The Colorado Rockies’ hopes for making the playoffs are fading fast. However, hope literally does spring eternal – and sensible Rockies fans are already turning their gazes toward a certain tall building on the outskirts of Scottsdale, Arizona.
Yes, the gorgeous and brand new Talking Stick Resort (and did we mention a casino?) (oh, and did we mention a 36-hole Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore Golf Club?) is literally smack-dab across the street from the new spring training home of both the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
How do we know that the Talking Stick property is gorgeous? Well, a few months ago, before the hotel was even open for business, Sheryl and I got an inside tour from Revenue Manager, Brian Uttley. That was when we stood on the top floor, looked out over The Salt River Fields and gasped. I almost could have thrown a stone and hit home plate (well, before my rotator cuff surgery, anyway).
Not to put too fine a point on it, let’s just say that this resort is not yet common knowledge to most Rockies fans in the Denver area.
So, while the Rockies fans begin to re-calibrate their hopes and dreams toward next spring, it’s a perfect time for Talking Stick Resort to start connecting with them (and getting them to book a room).
Let’s Call them Twidiots
The good folks at Talking Stick can (and do) use Twitter to connect to their customers and fans (@TS_Resort). However, it doesn’t matter anymore whether you are an established business, a famous country western singer or a struggling entrepreneur – the Twidiots are after you.
Yes, you will be followed by @JayJayJayJay – who has tweeted exactly twice (and that was back in May). You will be followed by @LovelyHealer, who runs a legit business and is trying hard, but no one follows her back. And, you will be stalked by @GazillionDollars, who promises you money for nothin’ and your clicks for free.
And, every one of these yo-yo’s will likely be following way more people than are stupid enough to follow them (the picture below show’s that @JayJayJayJay (not his real name) is following 556 poor souls while only 14 have been dumb enough to return the favor.
And you don’t have to be a genius to conclude that none of those 14 will be likely to book a room at Talking Stick Resort next March. And, you don’t have to be a genius to understand that when a good portion of your followers on Twitter are dopes – then your Tweets are actually are falling in the forest… and nobody will hear.
But what’s worse (and you knew that had to come, didn’t you?!) is that @LovelyHealer and @GazillionDollars (but not, as we have seen, @JayJayJayJay!) are tweeting away like crickets. And those tweets have polluted the Twitter search stream into a mucky sludge. And, that has made connecting with potential customers and influential partners on Twitter a Herculean task.
Search Me – Just Don’t Search Twitter
Yes, you used to be able to search terms like “Colorado Rockies” and “spring training” and find some earnest and influential Twitterers making reference to those terms. They’d likely be worth connecting with.
But now, even sophisticated Twitter searches turn up mostly Jujubes and fruitcakes, who are re-tweeting and regurgitating away.
We’ve written about Twitter radius searches in “Just the Guy We Need for Government 2.0,” about combining search terms in new and different ways in “Searching Twitter Gets Tougher, but Still Pays Off” and many more posts too numerous to link to.
The problem now is that even these kinds of searches turn up so much sludge that it’s made searching Twitter a kind of needle-in-the-haystack horror.
What’s a Talking Stick to Do?
Today, how can Talking Stick Resort connect to the true influencers on Twitter (and those that can help them book their rooms)?
Even though Twitter is now so polluted that finding the most influential and engaged Twitter members has become damn near impossible – it’s not IMPOSSIBLE.
The secret is in that word, “engaged.” Not the ones with the most followers. Not the ones with the most Tweets. But, the ones who most engage and connect with their own audience.
What is the secret? Well, we’ll tell you very soon – as soon as we call Brian Uttley and tell him first (to pay him back for his great preview tour of Talking Stick).
In the meantime – ring Talking Stick up and reserve your room for March Baseball Madness. Those Rockies WILL rise again!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
“And, you will be stalked by @GazillionDollars, who promises you money for nothin’ and your clicks for free. ”
Yes, I don’t care to be stalked, but actual Twitter conversations have led to great connections and even some friends. Thanks for keeping helping us to keep it real and meaningful out here on social media!
Hey Michael,
Gosh, so much negativity. Reminds me of when Spiro was complaining about those “nattering nabobs of negativity.” Oy vey, the good old days.
Who cares if @gazilliondollars follows you. You have the good sense not to follow him/her back, don’t you? To block or report them as spammers; Right? Well then do it. Quit passively letting these nattering nabobs ruin a good thing for the rest of us. And who guaranteed talking stick a gold plated twitter following anyway? No one. So they, and I’m sure they are, need to do the hard work to connect with the influencers that matter to them and secure that connection with solid gold contributions to the social sphere.
So be a mensch and tell us how to do it right. Don’t keep us in the dark don’t wait for Brian to return your phone call.
Thanks Sara and Tom,
Our previous 2 blog posts were about people doing good things with technology, so I’m always curious about the response that “Gee, Michael, don’t you realize that there are good things about Twitter, social networking and technology?” Why is it negative to point out the hurdles or the harmful?
Searching Twitter for appropriate followers or desired customers IS demonstrably now more difficult because people like @GazillionDollars are flooding the Twitter stream with their garbage tweets, while others retweet those with abandon.
I could care less that @GazillionDollars follows me, but when 9 of 10 followers are like him, then companies like Talking Stick are led to believe that they have 1,000 followers, when they likely have less than 100 that matter to their goal.
Talking Stick needs to connect to people who would like to know what they have to offer – and more importantly to people who have those kinds of followers. It’s demonstrably more difficult now to do that – that’s what we’re saying.
Sheryl’s analogy of a neighborhood park still holds true. Twitter Park is in danger of being taken over by the pushers, pimps and sleazeballs. And, if that happens what good people will ever go there? We do not want to be good men standing by and watching, without ever saying anything.