Have I ever used it “Incorrectly” of course I have…composing Tweets, and so on gets kind of addicting. For me one of the things about it that has become so compelling is, who will find me compelling and entertaining, and informative enough to follow, RT, and so on.

It’s kind of like a huge trolling effort…never know what will get caught in that net when you reel it in…

At my best I use Twitter as a magnet of sorts. I set myself up as an Industry Authority. I do this by posting information links to sites other than mine. Sites that have very clear, useful and mostly free information about collectibles, antiques and vintage items; mostly about how to research values. Also I promote my followers efforts.

I do this about 75% of the time.

I only Tweet about my companies efforts, or what I am trying to sell about 25% of the time.

The results for me are trending upward.

Traffic to my site is way up.

In short, I use Twitter to reach people I want to know, and I use the phone to engage with people I already know…

Martin

As a social media consultant, I work very hard to advise my clients to manage their time investment in these venues and never to expect them to be the “silver bullet” solution.

Success in the Social Media / networks venues rely on a cohesive implementation strategy that AUGMENTS proven existing marketing strategies.

Just my 2 cents.

Sometimes we lose sight of the possibilities because we get so hung up on the holy grail of conversation.

In a business sense, time is money. If I can use social media to listen more and target my calls more effectively, I have saved myself my most valuable asset.

This is not just an approach online I take online… this is a great approach to evaluating the hundreds of in person networking events that go on locally. When I pick a group to join, I naturally want to pick the most target rich environments for people that I want to meet.

I realize you’re speaking more to businesses, e.g. JetBlue Airways, than individuals… but shouldn’t the same logic hold true for maximum value?

Twitter not only facilitates the networking I need to do (mixed with LinkedIn and RSS searches), but allows me to pay attention to brands I’m focusing on selling to (both for weaknesses and strentghts) as well as gives me a place to look for people hurting and in need of services.

Twitter may not replace the immediate math game of cold calling for everyone – but it has for me and my business. Networking, for me, is always better than cold calling.

I can focus more on people, less on random odds and be free’d up to spend time cultivating relationships.

As a side note: even though I did well at cold calling and enjoyed it for the most part, it was still tedious and draining. I’ve never felt that way about networking and using social media as an outlet has been a huge win.