Tag Archives: twitter

My Think Tank (No, Twitter is not a waste of time.)

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You get out of Twitter what you put into it. It’s that simple. One of the reasons why Twitter has been so valuable to me as a person and indirectly to this business, is because of the way I’ve chosen to use it.

Sure I learn from blogs, but when you have access to people, it’s totally different. I didn’t just join twitter to push out our content. I, like Gary Vaynerchuk, am collecting relationships.

I would like to introduce you to (most of) my think tank.

BridgetTwitterFriends-092713

We all met on Twitter. Actually Wendy (not pictured) and Cyndi started Facebook Liking Tuesdays  (#FBLT). Tweets became friendly, Twitter relationships migrated to Facebook, and those friendships deepened. We have become a group that supports one another’s careers and pursuits. If anyone has a question, there’s surely someone in this group that knows the answer.

This is what I call the Human ROI (Return on Investment) of Twitter.  I know that my life has been indelibly altered because of these women. I may even dare to say that much of the fruit of my labor here at Riggins is because of the education, support, and brainstorming I’ve done with them. Continue reading →

Our group. Bridget Willard, Office Manager Mark DeSio, Director of Public Relations Division, Caltrop Darrel Cole, Manager Communications & Public Involvement, Parson Brinckerhoff

Digital Influence Panel – You Are What You Tweet

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our business cardsHere is the recording of my talk “You Are What You Tweet” from the ACEC California‘s Digital Influence Panel at their annual conference 4/10/13.

I mention iFLOOR.com and Burgin Construction Inc. as my first AEC connections as well as SafetyTeddi and WindowWorks.

Another shout-out was given for CustomerSpecs‘ clever use of tea in #MarkeTea.

Highlight:

“When you have a relationship with a person, the logo has meaning.”  Tweet This

I also reference the customer service experience we had with one of the employees of Earth Island Natural Foods discussed in this blog post.

Continue reading →

Just because you can, doesn’t mean that you should. – Book of Business Awesome Tour in OC

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Bridget at the Book of Business Awesome Event 11/14/12Scott Stratten made a stop in Orange County on his Book of Business Awesome tour last night and boy did I ever get my money’s worth.

First of all, it’s refreshing to be reinforced by an “expert” on some of the theories and opinions I’ve come up with recently.

Secondly, it was good to just laugh. Scott has a way to make us laugh at ourselves and the things we do, especially with technology, that just do not make sense.

“We’re using tech because we can; not because we should.” Scott Stratten

The Linked Orange County event was very enjoyable and the cost was reasonable, especially because I bought my ticket during the initial stages of the event planning.

Here are some highlights in the form of my tweets:

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Case Study in Customer Service – Twitter Style

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Lately it seems that anyone I talk to about social media is scared of twitter. It is perceived to be  a “new techy, geeky thingy;” and closer to the truth, we are scared of the unknown.  What’s worse, there have been many nay-sayers, lawyers with postings on possible arbitration, and skeptics who expect Twitter to either have a quick turn around (ROI) or it’s deemed a waste of time.

As an experiment, we began our twitter account in March of 2009 and slowly began following peers in our industry, local businesses, and the like which lead to a group of followers and a voice within the construction industry and community here in Orange County, California.

In August of 2009 we began the first phase of a large, two-phase project in Chatsworth, California, for a returning client, Earth Island Natural Foods, the manufacturer of the Follow Your Heart product line. Imagine our surprise when the mention column of tweetdeck showed a disgruntled employee of our client!

dj081409@DanielleJangmi: @rigginsconst you guys are sure making a lot of noise downstairs here at Earth Island! my head hurts and its only 8:30am!

What should I do?  This is where everyone freaks out about being a business on twitter:  negative comments on your service, brand, or product.  I will admit that I hesitated a bit, but once I saw this tweet from the head chef one of the chefs at our client’s facility, I put a call into our field superintendent, Mike Schnabel.

I informed him of the content and he immediately went upstairs and spoke with Danielle, explaining the situation to both her and her co-workers. Continue reading →

T-what? What is twitter? Why do you do it? What’s the point?

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bridgettwitterPeople often ask me, “What is twitter? Why do you do it? What’s the point?”

Twitter helps you build your brand and reach out to new customers: this is true. However, just as traditional in-person networking such as sporting events, seminars, and lunch meetings, creates and develops relationships, twitter exposes both you and your business to new ideas, alternate perspectives, and puts you in touch with your peers, not just potential clients.

In the article “Twitter: A Business Tool You Can’t Live Without” from the OCMetro (@OCMetro) the following quote rings true:

“One of the best analogies I know about social networking is that networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. are like going to parties. One advantage different from a normal party you attend in person is that social networks obviously let you meet more people, and geography is not a barrier. I’ve heard many people say Twitter is a waste of time, but if your customers are there, why aren’t you?”

–  Bryan Elliott, SoCal Action Sports Network, @bryanelliott

On Twitter we, as the community of followers, build relationships, ask questions, share links and information, exchange ideas, peer review work, engage in customer service, and laugh a little.  It’s an electronic think-tank at your fingertips.

Social media is very forgiving; don’t be afraid to step out and try something new.  The key to learning and adapting to twitter is frequency, not duration.  Spend five to ten minutes a day using it; it’s just like learning a new language.