Social networking has changed the way that online marketing is completed. The way that marketers portray a message to prospective clients has changed immensely. Static pages have pretty much been overrun by these networks, since many business owners are choosing to blog about their businesses instead of creating complex pages.

Social networks are making it highly possible to portray your marketing message to masses of people without having to go through complex marketing procedures. Keyword stuffed content is quickly becoming a thing of the past and social networks are moving in with their micro marketing routines.

When Twitter first entered into the social marketing realm a lot of business owners began to realize that they did not have to babble on in articles about their business anymore. In fact, Twitter messages referred to as Tweets are only 140 characters. Giving you the opportunity to get your message across without involving a lot of repetitions like a lot of articles seem to convey.

Messages that are short and to the point are getting a lot of attention on the Twitter network. A tweet that has had a lot of thought put into it can get you the same amount or even more attention than an article would that was simply loaded with various keywords.

Over the past few years, the Twitter community has expanded beyond what anyone would have ever imagined it would. There are users of many different ages, creeds, and religions that avidly utilize Twitter. From the marketing gurus to young teenagers that are simply trying to chat with their friends Twitter has definitely already reached the masses.

Twitter is commonly referred to as the micro marketing core system. The system is always on and running (with a few exceptions here and there) regardless of what time it is and you don’t have to pay anything to use it. Well, minus the amount of time that you will spend on the network communicating with others and sharing information about your business.

Twitter will even run beside an existing blog that you have and there are so many different tools and plug-ins that can be used on the network as well. You can even have Twitter automate Tweets for you, this way regardless if you are near your computer or perusing the network you can still develop a nice following of people that are interested in what you have to offer .

There are a lot of established clients that avidly utilize Twitter for all of their micro marketing needs. There are perhaps, a few simple twitter tips that you should keep in mind when utilizing this network to market your business.

Try to remember that relationships with clients need to be built first, before they will begin to trust your marketing efforts. Most importantly, don’t over use tweet automation, a few throughout the day is a great way to increase your productivity. Do this too much and you run the risk of being labeled as a bot, a spammer or even getting your Twitter account suspended.

If you are new to Twitter, and wonder what the funny looking symbol (#) means or have seen strange phrases and comments appear with the “hashtag” annotation in your stream. You may have asked yourself what does this really mean? or Why are there so many people tagging there tweets with this foreign syntax?

On Twitter, the hash symbol is a way of tagging, or grouping, a specific topic. Words appearing with the hash symbol in front of it (ie. #twittertips) will show up in an RSS feed with all other comments so tagged by other Twitter users. As an example, the following comment might appear in the Twitter stream:

“I’m very happy with Peter Doyle’s #photography service.”

This comment is then grouped with others sporting the tag of “#photography” and becomes tagged to use Twitter’s own search function. In the search box, type “#photography” and every comment with that tag will show up in a separate Twitter stream. This is quite useful if you’re looking for information regarding a specific topic, and it’s a good way to find people with similar hobbies, jobs, or interests. (hint, hint)

The Twitter hashtag function is also a good way to keep in touch with a specific group of people, and writer’s groups have really put this to good use by using the hashtag as a way of staying constant contact. Many groups have sprung up around this little symbol, such as #flashfriday, where authors pen a fiction story every Friday and share the link, or #writechat where writers meet virtually and discuss the craft. Groups of all different interests have found innovative ways to use this Twitter function to meet virtually and exchange information.

Of course, as with any Twitter user created innovation, there are some that use and overuse this helpful Twitter tip, so it’s important to keep in mind that not all Tweets deserve a hashtag, nor should they receive one.

e.g.

#I #just #brushed #my #teeth #with #toothpaste #it #makes #me #happy

#why #have #people #stopped #retweeting #me, #this #is #not #cool #I #feel #like #an #epic #fail

If you use too many, people will start to ignore your Tweets and you run the danger of clogging the Tweet stream of the hashtag topic with unnecessary or irrelevant content, instead of adding value or information.

However, one of the best things about Twitter is it has a sense of humor. Check out #bobearday for some chuckles. Hashtag.org offers a directory of hashtags and explains what each of them means, and of course, you can always use the Twitter search function to find what interests you.

#bobearday Image Credit

Hashtag Meme-ing On Twitter

Several “memes” have popped up on specific days of the week, making each day not just informative, but fun. Participating can not only link you up with interesting people, but help you to introduce yourself – as well.

The Twitter meme phenomenon started with #followfriday, where every Friday Tweeters listed people they felt were worth following, accompanied by the #followfriday hashtag, to alert others on Twitter about follow-worthy fellow Tweeters. It was a resounding success, and the meme phenomenon spread to other days of the week. New memes pop up frequently on Twitter, and the interaction is invaluable if you’re endeavoring to build up a Twitter presence to beef up your social media profile for either business or personal reasons.

Listed here are some of the more popular Twitter memes and the day of the week on which they fall. Participation is not mandatory, but again, it personalizes your social media profile and may highlight people you’d like to follow and vice-versa.

#sinnersunday: Where you confess what you did instead of going to church to others on Twitter who have done the same. It should be noted that this was once named #sinsunday and its use has dramatically tapered off in the last few weeks.

#musicmonday: People post on Twitter to what music they are currently listening, and some people link up their favorite online music program such as blip.fm or Grooveshark. Both services provide a direct link to a favorite song.

#twittertuesday: In case you missed Friday’s edition, here is a chance to promote your current Twitter favorite for the benefit of all your followers.

#wonderfulwednesday: A day to celebrate the middle of the week. What is making your Wednesday wonderful? Tweeters everywhere want to know.

