Twitter For Friends: The Art and Science of Efficient Communication

Although Twitter is great for people of all walks of life and professions, it is probably best for what it was designed for originally: keeping in touch with friends. Twitter makes keeping in touch with friends easier and simpler than ever before.

Because you can tweet, or update, so many different ways, it’s flexible enough to be used from anywhere, which lends itself to being used more frequently than sites like MySpace or Facebook.

Keeping in touch with friends on MySpace/Facebook can sometimes be a challenge because you have so much other noise from people and things you may not care about. Maybe you have a handful of people that post the same bulletins frequently and they clutter up your bulletin board or mini-feed and you sometimes miss a bulletin that your close friends post. Twitter eliminates all of this because there is inherently less noise, and all tweets are limited to 140 characters or less.

There are no friends requests, event invitations, application requests or any of the other distractions you can find on MySpace/Facebook, there is only the status update. The status update is really all that’s important when it comes to keeping up with friends because it allows you to see at a glance what a bunch of your friends are up to.

Twitter detaches the status update from your computer and even your web browser. Users can tweet via text message, desktop Twitter clients and IM. This allows for a social network with more flexibility than most others. Sure, Facebook has a great mobile iPhone version, but not everyone has an iPhone or even a phone with a web browser.

Updating Twitter via text message is something that anyone with any phone can do and that is why it is better than MySpace/Facebook for keeping in touch with friends.

But what are some of the ways that friends can use Twitter to communicate more frequently and make a tangible difference in their lives?

Making Plans via Twitter

Twitter makes making plans simple and fast. Once your core group of friends that you hang out with regularly are using Twitter, you might find that you’re all hanging out even more because now everyone knows what’s going on for the next outing.

Now if you’re trying to get everyone together for the midnight premiere of Indiana Jones, you don’t have to call each person individually and then negotiate the time to meet up and the theater to watch it at. All you have to do is post something along the lines of “Whose down to see Indy tonight at midnight in Alhambra?”

As long as everyone checks Twitter at some point during the day, everyone will reply saying yes, no or suggesting other plans. Bam! Plans suggested and made within minutes with one 140 character message on your part. Beautiful.

Announcing Good News

Now when something good happens, it’s easier to spread the word. Let’s say you just got promoted, maybe you wouldn’t bother to call your 10 closest friends to brag, but that doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t be happy for you and glad to hear about it. Twitter makes it easy to get a virtual round of high fives within minutes of announcing your good news.

Sharing Photo Album Links

How many times have you gone to an event where one of your friends is taking pictures all night? It sure would be nice to get those pictures, but somehow it rarely ever gets done. It’s only when you had an exceptionally great trip or fun time that you get to see your friend’s pictures. Now it’s easy to post a link to a zip file uploaded to zShare and then share it with your friends through Twitter. Just upload it and post the link for everyone to see.

Get their attention by using @replies and you’ve just sent it to them in a hurry and they can all download the zip file and then talk about the pictures and the good times.

Sharing Regular Links

Sharing links to new web sites, music or videos is also made more efficient now, thanks to Twitter. Gone are the days of IMing everyone with some new viral video. Now all you have to do is Twitter it and all your friends, who likely have the same taste as you anyway, will now see that you think they should check out this new find.

Chances are, you don’t tell everyone you know about every cool thing you find on the internet, but that doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t be interested if you let them know. It’s the same idea as using it to spread good news. Just because you don’t want to take the time to tell them, doesn’t mean they wouldn’t like to hear about it.

I hope you now see some ways to use Twitter that you hadn’t thought about before. At it’s best, Twitter can really help bring people closer together and I hope this post can bring you closer to those you care about.

Speaking of bringing people closer together, you should follow me on Twitter! If you have some other friend-related uses for Twitter, please post them in the comments.

Twitter Is Taking The Centre Stage. How Can Twitter Help Build Your Business?

What is Twitter?

It’s probably one of the easiest social micro-blogging, web2.0 sites to arrive on the Internet. Wikipedia describes it as “social networking and micro-blogging service” It is an immediate response social media tool. The way social media is growing Twitter is here to stay.

Social Media has made it possible for the ordinary, average entrepreneur to connect with people from every country and continent across the world in a manner that is unprecedented. What a time to be involved in Internet marketing and build a successful MLM Business Twitter has added a further dimension to the equation and has something to offer everyone.

