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Personal VS Business
Seeking guidance: the relationship between your personal and business tweets.
I manage the twitter and facebook accounts for TimberPine Nursery ( http://twitter.com/timberpine) and sometimes I struggle with mingling the content.
For example: I recently tweeted "what do you want to know bout your landscaper? what do you want to see on their website? photos? plant information? now's your time~spill it"
But I sent it out on both @timberpine and @ketelsen (Hootsuite), same phrase, same time. I got responses both ways, but is that annoying to my followers who follow both, to see the same thing twice? did I do something wrong by revealing the person behind the curtain? would you prefer that @ketelsen just RT'd @timberpine? that could get redundant too. Obviously there are different cats that follow each account, and I am better at interaction with @ketelsen (testing the waters phase before I screw up @timberpine). And I can't close one account and run wild with @timberpine.
What do you do? What do you think if you were the follower? Does it really matter?
thanks much
@ketelsen
I manage the twitter and facebook accounts for TimberPine Nursery ( http://twitter.com/timberpine) and sometimes I struggle with mingling the content.
For example: I recently tweeted "what do you want to know bout your landscaper? what do you want to see on their website? photos? plant information? now's your time~spill it"
But I sent it out on both @timberpine and @ketelsen (Hootsuite), same phrase, same time. I got responses both ways, but is that annoying to my followers who follow both, to see the same thing twice? did I do something wrong by revealing the person behind the curtain? would you prefer that @ketelsen just RT'd @timberpine? that could get redundant too. Obviously there are different cats that follow each account, and I am better at interaction with @ketelsen (testing the waters phase before I screw up @timberpine). And I can't close one account and run wild with @timberpine.
What do you do? What do you think if you were the follower? Does it really matter?
thanks much
@ketelsen
Tags: business, personal, twitter
Views: 2
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mike Templeton on -
I appreciate HootSuite's capabilities to copy the same message across several accounts, but I think you are discovering the potential downfall today.
Thoughts on repetition:
From my perspective, I prefer not to see the same message repeated, or at least not at the very same time. It's a fact that you often need to repeat yourself on Twitter, especially given the volume of tweets that a subscriber may see during the day. However, by slightly tweaking your message or changing up your language, you will probably get even better results. Additionally, if someone is following both accounts, they are likely to going to notice that you sent the same message across both accounts.
My recommendation on repetition: If you stagger your tweets over time over both accounts you can still get the message out, but you also won't offend people who feel you are just blanketing everyone with the same broadcast.
Thoughts on multiple accounts:
Many of us have good reasons behind holding multiple Twitter accounts. We have different audiences that are interested in different things, and often even our personalities or use-cases can differ. There is nothing wrong with you exposing who is behind the @timberpine account (unless you wanted it to be secret), but it all comes down to what your goals are and how your relationships have been formed.
My recommendation on multiple accounts: If you want the exposure for Timber Pine within your personal network, maybe next time you just retweet what @timberpine posts. This gets your brand in front of your personal audience, yet credits the business. If people are more comfortable with talking to you (instead of the nursery), try rewording your question and framing it up specifically for them. They will appreciate the attention you place on them.
It seems like you are off to a great start in both places, and that question is a great thing to ask your followers. The feedback you receive will help you adapt to what they are looking for. Use that feedback combined with others' suggestions to keep you on the right path.
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Permalink Reply by Derek Whittington on -
I had the same problem... It's a hard decision. To me it doesn't matter if both posts show up on my accounts. I run @tasselridge & @dwhitt (haven't posted personally for MONTHS!) to me twitter is just so big/fast I cant do both business and personal and provide enough energy/time for each to do it justice. That is why I haven't posted on my personal page for so long.
I also focus more on Facebook for my own personal interactions because it is easier to connect with friends. It's also easier to differentiate between the Tassel Ridge Fan Page, and my own personal account.
I think that if I am following you, I made a choice to follow you, so it's fine if I see both post and they are the same. I would not get sick of it. I also think its good to see the person behind the curtain, it connects a face to Timber Pine.
Just my opinion though.
@tasselridge
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Permalink Reply by Suzanne Hull on -
I'm struggling with a similar, but a bit different issue. I've branded myself (for better or for worse) as @unemployedindsm. I've since started my own business, Contemporary Business Solutions (@contempbusiness) and I have a lot of the same followers on each. I try to keep the former job-related, and the later business-related. Mind is more of a branding issue. I'm trying to leverage the resources that know me as @unemployedindsm in my new business, so sometimes I sent out the same tweet to both accounts? Not sure if this is right or not, but nobody has made any comments.