#thankfulthursday: This is the day to thank your mom, your dog, but most especially the fellow Tweeters that make Twitter what it is to you. There is no trophy or award, but it’s nice to say thanks (and to hear it, too!)

#followfriday: On Friday’s you can give a shout out with this tag to show your fellow twitter users who you feel is worthy of a follow. This is in no way an all inclusive list. It should be noted that some twitter users are against using this tag, because they feel it clogs up their stream.

#caturday: A combination of cats and Saturday, this is a day to celebrate your feline friends and share them with your Twitter friends.

Participation is fun, and you don’t have to make an all-day project of it, but a few related Tweets during the course of the designated day can have a two-fold benefit; they allow you to get to know your followers better, and by the same token, they get to know you better.

Although it seems like social media is a new phenomenon, the fact is it has been around for many years. Groundbreaking programs such as AOL chat and IRC played host to many conversations between people, and facilitated thousands of online people to make contact and are the genesis of today’s social media.

Twitter is a micro-blogging service very similar to these previous chat programs, only users are limited to 140 characters per post. Twitter is experiencing approximately 20 million unique visitors per month since April of 2009, with the explosion of growth showing very little signs of receding. Twitter ranks among MySpace, LinkedIn, and Facebook as the most popular social networks today, and according  Nielsen, social networks are the fourth most popular online activity.

Companies and businesses are fast realizing the power of social networking and Twitter to improving their business, giving them a competitive edge, and reaching new customers to which they may not have ordinarily had access. How does a company reach new customers on Twitter?

It seems simple, but it can be complicated. Building a reputation on Twitter does take a time commitment on the behalf of the company, because internet people are savvy about marketing and many of the old precepts no longer apply. Building brand loyalty is important, and so is establishing your reputation on Twitter as a trusted and valuable asset. Failure to do this could cause more damage than good.

Introducing your business presence to Twitter is very like moving into a new neighborhood or meeting new people at a dinner party. There is an awkward stage as both parties size each other up and start to get to know each other. What you want to accomplish for future success of your business is to make solid connections, listening to what people want, and getting to know them before you start promoting your products that may or may not be appropriate for your Twitter followers. Building trust is an important component.

Just like in any relationship, getting to know people is just one component. Inviting people to get to know you is just as important in establishing a trustworthy bond. On Twitter, this doesn’t mean communicating information that is intensely personal, but your potential customers need to know a little bit about you. What interests you, what does your company or brand represent?

By engaging in relevant conversation, participating in exchanges with other Twitter users who share your interests, and offering helpful information, people will come to see you as an expert in your field. Establishing this trust with your followers and potential clients is more than worth the patience it entails, and can lead to loyal, happy clients that are willing to spread the word about your product or service. Word-of-mouth has always been an important part of any advertising campaign, and Twitter is the 21st century’s ultimate in word-of-mouth, with a globe-encompassing reach. This is the secret of reaching your customers on Twitter.

Facebook offers a status update, similar in many respects to Twitter. Your status updates appear in a feed, viewable by all the friends on your friends list. The option to upload photos is especially popular, particularly for loved ones who live far away and viral photos that get passed around. If you are using your Facebook account for both personal and business purposes, you should monitor what you update in your feed and in your photo album or it could affect your job and your family.

As social media has exploded with Facebook as one of the front-runners and more and more jobs becoming more than just eight hours in a cubicle, the lines between job-related information and personal information shared with close friends and family are becoming quite blurred. Chances are, if you wouldn’t want your grandmother or your CEO to know something about you, you are better off keeping that piece of information to yourself and not posted on your Facebook wall.

While Facebook is an excellent way to keep in touch with family, friends, and colleagues, sometimes too much information is really…too much information. You might have had a great time at the bachelor party last weekend with your buddies, but neither your boss nor your mother needs to see the picture of you receiving a lap dance. Your co-workers might understand your frustration with the boss, but he probably won’t appreciate the comment that he’s a jerk – that appears in your feed.

Image credit buzzfeed.com

Caution is the byword, and Facebook does provide tools for you to manage who sees your feed and photos and who doesn’t. It takes a few minutes to set up separate groups for personal and business information, but it’s time well-spent if it saves your job or your mother from a heart attack.

Under settings at the top of your Facebook toolbar, you can choose who sees your information. You can also control who can find you through a Google search. In the photo section, there is also the option to choose who can and cannot see your photos. Take the extra time to carefully evaluate who is on your Facebook friends list and what you want them to see. There is also a block function which comes in handy for people with whom you don’t want to share any information.

Taking the time to evaluate whom you allow access to different parts of your life makes things easier for you in the long run. People have lost their jobs over what they have posted on Facebook in a careless moment, or in the heat of a bad day. While your friends and family may understand, an employer will not, and jeopardizing your career over a reckless moment is not worth it. Take a few minutes and review your privacy settings on Facebook on a regular basis, and you’ll be able to breathe a little easier and enjoy the Facebook experience to its fullest potential.

Everyone knows how popular Twitter is. Why not mix Twitter with the ability to make money? There are many easy ways that you can make money on Twitter. Here are some on the most common ways people are raking in the money.

Many people are charging for just a Twitter message. If you have a private user name and password and only your friends can receive Tweets. You have the ability to charge for information that no one knows about yet. Often times you will find newspapers and bloggers doing this to allow people to be the first to gain juicy bits of information.

You can sponsor a contest for advertisers. They will pay you in order to help them gain information on how people are feeling about their products. Throw out a question about a product. Maybe ask people how a product could be improved. You can make some money by adopting these strategies from advertising companies.