When did it start?

In 2006 Jack Dorsey first thought up the idea as a means of contacting his friends and learning what they were doing. It grew at a rapid rate in 2008 and now in 2009 it has become a phenomenon not just for social conversation but as an incredibly simple but effective business tool.

How does it Work?

Basically there are 2 aspects- Follower and Following.  Follower counts how many people you are listening too. A high number of followers usually indicate that the person is providing content of value worth following.

When you see someone with a high number of follows it is normally an indication that the person is very social and likes to engage in conversation with others. It means they are open to receive tweets, replies and direct messages.

Twitter has set in place some basic rules for following to reduce abuse of the system. For more in-depth information go to “Follow Me.Follow You”

As you become more adept at using Twitter there are some analysis tools and sites you can use to view your stats. And rankings. Check these out for yourself. New applications appear almost daily.

Twitterholic – ranks users based on followers.

Tweetstats – tracks the average number of tweets posted as well as the times and days that you tweet.

How to use and set up your Twitter Account.

Twitter is one of the easiest applications to set up and to help you there is some superb click by click Network Marketing
Training at Renegade University The training takes you by the hand and shows you exactly how to set up and use your Twitter account.

Twitter only allows 140 characters so this forces you to be concise with your messages – a bonus for anyone who does not enjoy blogging. This can be a very quick and effective way to get you message across and promote yourself and your business.

Twitter is a t tool not only to socialize but to build your own personal brand. It is a fantastic exposure networking tool.

By engaging in conversations on topics that are of interest to you and asking engaging questions you begin to build an audience of like minded people. Twitter giv can leverage the news, leave your links, confirm appointments.

Twitter  is also a very humanising activity to do on the Internet. As you divulge more of whom you are – your personality, interests and beliefs;  you become a real human being. So important in developing human relationships and trust for your business.

Twitter can help build your reputation as a person with values whom you can trust.  The more you become transparent the more trust your receive and the more your business grows.

Twitter has the facility to retweet. Why retweet? It is so flattering to people. When someone retweets your information to their followers they are expressing confidence that what you have tweeted is interesting and good. Therefore one yardstick to measure the quality of someone’s tweets is the number of retweet that person has. Guy Kawasaki has some great information on retreating (link)

Twitter has some unique ways that can help your business grow. If you are publishing Ezine articles you can select to have them automatically notify your followers when you have posted a new article.

Whilst developing your uniqueness as a trustworthy human being it doesn’t have to be all business. Twitter is a great place to socialise, have fun, exchange ideas and make friends.

Mike Klingler (link) describes Twitter as one of the fastest growing fishing places on the Internet and if used correctly a money magnet.  So join Twitter today and add as another piece to your marketing funnel.

So how will you decdde who to Tweet?

Tweet me when you have joined: http://twitter.com/JudithAtkinson and I will retweet you.

Happy tweeting.

Online Marketing – Using Twitter Marketing Secrets

 

Twitter is a social network that is second only to Facebook. You can use this for social reasons or for online marketing. There are some Twitter marketing secrets that you can use to make your online marketing more successful. 

 

One of the Twitter marketing secrets that you can use to make sure that you get the most out of your online marketing when you are using Twitter is to make as many friends as possible. You can do this by joining groups and clubs on Twitter. You should look to make as many contacts on this site as you can. One of the best Twitter marketing secrets that you can learn is to get contacts. The more contacts you have on your Twitter site, the easier you have it when it comes to online marketing.  

 

Another of the Twitter marketing secrets that you can use is to join groups where your target market is most likely to congregate. When you join these groups, you can then use your online marketing techniques to attract those who join your friendship list towards your product. 

 

Posting links on your Twitter page is one of the biggest Twitter marketing secrets. You should make sure that these links connect to your sales page so that you can procure individuals to buy what you are selling or offering online. Online marketing consists of many different facets. One of the most effective ways to use online marketing, however, is to use a social networking site like Twitter. 

