Twitter Tips from Copyblogger’s Brian Clark (video)

Hey Michael,

Great interview, really enjoyed it.

I wanted to take a stab at the questions you pose at the end of the post.

Twitter is short-form conversation, the kind of thing that goes on over coffee or at the water cooler. It can be about deep topics but the conversations doesn't really have a chance to go very deep. The blog is the long-form conversation. Deeper examination of topics and, hopefully, thoughtful comments and replies. So in the same way casual conversation helps you make others aware of what you're up to and gives you input to diverse perspectives, Twitter helps the people around you (your followers) stay in the know about what you have to say. Yes, that will drive traffic, but traffic alone is useless... it must have context.

Is content king? I'd have to say no. Relationships and the conversation are king. You can write the best content on the web and few and far between are the visitors that will engage you on that content without a relationship. Beyond that, if all I ever talk about is blog monetization or SEO or even maximizing social media, I'm limiting myself to a casual audience who's itch I happen to be scratching. Including broader topics from time to time, a good book, a sucky movie, pictures of the Christmas tree... those things invoke emotion and build more meaningful relationships. Content is VERY important... but I don't think its king.

Thanks for the post and the opportunity to comment!

@jtrigsby

Brian Clark is a wicked smart and any Internet Marketer (old or new) should watch him closely.

I agree with you comment above--Brian's brief remark about learning from the classic marketers is key (IMHO). I have been diving back into Oglivy, Bly, Cialdini, and Taubman ("Threshold Resistance"--new favorite).

Great stuff here Michael! @CindyKing just introduced me.

Thanks Bill! Big fan of Cialdini and Bly is good friend. Brian is a smart guy, i agree.

I loved the fact that he uses traditonal and classical methods to intergrate with his online marketing. As Brian said it is how you intergrate and use the ideas to move your business forward , especially by giving to your prospective clients what they want not what you want first.

Loved the interview. You're a natural on camera. Your cameraman should focus before he starts rolling, and work on his camera moves. Loved the content.

I especially liked the point about how he reads up on traditional and classic marketing. I think to be successful in social media, you do need to have a strong background in offline marketing as well.I've worked over 12 years in corporate marketing environments, which is why social media is such a good fit for my background. For me, it's just an extension, another touch point.

Excellent interview with Brian Clark. Love his philosophy of give people what they're looking for and you'll end up getting what you want. And, he has a good reminder to look outside of your industry for inspiration. I think it's easy to get stuck in your own world -- I know I do -- and yet there's a wealth of inspiration to be had when you step outside your box.

Thanks for the great interview, Mike.

Yea Denise. I love that he looks to good old classics for his ideas!