Day 4 - 30 Days of Networking: Use Twitter to Get and Give Referrals

Word-of-mouth is an age old (and largely reliable) way to generate new business. Social media, and the transparency that it provides, makes word of mouth referrals more important now than ever before.

People take on board the recommendations  of people they know, like and trust.

A great way to get referrals is to give them! Of course it needs to be authentic giving, not manufactured of intended to manipulate.

Let’s start with GIVING referrals.

How do we use Twitter to give referrals?

Who do you follow that you WOULD recommend? Who’s tweets give you enjoyment, knowledge, value?

As a blogger, I’m always looking for ways to improve my blogging skills and tips on how to manage, create and organise my blog posts. I follow Darren Rowse, whose Twitter name is @problogger , so I recommend him to those who have a blog, or a looking to start one.

How to GET referrals on Twitter

This is true in offline as well as online networking: The best way to get referrals is to BE someone that people know, like and trust.

KNOW - Your tweets reveal a lot about you. They tell us what your interests are, what you know about. Your tweets reveal your humour, outlook on life, when your sharing and when you’re pitching.

LIKE - We tend to like people like us, and people whose interests are like ours. Be sure to have the real YOU show in your tweets and you’ll attract more follows that you are most aligned with.

TRUST — We trust those that do what they say they will do. Trust usually follows Knowing and Liking. Keep any hidden-agendas at bay when connecting. (I remember being in a networking relationship for a long time with someone I didn’t trust because I saw the opportunity for an important business deal. My gut feeling won and I backed out of the relationship and as a result felt free!)

The bottom line: Be someone that people want to refer. The people I tend to refer are those who are generous with their information, who are ‘real’ or are thought leaders who provide great information that I, or my community of women in business, can enjoy,

There are plenty of opportunities to sell and do business. Be relaxed about it … Lay off the hype and any over the top self-promotion. (Few people like the person, who, at a live networking event is shoving cards in people’s faces. The Twitter version of this are the over-the-top promises and ‘look at me’, ‘buy this today’ type of tweets.) Aim to add value!

TODAY’S TASK:

• Tweet something. Who are you following that you would recommend?
• Tweet a recommendation about them. Be sure to include their Twitter name (and of course the #30DNet tag).

My post for this task will be:

If you have a blog (or are starting one) I recommend you follow @problogger . His posts are consistent, generous and practical.  #30DNet [FYI - that's 136 characters]

In a couple of days I’ll show you a world-wide Twitter protocol that is another great way to make and get recommendations on Twitter.

Best wishes,

Suzi