There are many companies out there who want to join social groups such as Twitter for advertising purposes. There are people who spend their time as a professional Twitter contributor. Companies will hire people who are great at blogging, research, and social media.

Keep an eye out for companies looking for people to place reviews on Twitter. Many companies will pay a certain amount per review that you post. This saves them time on advertising. They will pay you, because it is well worth it for them to have people out there spreading the word about the quality of products.

Twitter is a great place for all the affiliate marketers out there. You can use your messages to send out website links. Twitter is a great place to gain exposure and get clicks and sales on items that you have chosen to use from your affiliate companies.

Music is a great item to sell on Twitter. Music and video downloads are in the spotlight right now. Companies will pay you great money to post ads on Twitter. They will often pay you a percentage of the sale, a set price per click, or a certain amount for placing the advertisement. Twitter is a hot spot that almost every company is willing to pay in order to get their trendy products on the market.

People are actually being paid for Twitter consulting. Companies that are looking to advertise will pay people to educate them about Twitter. This is a great way to make cash if you are Twitter savvy and in the know. Usually companies are just looking for enough of the basics to do advertising.

These are just a few of the ways that people are making money on Twitter. If you are looking for some cash try these options. There are many other ways that Twitter can bring in cash. If these are not up your alley, just do a search engine search on all the ways you can make money with Twitter. You will get many other suggestions.

Like many sites, Twitter has its own terms and procedures. If you are using Twitter often it doesn’t take long to get the hang of them. Here is a fun and easy little multi-choice for those new to world of Twitter.

1. What is a tweet?

1. An alarm that you can set on the internet to wake you in the morning?
2. A short post that you enter on the Twitter site?
3. A bacon scented air freshener?

2. What is a retweet?

1. An online place to get away from it all?
2. An indication that someone has gone to your website?
3. A way to repost someone else’s tweet?

3. You get an email saying that someone on twitter is following you – what should you do?

1. Click on their name and follow them back?
2. Call the police and tell them you are being stalked?
3. Check out their profile and decide whether you want to follow them too.

4. Typing @ followed by a users name means that:

1. The message can be seen by all users but is directed at that person?
2. The message will go directly to their email address?
3. You are sending a private message to that person on Twitter?

5. RT stands for:

1. Resting Twitter – the person’s whose user name follows is taking a break?
2. Retweet – the person whose user name follows was the original poster?
3. Royal Tweeter- the person whose user name follows has a large number of posts and followers?

6. People use hashtags (#) to show:

1. The word or link that follows is related to a particular keyword or topic that is being discussed?
2. The word or link that follows can only be read and answered by followers?
3. The word or link that follows leads to the Tweeter’s own website?

Click Here to View Answers:

Video is everywhere. It has become one of the hallmarks of the social web, it is the basis for several internet memes, we watch it on TV and we all known someone that wants to record every minute of every event – in what seems like … everyday. You have webcams for your computers, you can send and view video on your cell phone, and many of us can create videos straight from our smartphones.

If you are one of the 350 million plus members of Facebook community who enjoy viewing, creating or even editing video you are going to be happy to know, that Facebook has several applications that can foster this activity.

Video – Probably on of the most obvious applications, this function can be accessed underneath the input box that asks you “What’s on your mind?”

This is a very popular application for members of the Facebook medium, since it allows people to add videos to their profiles directly from a hard drive, webcam or cell phone . Most people also enjoy it because it’s easy and it’s fast- so there is very little waiting for the finished product.

YouTube Video Box – This is a great way that you can show off the favorite videos that you have found on YouTube. You have the ability to share multiple videos, and each video is provided with a wall of its own – allowing users to comment on each one individually.

Netflix Movies – If you are someone who uses Netflix, they have made it rather easy for you to rate movies and share this information with your friends on Facebook. Once you have connected to Facebook from your Netflix account you can allow Netflix to post your movie ratings onto your personal home feed. From here you and your friends can comment, ‘like’ or add the movie to your Netflix Queue.

Montages- This app lets you create your own personal slide shows from video and photos. It supports several transitional slide show effects as well as the ability to rotate, clip and edit your videos.

Private Video Gallery – This Facebook application allows you to share and view video with only the people you want, by creating a simple access list for your users. Until Facebook finishes their facebook privacy implementation across the board, you may want to show mom and dad exactly how to use this application to save you from possible future embarrassment. Case in point …

Mesmo TV – Make me a Celebrity – Created for the TV buff at heart this application allows you to not only view TV shows online, it also allows you to play Trivia, take TV quizzes , read the latest buzz on your favorite shows and much more.

Flixster Movies – This isn’t really something that allows you to add videos, but it is a popular application nonetheless. It’s one that works with the Flixster site and allows you to share your movie tastes with other people, as well as find out what their movie tastes are.

There are plenty of ways to monetize your website and blog, so is there something similar for your Twitter account? Everything has a price, so what is a tweet worth? Twitter is incredibly popular and has enjoyed much success over the last few years. Part of its appeal is not only its API but also the fact that the platform is friendly to third-party applications. This allows strides in development and enhancement of anyone’s Twitter experience.

Back in the early days of Twitter, it was possible to tweet about how great you thought a third-party application actually was. You weren’t typically compensated for any good press you threw at any particular product and tweeting in such a way was entirely up to your discretion. This was fine back in the day, when we all had relatively few followers and there weren’t that many applications to even talk about. Today, things are different.

