Guest Blogging Overview

8 Ways to Take Your Relationships Beyond Twitter

Twitter gives birth to relationships.

I absolutely and positively love Twitter. There are fantastic tips all over the interwebs on how this powerful social media tool can enable you to create your ideal network, define your brand, and learn heaps of awesome stuff along the way.

Most of all, though, I love the impact of Twitter on relationships.

You find people who share your passion and start interacting with them. You follow similar lists, have conversations, support one another, make each other laugh, and tweet happily into the cyberspace. Relationships are born. The whole thing is borderline obsessive and highly self-gratifying. You even find yourself tweeting more frequently than you'd like to admit. Nothing new here so far for us. I do it and love it too just as much as the next person.

But Twitter isn't quite enough to build out strong, lasting relationships. You should not miss out on opportunities that start in Twitter but can go so much further beyond the Twitter “walls”. Use Twitter as a compliment to other tools and strategies as you build these invaluable relationships in this amazing human network.

8 Quick Tips on Enhancing Your Twitter-Inspired Relationships

Relationships beyond TwitterHow do you take things to the next level with your newbie Tweeps, friends, peeps, online buddies, or whatever affectionate term you may wish to use, and how to you turn followers into fans who support you and do the same for them in return? Here are the best 8 ways I have done this, and continue to do this every day simply because it works.

1. Check out their work: If they have one, check out their blog, read their About page to learn more about who they are, and leave a thoughtful comment on a post you enjoyed in such a way that you add value and continue the dialogue. When you do this, the blog owner takes note that you are above the average reader who stops by to consume information. They may even contact you for posting for them in the future.

2. Drop them an email:  Go to their Contact page and send a personal email. Tell them why you like their work and why you like to make a connection. Mention your Twitter connection and add something else that they have done that warranted this email communication. Be sincere. For instance, here are some of the good ones I have received: “I listened to your BlogastFM interview and what you said about communicating with style really helped me….” or “I really learned a lot from reading your last post on procrastination and also have enjoyed our Twitter relationship.

3. Connect on LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a powerhouse of professionals and the best investment of your time for networking if you are serious about building a business around your blogging. Connect on LinkedIn by sending a personal invite and if you know the person well, offer to write them a LinkedIn recommendation, especially if you have words of praise and know of their unique strengths and skills.

4. Offer to write a guest post: If you read their blog often and especially if they are a smaller blogger than you, offer to write a guest post for them and help promote it (on Twitter of course!). Offer to help those who are both behind and ahead of you on their blogging path; both relationships can be beyond rewarding. Do it all willingly, with sincerity, and without expecting anything in return.

5. Use Skype to meet up: If you have a good reason to connect, then offer to have a chat on Skype, and even get to see each other on video to make a deeper connection. Have a shared purpose in mind to give the casual chat a better sense of direction. For instance, say you are going to share your blogging tips, or offer to help them on a problem they mentioned on Twitter, or discuss a common challenge you are facing or just to get to know one another.

6. Send them some link-love: Mention them in your blog post as appropriate and recommend them to your readers for their unique strength, skill, ability to make a difference for others sharing the same passion as both of you. Be specific when you do all of this so that it is not a generic praise so much as it is something specific that they did which you find useful and worthy of sharing and spreading.

7. Support them: No matter how big or small your favorite Tweeps may be, they will have a bad day, something will unfortunately go wrong in their life just as it does in all of ours, and they are likely to tweet about it. Show your support. Give them a moral boost. Offer to help. Give a suggestion or a recommendation. Be there. They will notice.

8. Meet and greet in person during your travels: You can even go so far as to meeting them. I live to travel and recently, I was so fortunate to meet tons of bloggers at Blogworld in Las Vegas and New York and World Domination Summit in Portland but beyond that, I go out of my way to meet my blogging buddies during my travels. For instance, I met up with Celestine Chua in Singapore, Raam Dev in Boston, Nathalie Lussier in Toronto, Mars Dorian in Berlin, Arvind Devalia in London, and many more. These in-person meetings have entirely changed the face of our relationship and a beautiful friendship is now born of that initial connection online. As my friend Sandi Amorim, whom I met at WDS, likes to say:

It's like old friends meeting for the first time.

Number 8 above is my all-time favorite way of taking my relationships on Twitter to a whole new level.

These tips have helped me build out my invaluable relationships beyond Twitter and while Twitter continues to be the main medium on which we communicate and keep tabs on each other, the greater bond has formed when I applied one or more of these tips.

What do you think? Do you believe in keeping a relationship to its scale on Twitter or do you pursue a higher level of connection with some of your favorite Tweeps, and if so, how do you do it?

80 thoughts on “8 Ways to Take Your Relationships Beyond Twitter”

  1. Such an honor to guest post here, Ms. Ileane. Thank you for accepting my guest post so graciously. I look forward to engaging with your community.