I also work part time for the Iowa United Nations Association (@unaiowa) and keep this account strictly UN-related issues...
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Permalink Reply by Mike Templeton on
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Are you cross-posting the same tweet at the same time? There's nothing to say that is necessarily bad, but like I mentioned above to Katie, staggering them out over different times may produce even better results. In not knowing the consumption habits of all your followers or the velocity of content to which they subscribe, spreading out your message (whether it is the same or not) will likely grow the exposure they have to it.
For me, the main idea is that people shouldn't have two separate accounts if they're just going to post the same thing in both places. Either differentiate based on the purpose of each, or find the best way to consolidate into one and brand appropriately. Does that make sense?
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Permalink Reply by Lindsey Smith on -
I follow an organization, a company and an individual account on twitter, all of which are managed by the same person. (don't worry--it's not local.) It drives me a little crazy, because she is an active twitter user and always posts the exact same thing on all three accounts at the same time. She runs the organization and the company herself, which makes me think that most of her followers follow all three of her accounts. So what's with the overlap? If your personal followers and Timberpine's have a lot of overlap, I would appreciate different content. If not, I think you're fine.
That also makes me think about the businesses/organizations on facebook that promote their facebook page on twitter...but then post the same information both places. Why should I follow them both places?
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Permalink Reply by Katie Ketelsen on -
good points Lindsey. just a quick response to the Twitter/Facebook war. Facebook works well for TimberPine because I can archive photos, events, discussions that easily get lost in the Twitter shuffle.
I think the general census thus far is influenced by a person's perspective. I understand Derek's point in that managing two twitter accounts is tough...when you're trying to divide your "energy". ~however I would comment, it's easier to talking about drinking when you work for a winery, versus a landscape company :) thus the transition to one account may be easier.
moving forward, I will most likely not tweet the same message, at the same time from both accounts, but rather work to create a different message for each account tailored to engage the audience. thank you all for your awesome incite!
tweet away!
@ketelsen
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Permalink Reply by Mike Templeton on
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Lindsey: You're on to something big here with cross-posting between Facebook and Twitter. For those that copy messages across both platforms, I think they are more likely to be less experienced using social media. To me it seems like they see their entire presence (profiles on Twitter, Facebook, and other outposts) as "their social media," just like they look at their advertising. If one piece of creative works in all different places, why not with social media?
The problem with that approach (one message fits all) is that social media is NOT like traditional advertising, and people don't treat it like that. Just as you said, Lindsey, why should you follow a business or organization in multiple places if they are just posting the same thing everywhere. They aren't taking into account the audiences that they have built in each place nor the unique qualities or features of each platform.
Here's something to think about: If you are worried about posting the same thing on two different (or multiple) accounts, maybe you don't actually need that many Twitter profiles. Just like any other effort in social media, think about WHY you are creating that account and what you hope to get from it.
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Permalink Reply by Katie Ketelsen on
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TimberPine engages in Twitter and Facebook because we have different types of clients. I would say at least 75% of our client base is more likely to become a fan versus following the tweets. However, I don't think it would be wise to drop Twitter because of this. I think it's coming around...and we'll have to be ready and stable at that time.
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Permalink Reply by Lindsey Smith on
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Now how do you feel about the tweets that copy your facebook status? I don't care when I click on a link in a tweet and it sends me to the facebook status update because the status was too long to tweet. I think if' you're going to sync your posts like that, you need to keep your facebook statuses under 140 characters. But maybe that's just my pet peeve. :D
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Permalink Reply by Katie Ketelsen on
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I understand where you're coming from...but not sure if I have a strong opinion about it yet. It might depend on what type of information someone is trying to get across?
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Permalink Reply by Mike Templeton on
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I enjoy cross-pollination between the two platforms ("See this Facebook album for photos from last night's event!"), but syncing every post without question can be frustrating.
My least favorite situation is when I see a tweet with a link, I click on it, and it just takes me to Facebook where the exact same message is posted. If you aren't linking me to something of additional value, why link it across at all?
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Permalink Reply by Derek Pine on -
I too run into this. I realize that I should stagger my posts. But out of laziness, I find myself on occasion just blasting it to all accounts at once. I know... lazy! Even though I use HootSuite where I could easily schedule my Tweets. It's all a matter finding a rhythm and getting into it. Like Mike Templeton said, I try to utilize the retweet a lot. I feel like it seems more credible.
I know I don't like repetitive tweets, so I should really work harder on not allowing myself to go the lazy route and do that. Here's to better planning and consistency in posting to my multiple Twitter accounts in 2010!
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