 

Once you have friends, you should not make it obvious that you are practicing online marketing. This is one of the most crucial of all of the Twitter marketing secrets that you can learn. Be sure that you are low key when it comes to marketing online when you are on social networks. Social networks such as Twitter are supposed to be used for social connections.  Those who are using these sites for online marketing in an obvious way appear to be cheesy from the viewpoint of others. If you want to get the most out of your Twitter online marketing experience, then you need to learn this as it is the most basic of all Twitter marketing secrets. 

 

Twitter marketing secrets are not difficult to pick up once you join a site that will help you find out even more secrets to make your online marketing successful. If you want to get the most out of your Twitter experience when it comes to marketing, you should use a website where there are even more secrets revealed on how to use Twitter as a way towards financial success online. By joining one of these sites, you can learn everything you need to learn about Twitter marketing secrets that will help your online marketing work in a very successful way towards helping you when it comes to achieving financial success online. There are millions of people online, learn as much as you can about marketing to them and the right way to do it and you can make quite a bit of money in this venue. 

 

 

Twitter Following – Get More Followers Today

Twitter has grown in popularity almost exponentially since its arrival on the web. Twitter is a social networking site. People who start twitter accounts can you use them for various different things. The idea is to start connecting with other similarly minded individuals when you start an account. There will be people who will take interest in what you have to say and, or offer. The people that show interest will become known as your followers. The people who are classified as your followers will be simple for you to reach so that you can update them about things of various natures. Of course, you can also ask them questions or carry out any other conversations.

When you converse on Twitter, you are tweeting. A tweet is the unique 140 character message that allows you to communicate with others on Twitter. You may be thinking “why only 140 characters?” Don’t worry the limit is actually a good thing. It keeps the conversation lively and prevents it from bogging down like a long email or chat.

Twitter can be used for both business and personal reasons. You can keep in touch with friends and family and quickly let them know what you are doing or where you are (you can tweet from your cell phone!) If you are running a business, Twitter can be a great way to broadcast news and updates to your customers.

Now that you know what twitter is, you may be wondering just exactly how you get followers. Of course, the first and obvious step is to begin communicating with other twitter users. This can be as simple as conversing about a website that is beneficial to you, a blog that interested you, any current events or a myriad of other things. Another good way to communicate is by answering questions or pointing people in the right direction. People will greatly appreciate your help and be more receptive to following you. These people may or may not tell other people about you, but there is always the chance that they do, which is highly beneficial to you. Being kind is another great way to gain followers on twitter. This step is closely linked to the latter step and is simple enough to accomplish. If someone on twitter does some sort of favor for you, whatever it may be, always make sure that you thank them. The word will spread about you more quickly if people like you.

Another obvious way to gain a larger twitter following is to add value to your network. By becoming a person who tweets mostly interesting links and other media, more people will follow you. This is because you are providing valuable information to them and so you are an asset. Of course, you will want to participate in other twitter websites. By being active in their blogs or buying their products, you can keep and build a larger following. Showing interest in your followers is a wise idea. You may also want to help your followers promote their products or media. This is just another chance to get your own name out there on the twitter network as much as possible.

Twitter: A Customer Service Breakthrough?

When you actively connect with your customers, they remember you longer and are more likely to reward you with increased sales. When it comes to connecting with customers, many companies are turning to Twitter. But why?

Increasingly, companies are finding that they can tune in to consumer buzz about their brands through Twitter. Twitter’s ever-convenient Twitter Search allows anyone to monitor keywords and key phrases, including company name, to read what people are tweeting about, much like what Google Blog Search does in the blogosphere.

Companies like Comcast and Zappos have already delegated customer service representatives, or digital detectives, to hunt for and resolve customer complaints via Twitter. Ultimately, Twitter as a customer service platform has proven to be a success!

Of course, you can take advantage of this unique customer service angle as well…it’s not just for corporations! Follow these simple steps to bring your customer service into web 2.0!

Get on Twitter!

Of course, you’ll want to open your free Twitter account! (It will probably be the quickest account creation you’ve ever experienced!)

After that, your first stop in Twitterland is the very useful Twitter Search page. All day long, Twitter users tweet their experiences, interactions, and thoughts. Plenty of those users may be your customers!

Go to Twitter Search, run a search for your company’s name, products or services, and see what your customers are saying!

http://search.twitter.com

If you come across any complaints, or even positive comments, now is the time to make a connection with your consumers!