An interesting business model has begun emerging on Twitter these days that makes it very possible to monetize your tweets. This means that tweets can be quite valuable. Though it is possible to earn a little money, or gain rewards for your efforts, many people using Twitter think that this new business model is a way of spamming your followers. The way it works is an advertiser will contact you to tweet about their product in exchange for some type of compensation.

The basic premise behind Twitter allows a single tweet to become many in a matter of minutes. And the more followers that you have, the more people will receive your message. This makes any tweet you make quite valuable for any interested advertiser. In advertising, word of mouth is one of the most effective modes of advertising, so by employing Twitterers to tweet about a given product is essentially sponsored word of mouth advertising. The power of negotiation is definitely on your side when it comes to what your tweets are worth.

Though you can be compensated quite lucratively for your tweets, especially if you have a significant amount of followers, it can backfire on you. So are your tweets really worth it to you? Remember, if you tweet for money it may affect your follower’s trust in your future tweets. So, before you take payment for tweeting, consider whether or not the information your are twittering about is legitimate or a scam. Your credibility on Twitter may be questioned once you accept money to tweet about certain products or information.

It is also important to remember that a tweet is worth more than just money. Tweets can be invaluable bits of information, which is why many companies have their own Twitter accounts now. Businesses use Twitter as a platform to not only gain followers and promote brand recognition for their products and services, but to maintain and improve the status quo. Twitter can become an invaluable avenue of communication between the public and the company, which is essential to growth and success.

Women have made strides in today’s society – there are females in every profession and it is no longer assumed that we will marry and have babies right out of high school. But a few things haven’t changed, like the number of women who are tech-savvy and up on all the latest Internet communities. (We’ll save the reasons for this relatively unchanged phenomenon for another discussion!) For whatever reason, many of us are missing out on this exciting social platform on which we can exchange information, invest in interesting conversations, and have a little fun at the same time.

It seems that many of us may outwardly mock the use of Twitter and poke fun at our friends for using it, but deep down really- we want to try it out. But, where do you start? For those of you with just the tiniest inkling of curiosity, here is a guide to the basics of Twitter. Go ahead and try it out – it’s guaranteed to get you on the same page as your male counterparts! Of course you can find some of this information in the “help” section of Twitter, but what fun is reading the instructions? Read on for some basic information to get you started tweeting today.

First things first, right? You must sign up to take advantage of the features that Twitter has to offer. Signing up is pretty simple, you just go to the Twitter website and fill out the required information. If you’ve signed up for anything online before, this will be a snap. The most difficult part of signing up may be coming up with a user name – just relax and get creative! Your user name, or Twitter address, will appear similar to your email address. A Twitter address appears as “@yourname.”

You’ll also need to provide your profile. It is helpful to note that if you have a website you may want to include it so that you don’t come off as a potential spammer. Additionally, if you don’t feel comfortable putting certain details in your profile, you don’t have to. Don’t worry; it’s up to you as to how much information you provide in your profile.

Once you’ve signed up for Twitter, it’s time to get started. On Twitter, members communicate by tweeting, but what exactly is a tweet? Tweets are simply the messages that you send and receive on Twitter. It’s really quite easy to send a tweet. Simply type your message into the “What’s happening?” section and keep it under 140 characters. Short and to the point is the way to go on Twitter.

Once you know how to tweet, you’ll also need to know how to follow. If you find something particularly interesting on Twitter, you just opt to follow them. People can also choose to follow you, if they so desire. Once you have added people to your list that you’d like to follow, any messages they post will appear in your Twitter stream – this is just like your email inbox. It’s also possible to send direct messages. These look a little different than regular tweets. Direct messages are often marked as private tweets that will not appear on any main Twitter stream.

Though this guide is in no way exhaustive, it should show you other ladies just enough to get started on Twitter. The days of pretending that Twitter is totally silly are gone! – you know you want to tweet about every mundane experience you have throughout the day! Go ahead, get started today.

Just like many social networking websites, the iPhone can help you stay connected with family, friends, and colleagues whether you’re near or far. The iPhone is so much more than a phone – allowing you to send text messages, emails, and even surf the web when you need to. Because the iPhone has Internet capabilities, it is not uncommon to see people tweeting away right from their phones.

Staying connected through social networking sites like Twitter is simple on the iPhone. Twitter was designed with a mobile phone in mind which makes it the perfect accompaniment to the iPhone. There are plenty of cool ways to use Twitter on your iPhone, and if you haven’t tried them out, now’s your chance.

The SMS System

The easiest way to use Twitter on the iPhone is probably through the SMS system. Essentially, this is the text messaging system that you are probably quite familiar with. Text messaging is what the founders of Twitter must have had in mind when they implemented the 140 character limit for tweets! The best way to use your SMS system with Twitter is to register your phone number on the social platform then just send whatever message you want anytime, anywhere!

Twitter Mobile Website

Since you have access to the Internet with the iPhone, you can also visit the Twitter mobile website to update your followers with any news or comments. This is quite easy and takes no time at all. Simply access your mobile browser and head to m.twitter.com/ which is a special URL to be used on a mobile phone. From there, log into your account and tweet away! You can do this while you wait in line, sit in class, or on your lunch break. The Twitter mobile website allows you to do all the same things that you’d do right from your computer.

