Richard Maun

Tag: Twitter

  • Twitter Business Cards

    You can follow me; you're all invited. I will follow back too!
    You can follow me; you're all invited. I will follow back too!

    Does your business card work hard enough for you? Does it really earn its keep in your wallet, ready to be offered to new and exciting people?

    I’ve been pondering these questions for a while now as my card was designed when ‘social media’ was in short trousers and Twitter just an idea on a bar mat. Then a few weeks ago I saw a great business card on Twitter from my colleague Laura Brown (@yourfirstpa). The card came from Goodprint (@Goodprint) who have a number of great templates, so I took advantage of a special offer and spent a couple of hours designing my own Twitter business card.

    Now that I have it…I love it; for two reasons. Firstly, it really promotes what I like to call ‘Brand Richard’. People buy people and the card tells potential clients something about me. It creates opportunities for people to ask me questions and there’s a great call to action at the top.

    The other reason I love it is that it landed me a new client (yes really). A few days ago I bumped into a colleague and offered him one of my new Twitter cards and because he was with a lady visitor, I also offered one to her as a courtesy.

    It sparked a conversation about networking and social media that lead to her asking me if I would like to run some workshops for her organisation. Would I?

    Of course I would…

    Take a moment to look at your business card and ask yourself if it does a great job of selling you? Does it invite discussion and give you a chance to sell yourself?

    For me, I do like my existing business card, which still has a place in my wallet. However, the new Twitter card is fast becoming a great new addition, because it’s a clever way to achieve two vital networking goals:

    1) Creating interesting conversations
    2) Being memorable

    Have a look in your wallet today. Is there space in there for a Twitter business card?

     

    Books! Speaks!

    If you’re new to this blog there are three great books listed on the homepage and you’re welcome to browse. If you’d like to know how to write one, do contact me and line up your questions. If you’d like me be a speaker for your group or event then you can have that too. I’ve been told that I’m pretty good at it (I love it). What would you like? Networking? Leadership? Runnng a business?

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  • Why Twitter Works

    Flikr Creative Commons: credited to ehnmark
    One way to be heard…or you could tweet

    I was asked this question at a recent workshop and my answer was; it’s a stroke rich environment. Simples.

    In Transactional Analysis a ‘stroke’ is defined as a unit of recognition and we all have a need for recognition as an essential human hunger (Berne, 1966). I know the term ‘stroke’ has a medical meaning, but in this context it refers to the act of recognising our self or others. Think of it like stroking a cat; if you move from head to tail you might get a little buzzy purr and a happy kitty. Go from tail to head and you can lose a finger. Cats know all about strokes!

    Twitter provides us (I like tweeting) with a chance to be heard and to be acknowledged. We don’t have to be saying anything smart, we can just be present and can have our existence validated.

    All of the smiles we get, the banter and the electronic ‘hugs’ are real and genuine strokes. People on Twitter bank them, share them and relive them as their timeline flows and people comment and laugh and cry together.

    If you’re sitting at home looking for a job, or in an office on your own, or raising children, or simply wading through the daily treacle of life, you too can have as many healthy strokes as you need.

    Twitter is for real people. It works because when you write something you are noticing yourself first and that’s a good source of strokes. It works because you can have company when you’re physically isolated (stroke deprived). It works because people hand out strokes freely and the networks of Tweeters support and encourage each other.

    There’s a big bonus too. Increasingly people are using Twitter as a source of business because people buy from people and chatting is a great way to develop relationships. I’m not talking here about the spam from multi-level marketing organisations (mlm) who can make you rich by clicking here!! (If it was that easy would I be writing this and would you be reading it?) What I mean is good old fashioned networking; talking to people, making friends, gaining trust and then doing business.

    All these strokes can be great for our health and well-being and for our bank balance too.

    And you can have all this for free. Twitter works because real people can really be present and get real, healthy strokes. Find me on Twitter at @RichardMaun and tell me what strokes you need. We can have a Twitter #strokeparty.