Create A Connection!

Twitter avails you a proactive opportunity to thank happy customers, and to help unhappy customers-it’s viral! Take your customers seriously, especially if they’re enraged and dissatisfied with your company…those are the customers you really want to listen to!

Take a lesson from Comcast, one of the major communications companies. A team of Comcast employees joined Twitter, and has 10,000 followers that they keep up with! They listen to what customers have to say and respond with tweets to their solutions.

Their Director of Digital Care makes sure that each customer is satisfied. That’s the kind of customer care you want to make synonymous with your brand!

Establish a Twitter Strategy!

Once you’re on Twitter and are following customers, you’ll want to come up with a strategy for customer service. For instance, look at Zappos’ Twitter for inspiration…

Zappos displays a great example of Twitter conduct, with over 450 Zappos employees involved, and they retain plenty of repeat customers because of their stellar consumer relations.

Many people also follow Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh because he pays attention to his followers’ tweets and acknowledges their tweets through his own, which makes them feel more personally connected. Do you see the pattern?

Your strategy should not only include addressing concerns about your products or services, or resolving the issue at hand, but also should entail paying attention to your customers. Reply to an unrelated tweet once in awhile, or tweet a little something (nice) about them on your Twitter!

Is Twitter a Customer Service Breakthrough?

In short, Twitter is one of the biggest names in social networking, and can be used quite successfully as a customer service platform. Is it a customer service breakthrough? Not really, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t advantageous. In fact, it’s a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of your customers. Also, it’s not just for corporations…your online business can benefit from it too!

Twitter Your Business?

There’ s no question that Twitter has become the next big thing in internet social networking. Yet to this day, less than 10% of North American internet users actually “Twitter.” But unique visitors the Twitter website has grown over 1300 % in one year.

So what exactly is Twitter?

Twitter is an automated service for sharing of short 140 character communications. Why 140? So that you can send “tweets,” or communications from your cell phone as well as your computer. Most celebrities have a twitter channel as part of their marketing and promotion. And now businesses are seeing Twitter as a business tool.

Some feel that Twitter is just a vehicle to kill time, filing any moment with useless drivel. But does it serve a deeper need?  Moses Ma, writing in Psychology Today, believes it does. He says that we are living in a culture starved for real community, which is a message that Robert Putnam gave us in Bowling Alone. Our brains have been biologically hard-wired to operate within a social community, but the industrial age and its extension, free market capitalism has weakened those bonds. People are compelled to tweet, facebook, and to email as well as meet face to face, because they crave social connection.

The critics of Twitter would argue that it is a near perfect example of an intermittent variable reward, a key addictive element of slot machines, and Twitter can trick the brain into thinking its having a meaningful social interaction when you actually aren’t, and finally, Twitter can add to the already recognized problem of overwhelm through multi-tasking, reducing your ability to perform.

The proponents of  Twitter would argue that Twitter, like all social networking, aims primarily at social needs, like those for belonging, love and friendship. At  higher level, Ma suggests, Twitter is related to self-esteem and social recognition. Twitter allows normal people to feel like celebrities. You get a following, and people “like you.” Dr. David Lewis, a cognitive neuropsychologist at the University of Sussex argues that Twitter helps people feel less insecure.

So do people use Twitter to self-actualize, the highest human need according to Maslow? Deepak Chopra and Tony Robbins and scores of other personal growth and spiritual gurus have twitters. Or are they just exercising a new form of smart marketing and promotion of their products?

One way to look at Twitters is what is the impact if you participate. Are you just adding to the crushing weight of spam and useless garbage already out there in cyberspace, or are you participating in  great planetary social experiment that will help us all evolve into better human beings?

Ma would argue that being in the “twitterverse” is like a rive of human awareness, composed of billions of 140 character molecules, each a snapshot of life or thought or reflection, and that river of pure information equals energy in the quantum universe.  And therefore it is a good thing.

Given that as a background, will Twitter go the direction that Facebook is now heading, and become a new vehicle for business marketing and promotion, and the distribution of unedited news and information? 

 

brute force twitter

Facebook can find you a couple hundred friends you never knew you had. LinkedIn might snag you a couple of career connections here and there. But on Twitter, you can achieve the instant status of claiming tens of thousands, even a million, followers without the pesky task of starting your own religion.