Emailing Twitter Updates

Did you know that you can use Twitter through email on the iPhone? Well, you can. If you don’t have the time to log into the Twitter site or simply don’t want to use the SMS system, you can just send an update via email. All you have to do is register with TwitterMail.com and provide your Twitter details. You’ll be given a Twitter email address to which you send your tweets. Once you’ve set this up, your tweets will be instant.

iPhone Twitter Clients (highly recommended)

If none of the above ways of using Twitter on your iPhone work for you, there is another way. You can send tweets through a web-based Twitter client developed for the iPhone. The two most common are TweetDeck and Tweetie2. These are both client optimized applications that allow you to manage your Twitter account from the iPhone. You’ll be able to see all the latest tweets from your followers and contacts, update your status remotely, and view the public timeline over Wi-Fi or AT&T’s Edge network.

TweetDeck

Tweetie2

Today, there is absolutely no excuse for not staying connected. Even though people are busier than ever, you can stay in touch with your iPhone using Twitter. Using any of the four ways mentioned above will allow you to connect with your friends, coworkers, family, and colleagues instantly and without delay.

Today is Thanksgiving and the majority of US residents will be going through the customary means of connecting with family and friends; to engage in the time honored tradition of stuffing themselves with turkey and many glorious side dishes. Stories will be shared, bonds will be created and in many cases thanks will be made.

Tomorrow will bring about new pleasures, many of you will venture off into the crowds in search of the unbelievable deals that have been baited to you all week. You will stand in line for hours, you will battle with fellow shoppers and you will spend in excess – all the while fueled off the buzz of getting the greatest deals.

Many of us will by pass this hassle and forgo the brick and mortal nuisances for the solitary engagements of our computers. And why not, there will be no crowds to deal with, there will be no hardcore shoppers to battle with and most importantly there will be no endless lines to stand in.

But how does one know if they are being safe online, especially if you are new to this experience? Normally when you surf the net and find a deal that is to good to be true, you pass it up and file it into your mental “this is scam box”. But times will be different tomorrow – the crazy deals will be out there and so will the scammers.

Sound how do you stay safe why maintaining an edge of efficiency?

1. Stay Branded - If you want to be safe stick to the big guys such as Apple, Overstock.com, Best Buy, Amazon etc. If you are unsure about a particular website don’t purchase from them until you have validated them through other means. Check seller reviews on third party’s such sites as Resellerrating.com, Shopping.Yahoo.com and Google Products.

2. Do Your Research Today – Use the social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to find deals – as well as comparative sites such as Nextag and Epinions. This way you have ample time to research competitors, find the best deals and most importantly find the legitimate sellers.

3. Put together a list – After you have completed your research why not plan your attack; many websites will have outstanding deals but many of them will also be in limited supply. Creating a list will ensure you tackle your objectives in an orderly fashion to have greater successful outcomes.

4. Check your URLs – Before you input your personal information into a web form, check the address first to be sure it is secure. If have ventured from the big brands and are somewhat certain the site you are on is safe – double check by looking at the URL in the browser to ensure it has an ‘https’ at the beginning instead on an ‘http’ . Website’s that pass information via ‘http’ are not secure and this greatly enhances your risk having your personal information stolen.

5. Avoid Links in Emails- With the holiday season comes the advent of huge quantities of spam and phishing schemes- designed specifically to take your hard earned cash. Many of these scams work by having the user click on a link in an official looking email , that takes you to a legitimate looking website.

Don’t fall for this! If you get an email from Best Buy- type the best buy address into your website browser manually – ensuring that the URL has the domain name bestbuy.com in it. Once you are there navigate around the site a bit to be sure that you are in the correct place. Many phishing sites only have a couple legitimate looking pages – if you are on a false site you should be able to notice this rather quickly.

Be Safe and Happy Holidays to all of you!!

There is no denying that businesses are using Twitter more these days. It has been found that the social media landscape is an invaluable environment for businesses in today’s tech savvy world. Whether you think Twitter is a fad or not, there is no question that it is a powerful communications solution. With millions of people subscribed to the platform, it seems like it would be an obvious choice for businesses as well.

Now, even if you don’t tweet personally, you’ve probably come to the conclusion that it may be well worth learning how for your business. So, first things first – you will need to build a Twitter account for your company. Your Twitter user name should be something that clearly identifies you, so that any potential followers can find you quickly and easily. For obvious reasons, you may want to choose your business’ name. Also, add a picture to your profile – this can simply be your company’s logo if you wish.

Once you’ve joined the Twitter community, you’ll want to start using Twitter Search. This feature allows you to listen for your company’s name, your competitor’s names, and even words that relate to your product, service, or company. This helps you find a targeted audience within the Twitter community and become a viable member of the platform.

When you begin tweeting, there are a couple of things to remember. While you are there to promote your business, extend your reach, and make a profit for your company, you don’t want to toot your own horn too much. So, talk to other Twitter users about what they’re interested in. This might not sell more of your product, but it will show that you’re human and build a rapport with others. You’ll also want to point out interesting stories or other things of interest when you tweet, not just about your company and products. This includes sharing links to events in your community or even stories about your employees (with their permission, of course!) You really just want to be a part of the Twitter community to have the most effective outcome.

Though you want to be an active Twitter member, it is a good idea to keep your tweets somewhat relevant to what your business and product are all about. This is much like how you would treat your blog! Offer helpful insights. For example, if you specialize in travel arrangements you may want to offer various travel tips from time to time. Oh, and you should include non-business topics, such as charities and other interesting endeavors.

Remember, as you tweet about your business you don’t have to simply answer Twitter’s traditional question, “What are you doing?” You can angle your tweets to relate to what has your attention at the moment or what is interesting to your audience. Use Twitter as a forum of sorts – you can ask questions in your tweets and get amazing results. Twitter is an excellent place to mine data and opinions.