  2. Relationships is the most important factor that leads every blog to success. Your tips are practical and helpful. I didn’t realize that how important LinkedIn is, just registered an account and start to interact with the largest community of Entrepreneur now 😀

    1. Tung, LinkedIn is huge! It is where professionals hang out and it’s where great stuff happens. Make sure you engage in the groups that are of interest, and also set up your profile well so that you show up for the right keywords in LinkedIn Search. Thanks for your comment.

  3. Craig Sowerby

    Hi Farnoosh,

    I must admit I do not use Twitter to it’s full potential. As it can be very time consuming. But I have just come across Hootsuite and really REALLY like how you can keep all your social sites in one dashboard and connect will all your readers and followers.

    So maybe I will start to build a better relationship with my twitter followers!

    Craig

    1. Hi Craig, Hootsuite is wonderful. I just recently moved over to TweetDeck but love Hootsuite. You know, if you have a strategy in the way you go about Twitter, rather than just aimlessly watch Tweets go by – which I sometimes do still – then you will get a lot more out of it. Good luck and keep us posted and thanks for commenting!

      1. Thanks for the tip on Hootsuite. I hadn’t heard of that site, and like everyone else, I feel almost too busy to keep up with all of the social media sites where I have a presence. Lately, I’ve just been able to keep up with facebook, but would appreciate the ability to update every feed from one spot. Thanks!
        American Composer Ralph Kendrick

        1. Then stay with Hootsuite, Ralph. It’s a great place for social media. TweetDeck is just an application for using Twitter, that’s all, dear!

  4. Excellent and valid points. I also think that people need to encourage relationship through twitter and other social media tools.

    1. Hi Lalit, yes, encouragement is a good thing but if the people you are engaging with are not responding to your kindness in connecting, then move on and find the people that are receptive. Good luck and thanks for commenting here, Lalit.

  5. Hi Farnoosh! I haven’t yet started to promote my blog socially. Being a new blogger I tried to focus on one thing at a time and started with some basic SEO. Now I’m looking into Twitter and this post helped to clarify a lot of things for myself. Thanks

    1. Oh how I love meeting new bloggers. Alison, nice to meet you and take your time and don’t get overwhelmed. I am so glad this post is giving you some tips on Twitter. Let me know how things go and all the very best to you.

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  7. Nice article Farnoosh.

    LinkedIn is the perfect place to go when you want to take the relationship to the next stage and is something that has worked wonders for me. It keeps the relationship business-oriented and allows you to connect on a deeper level.

    If you really connect on a personal level, then Facebook could be the next base but that’s only for established relationships!

    1. Dear Sandip, hi and thank you. Oh I am *SO* glad to hear about your LinkedIn experience. I just got off Skype with a friend and had to convince him to go use it – I believe I succeeded! Facebook is a different kind of audience, you are absolutely correct. Both are good for their own purposes. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sandip!

  8. If you’re really serious about your small business or blog then you need to create strong relationship with your followers and fans, this is possible when you put some extra effort. You’re tips are awesome specially to send email and informing about their great work, this really makes them feel that you’re really serious about their blog.

    1. Hi Aarti (great name by the way), yes, if you are serious about success, relationships lie at the very core of it. Glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for your comment. Keep building those wonderful relationships.

  9. I love Twitter too, Farnoosh. Thanks for sharing these excellent tips with us. Supporting them is obviously a great way to get other bloggers to support you in return.

    1. Hi Ana, so nice to see you here. I think you are the queen of Twitter already, but it’s just lovely to hear your words nonetheless. Thank you!

    2. Ana, dear friend, a second try. First time, somehow, my comment disappeared. Long, long day since 4:30am but it’s my own fault, I know, And yes, you are a queen of Twitter, so it’s wonderful to see your encouragement here, thanks!

  10. Farnoosh – I agree completely. I just wrote a post about that recently as well. In my mind, Twitter is the most effective social media tool for networking and building relationships online. I love it and it has been a phenomenal resource for me professionally since setting up my account in early 2008. I heart Twitter :).

    1. Hi dear Monica, thank you. Twitter is pretty amazing, yes! And you signed up way before me. I was quite the skeptic back then, so bravo for you! Thanks so much for stopping by to share your thoughts!

  11. While Twitter is great, it’s kind of hard to have a meaningful relationship 140 characters at a time. These are some great tips to build relationships in other places both online and off.

    1. Yep, hence the tips to take the relationships further off Twitter, Lionel. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.

  12. Dear Riya, so so sorry to skip over you. And I am so glad you think so. Yes, we should be there for one another and it stems from good relationships! 🙂 Thanks for your comment.