Even before actor Ashton Kutcher earned the bragging rights of beating CNN in the race to reach 1 million Twitter followers, the frenzy to gain more followers on the microblogging site inspired a cadre of Internet marketers and Web developers to sell their methods of exponentially increasing a person’s Twitter following. Part of the craze is about social status, part of it is about business promotion and, according to some Twitter users, much of it is suspect.

For the uninitiated, the term “brute force” might sound incompatible with a communication platform whose mascot is a diminutive sparrow. “In the online sense, it means to force an issue—rapidly firing a method either on a server or a service in an inauthentic way to get a lot out of a service in a short space of time,” says Phil Campbell, a 36-year-old freelance Web developer and consultant based in Derbyshire, England.

The term goes back to the days of the first modern software companies, when hackers tried to discover a software product’s protective serial code by building a program called a key generator, which entered possible combinations at a breakneck pace until it broke though a program’s protective barrier.

“Brute force is the best way to describe my software,” says Peter Drew, CEO of XRT Services, which recently unveiled a product he calls Brute Force Twitter, the same name as Bryda’s product.

Drew sells a line of software products under the Brute Force brand and has used the brand for several years, long before, he says, Bryda began to sell his Brute Force Twitter. “I’m the Brute Force guy and everyone knows it,” Drew says.

“Basically, the idea is about forcing your way to the top,” says Dana Willhoit, 45, CEO of ThePressReleaseSite.com and a social-media consultant who partnered with Drew to create his Brute Force Twitter product.

Unlike Bryda’s product, which relies on manually employing different tactics, Drew’s Brute Force Twitter is a piece of software that automatically identifies and follows Twitter users who have tweeted specific keywords. Drew’s product is connected to a database of Twitter users, ensuring that users do not follow the same person twice and mitigating the risk of being reported to Twitter as a nuisance.

However, not all Twitter users feel that the software is any better or more organic than other techniques available. “It’s like walking into a pub and joining in a conversation about something when you do not know the background of the people or have respect for the flow of the conversation,” Campbell says.

Twitter itself acknowledges the variety of ways its users view its service. “Many are experimenting with how to be more successful with Twitter and even what that means for them,” says Biz Stone, Twitter’s co-founder and creative director. Nevertheless, Stone draws a line, albeit a hazy one, when it comes to using Twitter for spam purposes. “We look very seriously at those on a case-by-case basis. Accounts that violate our terms of service in this regard are suspended,” Stone says.

Some believe that how you use brute-force methods matters more than the methods themselves. It’s up to users if they want to use Twitter for spam purposes, says Nathan Gilder, a 28-year-old Internet-marketing consultant who uses Drew’s Brute Force Twitter. “And the nice thing about Twitter is that if you don’t want to listen to someone, you can just unfollow them.”

It’s not just for kids and geeks – Twitter is good for Business too!

5 types of business that should be using Twitter

They’re all talking about it – the online phenomenon for 2009. Forget Google, forget Facebook and don’t even mention Yell.com – Twitter is where it’s at this year!

Founded in 2006 as a way to let fellow members know “what you are doing”, Twitter has expanded way beyond its founders wildest dreams.

2009 is the year Twitter has become more “mainstream”. This has been helped by celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Ashton Kutcher and Jonathan Ross espousing its virtues but also by the number of businesses out there realising the marketing and promotional capabilities of Twitter.

However it’s usually when I talk to potential clients about using Twitter as part of their social media marketing, I hear:

“It’s just for kids and geeks”

“Only IT and Marketing bods make money from it”

and other such comments.

With this in mind, here are a random 5 industries, each with 5 ways they could use Twitter to promote their business:

1) HOTELS

Twitter is fast paced, instant communication, ideal for the hotel & hospitality industry.

Hotels could:

- Communicate last minute offers – Use Twitpic to show pictures of rooms – Post customer testimonials – Request feedback from guests

DM Bonus – If your guests have Twitter, why not DM them a special Twitter code if they eat dinner in the hotel?

2) PHOTOGRAPHERS

While Twitter is seen mainly as a textual medium, it can be visual too.