There really is no limit to how you can use Twitter for your business. You can use it to promote your product or draw attention to your company. It can be used as a source of information for your customers or a place for them to contact you. The more familiar you become with Twitter the more potential you will see.

You may want to maximize the visibility of your Twitter profile for various reasons – monetizing your profile, spreading the message about your products or service, or simply for the fun of it. The one thing you need to remember is that your Twitter profile is just like any other website, so the basics behind increasing your reach is very similar. So, when it comes to maximizing your Twitter visibility, come at it from the angle that you would for your own blog or newsletter.

So, just like with any other website, increased visibility comes from increased traffic. This means that if you want more followers on Twitter, all you need to do is drive plenty of web traffic to your Twitter profile. And if you’re looking for a particular audience, your best bet is to drive targeted traffic to your profile! Though this is probably pretty obvious for the seasoned online marketer, it may not be as clear to the average Twitterer.

Many advisors have put a lot of emphasis on Twitter usage such as the time of day and frequency, but this really doesn’t have a strong of impact as you might think. How you tweet and when you tweet are not crucial to driving traffic, and visibility, to your Twitter profile. What you really want to do is get a larger number of followers. This can be done anytime of day – or night for that matter! Your main goal should be to keep sending visitors to your profile. Remember, you can only get followers when they know you exist!

Knowing that the main key behind maximizing your Twitter visibility is driving traffic to your profile, you are free to experiment with traditional online marketing strategies. Just think about how you might promote a website. This means think about what incentives you might be able to offer and why someone might want to follow you on Twitter. Ask yourself why a potential follower would even want to subscribe to your Twitter profile, especially if he or she does not even know you.

If you don’t have your own website and have never promoted your blog, driving traffic to your Twitter profile may be a little bit more of a challenge for you, but it doesn’t have to be. To help you drive traffic to your Twitter account and maximize your visibility, here is a list of some simple things you might want to try:

• If you’re tech savvy, design a tool or an application that others might like to use. When you promote that, you can also promote your profile.
• If you have your own company, offer Twitter as a form of customer support and a way to contact you.
• Announce, host, or organize a contest on the Twitter platform.
• Include a link to your Twitter profile in your email signatures. You can do this on forums as well.
• Make sure you have a link to your Twitter profile on all of your other blogs and websites.
• Talk about Twitter on forums or blogs and include a link to your Twitter profile.
• Exchange Twitter recommendations with other Twitter members.
• Buy a link or a banner on a website where your target audience may spend a lot of time. Direct the link to your profile.

Once you have a significant number of followers on Twitter, dealing with tweets can become a grueling experience. But remember, it doesn’t have to be. In essence, Twitter should be an overall rewarding and fun experience if you’re using it for personal reasons. If you’re using the platform for business purposes, it should be thought of as an effective tool and a way to stay in touch with your customers and clients. In an effort to keep your sanity where it belongs, here are some tips on dealing with tweets.

First and foremost, remember that you do not have to read every tweet. With a certain number of tweets coming in, this could very well become an impossible task anyway! If you really feel that every tweet should be read, and you’re using Twitter for your business, perhaps make it an employee’s task to read the tweets. The same goes for replying to tweets – there is no rule that says you have to answer each one. Try to reply to some, but don’t feel guilty if you don’t reply to them all.

When it comes to tweeting in response, take a look at the tweets you’re considering. If you’ve received a tweet that you feel you must reply to, but it doesn’t make sense to tweet in front of the whole world, consider sending a direct message. Direct messages allow for one-on-one conversations, which is great for customer support and private conversations. Twitter Search is also an effective tool to help decide which tweets to reply to. You can do a search to find if someone is talking about you (or your company) and chime in accordingly.

If you need help managing your Twitter account and don’t have the manpower or budget for an employee to help out, consider using a third-party client. Such clients as Twhirl and Tweetdeck make it a lot easier to manage a Twitter account that has plenty of followers. And remember, if you’re billing clients and tweeting all day, you may end up losing those clients, so be careful and take the help where you need it.

As you learn what to tweet about and how to go about doing it, you’ll get the hang of it. Remember, there is no way to use Twitter wrong, so if someone has a problem with the way you use Twitter, they can unsubscribe from your list. If you’re using Twitter for your business, try and stay interesting and relevant to your industry while avoiding tweets only about yourself. If you’re looking to build a list of followers or a loyal community, the best way is to comment on other people’s tweets and to re-tweet what others have said.

When dealing with tweets, people will throw negatives at you. The important thing to remember is that these are just like opinions and don’t have to influence your view of Twitter and how you use it. Some examples of such negatives include that Twitter takes up too much time and takes you away from productive work. Other arguments include that Twitter has no strategy and doesn’t replace customer service. The list goes on and on. Sometimes, these negative comments may be posted right on your Twitter stream, so just beware and don’t take anything too personally.

Using applications can really go a long way to maximizing your Twitter experience. There are heaps of tools available. Depending on what you like to use Twitter for, and how you like to work you will soon find out the ones that suit you the best. These are some of the favorites that tweeters are using.

TweetDeck
This is probably the most popular Twitter tool around. Basically it makes your twittering easy, and you can use it to keep up with your Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace accounts. It can really speed up your browsing and has lots of options, with customized columns, search and directory. TweetDeck can be downloaded for iphones too.

Twhirl
Twirl is a great application and a must have if you are using more than one Twitter account. It allows you to have more than one account open at a time unlike your usual browser. Again you can cross post to your other favorite social networking sites and post images. Twhirl will use Twitter Search and Tweet Scan, along with automatically finding any tweets with your @username. Like TweetDeck it can be customized to suit your needs.