  13. Hi Farnoosh

    Fancy bumping into you here too 🙂
    I think the people who use twitter well, allow you a glimpse of their personality. You then decide if you want to develop that relationship further offline.

    Being a “not so natural networker” myself, I find that working within the walls of twitter is fine (sharing work, RTing, bantering). Its bridging that gap to connect outside of twitter/facebook etc that I have to be concious of making an effort to do.

    Thanks for the tips

    1. Hi dear Jackie, indeed a nice way to run into all my Twitter friends. Am I clever or what? 😉 Just kidding! And I think you are indeed a great Twitter user, but as for taking it to the next level, if you feel good about one or two of your connections, just test it slowly and try only one strategy and see how it works. Let me know if I can do anything for you and thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  14. Second time a charm. Last comment got lost somehow. Thanks Rick, and I am so glad you think so about relationships. Honestly, so so much stems from true relationships in our life. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

  15. If you want to have more intimacy with your followers you have to get to know them! This means checking out their social profiles, blog, etc. I think it’s really worth it, especially for your oldest and most loyal followers. And as mentioned in this article, reach out and respond to them personally — they will appreciate it; it’s flattering!

    I always tell myself, be more personal and less corporate. This is what people respond to.

    1. Hi Bruce, exactly what you said. And it does make everyone feel closer and more connected to you and oh yes, “less corporate” – love it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and keep at it~!

    1. Effective communication? Interesting. Yes, because you have to be brief, to the point, and precise. :)! Good points, thanks for sharing!

  16. Thank Farnoosh for the wonderful content, I guess I should be spending more time with my twitter now. I dont like twitter before for a lousy reason of “no images, just texts”.

    1. Hi Herbert, you know it all depends on your goals and what you might want to get out of it. I really get a lot out of Twitter but there are days that I just don’t get on there. I use it for me rather than let it control me or anything. I guess you prefer Facebook maybe with images? Then that’s fine too :)! Thanks for your comment.

  17. agree with you that twitter is enhancing relationship between different users and its best business social media. thanks for this great write up.

    1. Hi Reeha, exactly. And it really is a great way to keep those relationships going. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and glad you enjoyed it!

  18. I think you have lot of experiences about twitter marketing. It’s very informative. You are correct. These days social media marketing has gain a very big place and twitter has been a great social media tool.The tips you have included here is amazing. They are very useful.

    1. Hi Laura, thank you so much. Twitter marketing: I never thought of it that way. I am so glad you enjoyed this post and I hope you can put some of them to good use. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

  19. Hi Farnoosh ,

    thanks for sharing, nice points.

    I think that “being online” and then not seeing directly the face of the people, may let you actually lose the real contact.

    Instead, it is important to respond, interact, ask, because you are actually dealing with Real People!

    Also, the interaction is among great methods to build up good relationships.

    I wish to have someday the opportunity to meet in person someone known only online !

    1. Hi Erik, Twitter doesn’t make up for the in-person contact at all; you are right. That’s why I suggested Skype video and even in person meeting if you travel so that you can at least meet the people that you like once, but it’s more fun to do everything in person, no doubt about it. It just doesn’t scale and isn’t practical in today’s world. Thanks so much for your comment.

  20. Hi Aaron, you must have started a long time ago!! That sounds wonderful and the fact that you are still at it shows that you have been getting a lot out of Twitter and I hope you continue to benefit from it. Thanks for your comment.

  21. Very timely. I’m going to start working LinkedIn and Skype even more. It’s easy to get “socially” overwhelming, but these are things that will create more and better relationships. Thanks for these thoughts.

    1. Dear Marcie, it’s an ideal time to get started on LinkedIn and Skype. I’d love to connect with you and yes, the key is balance to it all!! So nice to see you here. Thanks for your lovely comment.

  22. Excellent tips on how to link up on Twitter – and I must say that’s very much how I’ve experienced it but you add a few ideas that never occurred to me, like LinkedIn (I’m on it but I still have to figure it out – so I guess that’s one good way to use it!)

    Many thanks! And of course the basic tip is: Love Twitter !

    1. Hi dear Claude, so nice of you to take the time to comment, and as for LinkedIn, I would say the best thing is to make sure you rank for the top keywords in your niche by creating your summary and your experience sections well and then engage in relevant groups. Hope this helps?? Best of luck !!

    1. Hi Claude, so glad to hear it. And if you want to connect with me on LinkedIn, and join my group, I’ll walk you through using groups. It’s on Smart Habits for Heart, Body & Mind. See you there?

  23. These are some awesome tips! As a relatively new blogger, I think 1, 4, 6, and 7 are all great places to start. Whenever I meet new people, I always try to check out the work, andd if I think it fits in with my site, I’ll send a link their way. giving them support is just a great way to build relationships anyway. I am starting to look for opportunities to guest post and to find guest posters for my blog.