Photographers, why not:

- Use Twitpic to post a “picture of the day” – Tweet about the photo shoot you’re doing today, so people get a feel for your scope – Post links to your blog/website – Use TwTQpon to offer free studio time (specify purchase of X photos) – Ask satisfied customers to retweet the link to their pic(s) in your portfolio

DM Bonus – If your customers are on Twitter, DM them the link to thier pictures on your password protected server, or private group on Flickr/Facebook etc.

3)ASTROLOGIST

It’s not always easy to get people to sign up to a mailing list on a website if you’re in a very niche industry, but it’s a lot easier to get followers on Twitter.

- Use Hootsuite to run 12 daily horoscope accounts – one for each star sign – Post details of astrologically important days/dates/events – Offer a free reading for every 50th follower – ask people to retweet – Post testimonials from satisfied clients – Post celebrity horoscopes on a weekly basis

DM Bonus – Offer free 140 character descriptions of each star sign – have them ready to cut and paste. Offer them by DM only. (People have to follow you to get DM’s)

4) HOLIDAY RESORT/GUESTHOUSE

If SEO is too competitive and too costly, try Twitter – the only cost is your time, and even that can be minimal!

- Use 12 second TV to post short video testimonials filmed on an iPhone or similar – Use Twitpic to post pictures of your resort – Post about local traditions/holidays/etc – Tweet last minute special offers/prices – Use TwtQpon to offer money off local/on site restaurants/bars

DM Bonus – Guests on Twitter? DM them to let them know they can check in.

5) SPEAKERS

It might be written communication, but I know a few speakers doing very well from Twitter, so if you’re a speaker, why not:

- Post links to audio files of you speaking – Autofeed your calender/blog into your Twitter account so people know where you’re speaking – Post a “tip of the day” each day, related to your speciality – Use 12 second TV to post short clips of you speaking then link to the longer version on youtube/your website – Use Twitter search to find people talking about your speciality/niche – ask them if they can introduce you to people wanting speakers

DM Bonus – Offer a free ebook / whitepaper / mention on your website by DM only. The only way to get it is to follow you so you can DM them.

So there you have it – 5 types of business that should be using Twitter, and 5 things they can use it for.

Nikki Pilkington is author of TweetMentor from NikkiPilkington.com, a 100 day hand holding support system to help you through the Twitter maze.

Twitter For Beginners

As Twitter continues to grow in popularity at an alarming rate and new users are starting to come on board, it can be hard to figure out where to get started with Twitter. While it is a communication medium like email for example, it is used in an entirely different way. Twitter is more sociable and fun rather than practical and actually understanding the main concepts and principles of Twitter can take a little while.

So in this article I’d like to try and give you a beginners guide to Twitter and in doing so to give you a basic guide to what Twitter is and what Twitter does so you can more easily get involved.

In essence, Twitter is a micro-blogging service. Every Twitter user has their own little tiny “blog” that they can add messages to of up to 140 characters in length. They can also send messages of the same maximum length to other Twitter users and these messages will then appear on their recipients blog. Each of these little messages is known as a tweet.

As well as adding tweets to your blog, sending them to other people or even reading other peoples Twitter blogs, you can also “follow” any Twitter user of your choice. When you “follow” someone, their tweets then start to appear on your Twitter page. In this way you can keep up to date with what all your friends, family and business contacts are doing in one place. By simply following all your contacts and keeping an eye on your Twitter page you can see live what everyone you know is up to.

When Twitter first launched, you interacted with the service using the Twitter website but now you can interact in virtually any way possible. As examples you can access your Twitter feed live from a variety of desktop applications so you don’t have to be logged into the Twitter website. You can also send and receive tweets via text (sms) message directly on your cell phone.

Twitter is part of a movement known as “life streaming” where part of the aim is to simply reveal your actions and thoughts live as you go about your day. Initially this meant that people would add such interesting messages as “Just eating some cereal” or “Paying for gas”. These days such messages are understandably frowned upon though the more interesting tweets are welcomed.

This is a good way of not just staying in contact with people, but also learning about other people in quite a deep way. If you know what movie they’ve just watched or what they’re doing on the weekend you feel more of a part of their life. Twitter is as much about conversations and communication as just sending a practical email to someone.