Twitterfeed
This is an essential if you have a blog. Basically it feeds all your blogs to Twitter and will also track them for you. It is quick and easy to set up and you can add any existing feeds you have.

DestroyTwitter
While it may sound like a strange name for something that is meant to help this application has one major bonus to it. It uses very little space to run which is great if you have a full drive. It doesn’t have huge features, but then that is its big feature. It may be worth having a look at.

Tweetie
Like twhirl this application handles multiple accounts with ease. Tweetie is a favorite Twitter application for twitterers with iphones and Macs.

Twitterfox – now called Echofon.
This is a Firefox extension. It will alert you when your friends update their tweets on Twitter.

Power Twitter
This is another Firefox extension that adds extra bits to your Twitter experience. It can handle expanding and shrinking links, and makes photo uploading easy along with a host of other nice bits. You can customize your settings with Power Twitter quickly and easily.

Twitterberry
This application is great for blackberry users. It gives you access to all the twittering you need without needing to use SMS.

Twittelator
Twittelator is designed for iphone users who love to twitter. If you have an iphone this promises to be a powerful application that you will use constantly.

Ping.fm
This is still one of the most popular and free downloads for Twitter and your other social network sites. It is free and simple to download and use.

If you are new to Twitter it is worth trying out some of the most popular and easy to use applications. If you are using other social media then the applications that integrate and support them as well as Twitter are a great starting point.

Twitter itself does not have photo sharing ability. It was originally designed as a ‘text’ type site so photos weren’t included. Thousands of Tweeters love to share their pics though and it is easy to do so. There are lots of easy to use tools that you can get to do this. Here a few, in no particular order of preference.

TwitPic

This is a very popular program. You can log in easily using your Twitter account to get started. Many other programs that support Twitter also have TwitPic already built in. You can also upload photos straight from your phone.

This is actually an extension of TwitPic It quickly and easily lets you upload the photos you have on TwitPic to Flickr.

With this program you can organize, batch download, search and of course upload to Twitter. You can also upload from twitc to Facebook and other sites. More and more Twitter users are finding this a great tool.

This is a simple and easy to use platform with plenty of options. Again you can sign in using your Twitter account. This one supports Facebook too.

This is a great program that is easy to use. It has lots of functions and features with good support. Upload from your phone or anywhere. There are also other Twitter tools that have yfrog built into them.

Very easy to use all over the social web. You can check out your photo and video stats too.

This program makes tweeting your pics a breeze. It is quick and easy, or you can take your time and play with your images.

This is another easy to use photo sharing platform that lets you tweet your pics quickly. Sign in is easy with your twitter account. It asks the question “What are you looking at?”

This is particularly good for your webcam or video clips as well as photos. Sign in is with your Twitter account.

This provides good service. All the management you could want to get your photos on your Twitter page. Piktor has a good reputation among twitters.

According to a survey 60% of Twitter users make a tweet less than once a week. Others though may be making over 200 tweets a day. Like any ‘addictive type’ activity though for some it becomes a habit they just can’t get enough of. It’s a bit like playing the slot machines. You never know when you might get that little reward (the best tweet ever, the latest scoop, a new follower) so you keep going back again and again, just in case. Psychologists tell us that this kind of random reinforced behavior can be the hardest to break.

You know you are addicted to Twitter when:

1. You spend more than 5 hours a day connected to Twitter

2. You tweet and drive – Possibly a dangerous activity.

3. You burn the supper at least once a week because you just have to catch up on that last tweet.

4. You wake up several times during the night just to make sure you haven’t missed anything on Twitter.

5. You are often late for important meetings because you just had to check out one more tweet.

6. You are no longer able to speak to anyone for more than 140 characters (and you KNOW exactly when you have reached that limit)

7. You send a tweet asking whether you should order a Jim Beam or Perrier water and wait at the bar until you get a reply.

8. Your daily shower is never longer than 2 minutes just in case you miss a good tweet – or worse still you only shower every 3rd day!

9. You take your cell with you in the bath so you can stay connected to Twitter.

10. You use the term @ when calling your mother.

11. You have at least 6 Twitter applications working at one time.

12. You don’t answer the door until the caller has sent a tweet letting you know they are coming, and you have checked out their Twitter profile, or seen if they are following you.

Seriously there is nothing wrong with loving Twitter, but if you are over doing it, it might be time to take stock of your twittering habits. Here are a few tips to bring your twitter addiction under control:

1. Turn off the phone and internet for one hour a day

2. Take a long shower.

3. Turn off your Twitter RSS feeds overnight

4. Set yourself a daily tweet limit. Keep that number list with you and cross off each one you make, stop when you have used up your limit. Cut back by 5 tweets a day.

Reward yourself for each thing you do by giving yourself bonus tweets too. You will find that the world hasn’t gone away and you can catch up with all those tweets anyway. Your followers may wonder if you have had an accident, but hey they will be all the happier to see you when you are back in full tweet mode.

In closing – a little light humor from the guys at Youtube Rhett and Link

It seems, no matter how many times it has been blogged about, tweeted about and emphasized, some people still don’t get it. Twitter was NOT invented as a market place, and while it certainly can be profitable for many there are some basic rules. No doubt I am preaching to the converted here but let’s say it one more time – “Twitter unto others as you would have them Twitter you.” It is all about interacting and building trust.

