in person. You can use Twitter to build a rapport with people you've never met, or to stay in contact with people you meet at an event or conference. Twitter, in particular, makes it easy to have low-pressure conversations, get to know people, and expand the networking you can do at conferences and conventions.

Build a Rapport Before You Meet

One of the best things about Twitter is that it provides you with an easy way to build a rapport with potential clients or business contacts before you ever meet. You can network with people via Twitter weeks or months before an event, and you may even schedule an event because of your connections via Twitter. When you do meet at an event, you don't have to go through the awkward "getting to know you" phase - you already have an established relationship with the person you've been chatting with via Twitter.

If you're meeting a potential client, Twitter provides you with a great advantage over your competition because you can establish yourself as a person and an expert in your field via social media before you ever meet your client. With prior association, clients and potential business partners are more likely to make a decision to do business with you.

Use Twitter to Follow Up with Contacts

Twitter is also a great way for you to follow up with contacts you meet at conferences and events. These networking events can be challenging because you're trying to meet and talk to as many people as possible, and you have a limited amount of time to spend with each person. The people you meet are also trying to meet people, and they, too, have a limited amount of time to spend with you. In the past, this has meant that you sometimes miss out on valuable networking opportunities because you spent too long with someone, and didn't have enough time to spend with someone else.

You can meet and talk to someone for a few minutes, and then follow up via Twitter. You can send a message the next day or days later, and continue your conversation online. This enables you to build a deeper relationship with people than you typically can at a conference, and it also gives you an opportunity to talk with more people.

Twitter is a Great Low-Pressure Networking Tool

Because Twitter consists of sending short messages, it's a great low-pressure networking tool. You can send short messages to everyone on your list, or even have conversations with an individual via Twitter. Most Twitter exchanges are one or two sentences long due to the character limitation. This means you don't have to be brilliant to shine in a Twitter conversation, and you don't have to worry about carrying on lengthy exchanges.

So, starting today. Let me encourage you to devote a few minutes per day to Twitter. Start building relationships with twitter conversations and I promise you, you will see a reward for your time investment.

 

About the Author

Bernadette Doyle is a marketing specialist who helps entrepreneurs become client magnets and attract a steady stream of their ideal clients. If you'd like to receive invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease, register at http://www.clientmagnets.com