5 Twitter Secrets I Learned From the Dragon’s Den
Dragon’s Den has been one of the most popular shows on BBC TV. In case you’ve been living on the dark side of the moon, it’s a business show where budding business owners pitch to a small group of investors (the ‘Dragons’). Depending on how good their pitch is and how good their business is, the Dragons invest their own money in return for a share of the ownership. It’s a great show (in the US it’s called “Shark Tank”) and every week it carries at least one business lesson, but there are also some great lessons for Twitter users too, and here are 5 of the best twitter secrets I’ve discovered.
1 Communicate With Clarity
When you are presenting to the Dragons, they’re not interested in your life story, they just want to know if you have something worth investing in. On Twitter, as in the Den, your messages have to be clear, concise and focused. Make every word count. Better still, make every syllable count.
2 Sell the Benefits
Whether you want to get the attention of the Dragons or your followers, it’s the same: tweet about things that will improve your followers’ experience. Make it worth their time to hear what you have to say. Find interesting things to retweet to your followers. Give them links to information that will enhance their knowledge or entertain them.
3 Be Interesting
In order to do this you need to be aware of why people are following you, so stay in touch with them, converse with them and listen to what they are saying. No-one is interested in what you had for breakfast – unless that’s why they are following you. Maybe you’re a foodie with a taste for exotic breakfasting; if so, keep it up! Otherwise, it’s boring so stop it.
In Dragons Den, it is vital to keep the investors’ interest from waning. On Twitter this is vital. Remember: the main reason why you have followers is that they have seen something in your stream that they like: you. To keep them, just keep being yourself. We’re all unique, and it’s your unique perspective that makes it fascinating to follow your tweets. Gotta love Twitter for letting us all be nosey legitimately.
4 Present a Professional Image (that matches your brand)
If there’s one thing sure to get on the wrong side of Dragon Peter Jones is to turn up for your pitch in jeans and a t-shirt. He hates it. Professionalism is expressed in everything: your clothes, your voice and particularly in what you say. Remember that Twitter is a public environment. All your tweets are available for all to see, so be professional in everything you say. You’re representing your brand all the time, so it’s important to reflect the qualities of that brand. For example, if you’re particularly family-focused, keep your language clean.
5 Show Respect
If you want a Dragon to invest, you had better show some respect. Treat your followers like investors. When they talk, listen. If they ask a question, answer it (within reason, nobody likes a stalker). Be polite. Be friendly. If they do something for you, from a RT to a recommendation, don’t take it for granted: thank them.
And another thing. It doesn’t matter how important or how famous you think you are: if you know someone good enough to have a conversation with them on Twitter, follow them back. I’m not saying follow everyone regardless of their merits, but if you converse with them regularly, respect them enough to follow them back. It doesn’t make you a celebrity if you have 10,000 followers but only follow 4 people yourself.
Next Steps With the 5 Twitter Secrets
The similarities between Twitter and Dragons Den are remarkable. In both environments it’s all about making connections and a mutually beneficial relationship. Remember the 5 secrets above and your Twitter relationships will be 5 steps closer to being as successful as you want them to be.
