Rob McNealy Interview: Social Media Guru

I had the honor of interviewing Rob McNealy, who is da man at social media. When it comes to social media Rob McNealy is more popular than the high school jock and has more friends than Mr. Rogers. McNealy has over 125,000 followers on Twitter alone! So naturally I asked him how and the heck he was able attract so many followers and become so popular? This is what he had to say…

Q. How did you get turned onto Twitter?

A. About 2 years ago, I got turned onto Twitter and just started interacting with the community. But, through my interaction I stumbled upon the power of Twitter. At the time I had a radio show on Clear Channel and so in my interaction I started tweeting my broadcast through Twitter with the link so my followers could tune in and listen. Well, even though it was a local broadcast people all throughout the nation started going to Clear Channel and listening to my radio show, that is when I understood the power of Twitter.

Q. So after you learned the power of Twitter what sites did you use to start gaining your massive Twitter following?

A. Actually, I really didn’t use an outside site. Sure there are sites where you can follow people who automatically follow you back and there are sites who will also follow people for you. But, what I started to do was just interact with the Twitter community. I became an active Tweeter and then I used the Twitter search to find and follow people who had similar interests.

Q. What is the number one mistake that people make when using Twitter?

A. Twitter is a horrible selling tool. Twitter, as with all social media is created to offer value and to build relationships. When many people get involved with social networking sites they start selling immediately. They sell in their direct messages, they sell in their tweets and really they don’t have a long term strategy. My philosophy is, “This years lead is next years customer.” You have to develop relationships. That is where your business comes from. That is where your followers come from. If you went to a networking meeting and didn’t talk to people on their level but just went up to them and said, “Hi, I have a 50% sale at my furniture store.” How much business do you think you would generate? The same is true with social media.

Q. Do you have any closing advice?

A. Don’t sell. Offer value. Follow people of similar interests. Interact with your friends. Use Tweetdeck to leverage your time.

Rob was named, “Connection Maker of the Year ” in Colorado. And he has done some really in-depth study on Twitter. Through his study he has found that certain profiles perform better than others, that there is a formula of how to get re-tweeted and that you will get better responses if you tweet at certain times. Rob is coming out with a product that gives you his insider information. I will let you know when it comes out and give you the opportunity to get your hands on it. Oh, and you should follow him on Twitter.