The general advice for a new Twitter user would be to simply try it out and see if you like it. Some people love it, others loath it and you won’t know until you try it. Just sign up for a free account, find your friends and “follow” them, then get involved with the conversation. When they tweet, tweet back.

10 Secrets to Using Twitter to Attract More Followers and Get More Clients

Copyright (c) 2008 OnlineBizU.com

I do wonder at times if some Twitter users have any time to get any work done. Several of the more prolific ones that I follow swear they spend no more than 30 minutes a day on Twitter, but I really find that hard to believe. Many times it seems they are twittering just to say something, like “Good morning Twitterverse” when they begin their day, give more details than I want to know about what they had for lunch, what their children said to them, or when they take a nap.

I realize that this is part of the “like, know, and trust” process that enables people to get to know each other, but sometimes it’s simply too much information..LOL. I’m Twittering primarily to market my business. Consequently, I try and limit my personal twitters to no more than 2 per day. My clients, who create Twitter accounts for marketing, as well, tell me, “I’m signed up. Now what in the world do I Twitter about? How do I market my business with this tool?”

Here are 10 strategies that I use regularly to marketing my business and my expertise via Twitter. Remember, you have only 140 characters for your tweet (Twitter post).

1. How you’re helping clients. Talk about specific ways that your business helps clients and use their Twitter ID if you have their permission, i.e. “Just finished @clientname brainstorm great Internet marketing plan for 2009″ or “Finally finished setting up Quickbooks for local hardware store — now they can invoice their clients”

2. What you’re doing in your own business. This is a perfect time to tell others when you’re blogging, writing an article, creating your weekly ezine, recording your podcast, i.e. “Had great interview with Jane Smith today on speaking to grow your biz. Great ideas! Subscribe to podcast & listen here “

3. Useful tool or resource you’ve found. I run across these all the time in my daily activities, and Twitter is a perfect place to share,. i.e. “Found great new Firefox plug-in to monitor & check multiple Gmail accounts at same time at ” or “Read great blog post on working at home with kids under 5 at (URL here)”

4. Ask a question. Need some ideas or some quick brainstorming? Twitter is an ideal place to gather opinions, i.e. “Help! Desperately seeking new laser printer. Recommendations?” or “How do I find training organizations online?”

5. Conduct a survey. What do your Tweeps think about a particular issue? Ask them via Twitter, i.e. “Quick poll: Do you get more clients from Facebook or Twitter? Respond at (URL here)”

6. Report on live events. The latest Twitter trend seems to be tweeting what’s happening at conferences or workshops. In order for Twitter users to follow a particular event, it’s usually referred to by a name preceded by a # sign, as in #JVAlert, for example, to make it simpler for people who want to follow those posts. So, if you were at an event, you might tweet “#JVAlert John Smith speaking on affiliate programs. Just got great idea on training affiliate managers!” Just don’t get so wrapped up in tweeting that you ignore the content delivered in the conference!

7. Product or service launch. If you’re about to launch a new product or introduce a new product, let your Twitter followers know, i.e. “Pre-launch pricing for new DVD set about how baby boomers can start an online biz. Get $100 early bird discount at (URL here)”

8. Responding to others with advice or answers. The way to build professional relationships on Twitter is to help your tweeps. So, if someone asks a question, comments about something to which you have a response or an idea, or you want to ask a followup question, this is the perfect place to do so.

9. Acknowledging new followers. I’ve noticed a recent trend of acknowledging people who’ve decided to follow a Twitter user in the past day or so. I initially thought that others were doing this as a measure of popularity, but what I’ve come to realize that it’s actually helping out the new followers because it exposes their Twitter profiles to others who may have never heard of them and who might like to follow them. So, to thank your followers, you’d tweet, “Welcome new followers @twittername, @twittername, etc.”

10. Automate your tweets. Many of my tweets have been automated and connected to other things I do. TwitterFeed turns all of my blog posts into tweets. aWeber turns each ezine issue into a tweet. EzineArticles.com tweets my followers every time I publish an article through their service. Typically all that’s involved here is connecting the particular service to my Twitter account. Once all the services are connected, I get free and automated Twitter posts with no additional effort on my part.

Twitter can be a great time-waster or a wonderful way to market your business and leverage your expertise online. Follow these 10 strategies and you’ll begin to attract more followers and get more clients through social networking.

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