If you are a nOOb to Twitter or online business take a step back and consider the real world. Think about the products you buy and the services you use. When it comes down to having a choice what or who do you go to? The product and/or person you trust! This is where Twitter’s real value is for business, not for stuffing your product, blog or website in people’s faces. It is about the opportunity to build trust.

• Do you think people are going to trust you if they never see you?
• Do you think people are going to trust you if the only things you tweet about are your products or services?
• Do you think people are going to trust you if the only tweets you make are automated links to your website?
• Do you think people might start to trust you if you share something funny or interesting?
• Do you think people might start to trust you if you show you are listening?
• Do you think people might start to trust you if you thank them for listening to you?
• Do you think people might start to trust you if you show appreciation and humility?

Ways to do it:

Find interesting stuff to share and talk about: If you are working in a particular niche, find interesting articles based around that. Use the search engines, blogs, and sites like Digg. Sure it takes a little time, but not a lot more than “Here’s my site” or “Going to walk the goldfish” Use other people’s Tweets and retweet them too, they will love you for it.

Respond to other people’s tweets. If someone tweets about their blog take a quick look, maybe leave a comment (not just –cool –here is my site). Tweet back with something useful like – Never used brown sugar before must try it (something that shows you found something). Or again, retweet.

Thank people when they respond to your tweets or retweet you.

Thank people for following you (if they are genuine), give credit where credit is due. If you are using someone elses tweet or post from somewhere acknowledge them.

Always remember, it is OK to have an opinion, it is not OK to be rude. Be your self and be thoughtful of others. This is perhaps even more important on the internet than in real life.

By following these simple Twitter guidelines people will come to know and trust you. If and when they are ready for your product, service, or website they will go there with trust and goodwill.

If you are thinking of, or already use Twitter there may be good reasons to stay with one account only. There are also times when it is a better idea to have two or more Twitter accounts.

The advantages of using only one account:

Obviously if you are just using Twitter to stay in touch with your friends and make more, then one account should be all you need. If you have made a mess of things (it happens) you could always start a new account with a new user name.

If you are planning to brand yourself it is best to stick with one account only. Have an overall plan in mind and use your tweets to the best advantage you can to get your profile out there. Build your followers trust by letting them see both your personal and business side. Getting people to your blog or even multiple blogs can work best this way.

When Multiple Accounts may work better for you:

Often people wish to use Twitter both as a purely social tool and as a marketing tool as well. It can be a good idea to have one account that is more personal so you don’t need to worry too much about being ‘professional’. Set up a separate account for your marketing efforts and work on developing that in the way that suits you. Put simply, if you are trying to market something people don’t really want to know that you are going to watch the kids play soccer and eating out on the way.

There is nothing wrong though with occasionally having business-type tweets in your personal account and more personal tweets in your business account. Probably the most important thing is to have a clear strategy and plan in place for both accounts. Know what your aim is and then develop your Twitter presence to suit. If you are running two accounts it is a good idea to use something like Twhirl. This allows you to have both accounts open at the same time.

One of the biggest advantages of having multiple accounts is that you can be more selective in your followers and who you are following. There are a few people who even have 4 or more accounts. To do this you will probably need additional tools to keep things manageable.

Examples of where you might want more than 2 accounts would be: business, personal and other (perhaps sending tweets out to a sports group you manage, or church group etc)
Multiple businesses or niches that you are managing may work better with a separate account for each.

There are a variety of ways and strategies that Twitter users employ to make their accounts work. You can always experiment and find out what works best for you. Always make your plan and then take the time to monitor and evaluate what is working or not working and then tweak your Twitter account/s to suit.

Whether you are using Twitter purely as a means of socializing, or as tool to get your self or your site noticed you will need to have something to say. Now I am not suggesting your life is so boring you can’t think of anything but … you can only talk so much about your cat or the man at the local corner shop right? For marketers there is nothing that will kill you faster on Twitter than having nothing to add but a link to your own site. So where just can you find interesting stuff to twitter about?

Read Other People’s Tweets

Follow links that other Twitterers use. You don’t have to read every page word for word. Learn to pick out keywords or ideas that are clear. You can then make useful tweets or retweets based on these.

Keep up with Current Events

Local, National and International News are always an area of interest on Twitter. Whether you are on the spot, listening to the news, or following it on the web, being informed is the best place to come from. If you are on the spot, take pictures and tell your story.

Use other Websites

Digg is a great source to find refreshing articles and blogs. If you interested in a particular niche, then search within that, or a related niche. You don’t need to read every article or post all the way through, or watch every video. Just get enough to give you a good idea of what is going on. Pick out key words and key ideas. StumbleUpon is another site that can bring up some interesting ideas to work from. Search through places like Yahoo Answers to see what people are wondering about and linking to as well as Twitter.

Read

Reviews are great reading. Read reviews on books, movies, music – anything. Books are a wonderful source of information and thought-provoking material. If you are a marketer you are probably thinking you need to look within the niche you are working with but this isn’t necessarily so. On Twitter you are a person, not just a business. The more you read the more you have to bring to others.

Be Real

More than anything else on Twitter it is important to be who you are. This doesn’t mean filling your tweets with lots of lol’s or ‘I’m going to grandma’s house’ tweets. You can save that for private chats. You don’t have to be a super brain or an expert either. Just be who you are and show interest in other people.

Stay interested and you will be interesting and build followers. Twitter is a great place to enjoy and learn. While it is good to follow and be followed you don’t have to be like everyone else. It doesn’t matter if you are a shy wallflower you have something to say. Every real person on Twitter is human too, and each person has something to offer. Everyone is an ‘expert’ at something so don’t be afraid to show your true colors.

Update: Added Image