    Thanks for sharing these tips!

    1. I think that habit will server you very well, Grady: Meeting new people and checking their work. Very good! That’s extremely gracious support, and I’d for sure welcome it. Good luck in your journey and thanks for sharing your thoughts here with us.

  24. Hey Farnoosh,

    These are awesome tips to build up relationship. I must admit that building relationship takes time and effort and that’s why most of the people are not doing it. Email, link from blog, tweet and connect on Linkedin or FB are easy and would not take up too much time.

    I will definitely implement them.

    Cheers,
    Ming

    1. Yes, dear Ming, it DOES take time and effort and it has its rewards just like everything else. We get out of life what we put into it. For some, it’s not worth it. For others, they can’t imagine doing without it. Where do you fall? 🙂
      Thank you for your comment.

  25. Hi!
    Your blog is fabulous as well as you. 🙂 Social Networking site like Twitter is one way of meeting new friends and colleagues and in the long run we build a good relationship. That’s the good part when you’re engaging yourself to those stuffs.

    1. Hi dear Robert, thank you so so much!! Will you tell all your friends about it too? ;))
      The relationships will be the best investment you make in your future, trust me. Thanks for your kind comment.

  26. Slightly off topic, but as another tip if you’re trying to figure out how somebody really is (especially if you only know them on twitter), pay attention to how they speak to their friends and vice versa online. If they’re a decent person this’ll come out in these more ‘relaxed’ conversations.

    1. Dear Amber, hi! Yes, truth comes out about us when we have our guard down, no doubt about it. Thank you for your lovely comment here.

  27. I admit I’m still trying to get the hang of trying to use Twitter to help promote my blog. I like the fact that your tips are very simple and straightforward, something a beginner like myself can easily do. Thanks so much for sharing this, Faroosh!

    By the way, I dropped by your blog. It’s awesome!

    1. Adeline, nice to chat with you *again*! I think you must’ve come through my blog from here. Hmmm. Well, you want to make sure to share your posts, with a strategy. Ask people to share them and then share valuable information that you find elsewhere on the Internet. Yes, I do try to keep it simple. Good luck and so so glad you liked my blog and thanks for the comment here, Adeline.

  28. Great tips, Farnoosh. Twitter allows me to meet so many wonderful people, but the relationships definitely reach a different level when you are connecting with the same people on multiple platforms, in multiple ways. I love the idea of meeting up with fellow Tweeps in your travels. Nothing beats face-to-face conversations!

    Thank you!

    1. Hi dear Melissa, oh the meeting in person is fantastic. It’s better than making friends in person in that you’ve already made the friendship, you already know one another so well, and now you are just meeting for the first time. I highly recommend it, and thank you for your comment.

  29. Great article. I found the limiting your time on Twitter and spreading it around to various social networks (Linkedin, Facebook, Digg, etc.) is the most effective. While Twitter can begin to build a relationship, it can also leave you with tunnel vision and blind you to other opportunities out there.
    Mike W

    1. You know, it’s funny, Mike, I have limited my time on Twitter a lot so I totally agree with you – but I do spread it around as you read from here and also, I always do take the time to respond to @ mentions and direct messages so my relationships do grow even if newer ones are slower made. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!

  30. Farnosh, your amazing spirit of helpfulness and selflessness shines through this post.

    I love the way you made it about others than yourself and that’s the way everything should work. In all of your tips, you point out that we have to give something first hand, whether its a link love, an email or simply commenting on their work.

    I think if all of us follow these steps, each one of us would be in a much better place.

    Great read as always Farnosh. Thank you.

    1. Hi Satrap, so nice to talk to you again and to read one of the warmest comments here, thank you so much. This is how it has worked for me and I know it has been something many others have used successfully too. And I do hope that more of us follow these ways, but you already do with the way you have worded this beautiful comment, thank you!!!

  31. Your research on the topic is very profound,i think its a complete guide for keyword ranking strategies.Your intense discussion shows that you have mastered it.

  32. no doubt, other than professional relationship, twitter can also help to build a personal value among followers. If this channel is properly utilized, can bring millions of visitors to your blog.

      1. hehehe… when I said MILLIONS of visitors, I actually mean to say that it can give you good number of visitors… i didn’t referring to exact count 🙂
        I understand that pulling one million visitors is not an easy job.

      2. just out of the topic, I observed that you have replied to each and every comment posted on this topic. Thats what necessary whether you are on twitter, FB or on a guest post blog. Engagement with community.
        If you utilize this channel properly, definitely you will be able to make some loyal visitors to your blog and count me in the loyal visitors to your blog, now 🙂

  33. Great article Farnoosh! Building a relationship is really important for everyone, especially in business. You have shared some great tips and it seems very helpful. Thanks!

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