In today’s #DIYMKT Tweet Chat we confronted the issues of connecting with customers.  We all know it’s good to connect with customers, but actually doing it leaves most of us a little confused.

What does connecting with customers mean?

Laurie Burkons (@burkonsconsult) said “Connections are mutually beneficial. Reaching out is one-sided, although the first step in making connections is reaching out. “ That’s helpful because when we use the word “connect” we’re thinking MORE about a sort of emotional connection, instead of mass mailing or even a newsletter.  We’re using the word “Connection” to allude to building relationships.

Cool Ideas for Connecting with Customers using Twitter

I did a little snooping on the internet and found some ways that both larger and smaller businesses were connecting with customers:

• A bakery in the UK (Albion in Shoreditch (@albionsoven)) actually twitters their followers when fresh bread comes out of the oven!
• Koji (A Korean BBQ) has a truck that roams around LA and promotes its location via Twitter
• @nathanegan: Make it as easy as possible for clients/prospects to follow you (put your handle everywhere) – great business will happen!

Best Tools for Connecting with Customers

• @nathanegan: Human Capital SEO – Empowering workforces with a protocol for social presence, blog out soon, subscribe: http://bit.ly/tYb2
• Use www.whistletree.com and schedule regular webinars and training sessions where you can share best practices.

How to Use Twitter to Connect with Customers

• @nathanegan: Make it as easy as possible for clients/prospects to follow you (put your handle everywhere) – great business will happen!
• Schedule a Tweet Chat.  Pick a hashtag keyword, pick a day and time and have a chat around key issues in your industry.

Why are We Afraid to Connect with Customers?

• @nathanegan: We don’t want hear what they would actually say! Social media levels the playing field of sitting back on your past successes

Here are two questions that we didn’t have time to address on the tweet chat:

• One Way to Connect that I’ve Wanted, But Haven’t Figured Out How
• How do you know you’re connected and not just reaching out?

Tell us what your best tips are for connecting with customers!

Have You Seen The Hashtags? (it looks like a number sign or the pound key)

If you’ve been using Twitter lately, you may have noticed tweets with hashtags in them.  They look something like this: #sbbuzz, #DIYMKTG, #brandchat, etc.  Don’t be alarmed, there’s nothing wrong with your computer.

The Birth of the Hashtag

The use of the hashtag on Twitter started on September 18, 2008.  It was created by journalists in St. Louis who were looking for a way to group the tweets about the Vice Presidential debate.  They started using #vpdebate as part of their tweets.

Since then, the hashtag has grown exponentially in popularity; mostly as a keyword tag so that people who are at a shared event can ultimately group these conversations together.

Tweet Up, Chat, Discuss and Brainstorm — Here’s How

I’ve been invited to lots of local Tweet-Ups.  I’ve been to some, but it’s often tough to fit in a drive across town either in the morning or the evening.  Now, you can get together with a group for a virtual party using th hashtag and your choice of third-party Twitter tools such as TweetChat or TweetGrid.  Here’s how to pull it together.

1. Decide on a hashtag (tag, keyword) #DIYMKT is one I created for our DIYMarketers community.
2. Head over to http://twitter.com/hashtags and follow them. (If you currently don’t have a twitter account, just go to www.twitter.com and click on “join the conversation.”  Create your profile and you’re ready to go.
3. I would also recommend that you create a blog page as a summary of your Tweet Ups and updates for the group.  Here is the example I’m following: http://sbbuzz.biz/ Notice how they’ve done a terrific job in giving you a real flavor for what their group is about and also wonderful instructions as to how to join and participate.
4. The next thing you want to do is head over to www.tweetchat.com where you can create a chat room with your designated hashtag.  They will ask you for your twitter name and password.  It will take you to a page that looks just like your Twitter home page.  It will ask you for the “room to enter”  this is where you put in your hashtag i.e. #DIYMKT.
5. Another option is to use TweetGrid.  TweetGrid allows you to follow multiple hastag’s and accounts all on one screen.  It’s a terrific way to manage and participate in several conversations.
6. Now it’s time to promote.  Nothing big and fancy necessary here – simply invite a few friends, give them the hashtag and tell them to tell their friends and so on.  You may not have a huge audience at first, but give it time.
7. Rinse and repeat.  The power of these tweet chats and virtual parties is in having them regularly, because not everyone can come all the time and your community will grow over time.

Be on the lookout for #DIYMKT chat coming your way next week.  Start a chat of your own and leave the details as a comment on this post.

What other chats are your favorites?  Tell us here.

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