Tweeting about Twitter and why you need it

Check my Twitter profile @: http://twitter.com/salim594 and you will lay eyes upon one of the Internet’s simplest and yet most popular and powerful websites.

Twitter ( http://twitter.com ) is a website for micro-blogging; the main difference between Twitter and any other blog website is that Twitter is extremely bite-size (that’s where the “micro” comes in). Each and every micro-blog post that you make or read here has a maximum character limit of just 140 characters ( and that does include spaces! ). As an example of just how short that is, the following fictional “Tweet” is 139 characters precisely:

“I went to the zoo today and I actually saw a Liger! It was so beautiful; an incredible reminder of life’s rich tapestry! http://goo.gl/FbAy”

This character limit of 140 characters is a stroke of genius ( you could actually get more in an SMS text message ). It’s fantastically easy to capture a readers attention with 140 characters; you are, at the very least, guaranteed that the viewer will read all of it. In my example above, it’s all there: The story of my day out, the exciting thing that happened to me and how I feel about it. I’ve even inserted a link to the website of the Zoo that I visited.

You NEED a Twitter account because with Twitter, you can reach out to the world, beyond just those who are your friends and through bite-size chunks of information and links and DIRECT THEM WHEREVER you would like them to go; to your website, straight to a products page if you want, to an affiliate link … anywhere on the Internet.

Today I will show you how Twitter can help you market your business but first let’s get you signed up and acquainted with Twitter. Let’s get Tweeting …

Signing up is suitably simple: visit http://twitter.com/signup … and follow the instructions. If you want to add a cool username, I think this helps greatly with an overall identity as your “tweets” are so short. BEWARE: Twitter becomes really addictive, really fast — inform your significant other.

The next order of business is to get followers reading your twitter profile … this is where the action happens:

Every post, or Tweet you make, goes straight to the home page of your followers. They can then reply to you with thoughts on your tweet or even, re-tweet your tweet and this means that your original tweet and link will appear on their twitter profile. Your tweet will be shared in a viral way as will your link and more people will be exposed to it. The more people that are exposed to it, the more awareness there will be about your particular brand or product.

It is precisely because Twitter appears to be so minimal that it is so powerful. There are so many reasons to use Twitter that I couldn’t possibly begin to to note down all of the reasons to use Twitter here, but below are a few of the reasons you NEED a twitter account:

1. …For Your Business Branding. Twitter is a social media platform you can use to build your brand. It has the primary benefit of developing a casual persona and establishes you as a social personality that is connected and approachable. As Twitter adoption increases, new users will be drawn towards well established Twitterers.

2. …You can get feedback too. Need an new, fresh perspective on how your website looks or the right course of action to take? Blast out a message and link asking for advice and you’ll receive replies from other users. This collective intelligence can be used as fodder for articles or projects and you’re still promoting your brand.

3. …You could actually hire people on Twitter. Need a good logo designer, marketer or programmer? Well, send out a message asking for recommendations. This is a very quick and easy way to hire freelancers or even companies based on the recommendations of fellow twitter followers.

4. …Directing traffic is the main reason for using twitter. Twitter can be used to get traffic to your websites or even the sites of friends you are helping out. If you ask your friends to tweet about it, the message will spread faster and further as other active users pick it up. There is a viral nature to all types of news, especially on a site like Twitter.

5. … You can read news that you wouldn’t have access to otherwise. Twitter users often link to useful sites or articles and can be a source of scoops and alternative news. You can also subscribe to Twitter feeds for specific websites/conferences, which allows you to receive and view content quickly. This is very useful for active social news participants.

6. …You will make new friends and allies. Like any other social network, Twitter has a built-in function for you to befriend and track the messages of other users. This is an easy way for you connect with people outside of your usual circle. Make an effort to add active users you find interesting. A Twitter acquaintance can be developed into a long lasting friendship.

7. …With Twitter you’ll be networking for benefits. Twitter can be used as a socializing platform for you to interact with other like-minded people, especially those in the same industry. It can be used to establish consistent and deeper relationships for future benefits such as testimonials or peer recommendations.

8. …You’ll find Twitter is a great way to keep your customers notified. Set up a Twitter feed for the specific purpose of notifying customers when new products come in, for example. Customers can subscribe via mobile or RSS for instant notification. Twitter can also be used to provide mini-updates for one-on-one clients.

9. …Send out event updates. Businesses can use Twitter as a means to inform event participants and latest event happenings/changes. This is a hassle-free way of getting information out to people, especially when you don’t have the means to set up a direct mobile link between you and the audience.

10. …You’ll be exposed to many opportunities to find prospective customers. Twitter can be used as a means to find potential customers or clients online. Do a search for keywords related to your product on Twitter Search and then follow users. Tweet about topics parallel to your product and close prospects away from public channels by using direct messages or offline communications. Discretion and skill is needed in this area.

11. … You can provide live coverage. Twitter’s message size limit prevents detailed coverage of events but it can allow you to provide real-time commentary which may help to spark further discussion or interest on the event as other Twitter users spread the message. Very useful for citizen journalism.

12. …You can set-up meetings too. Twitter can help you organize impromptu meetups. For example, you can twitter a message while at a cafe, event or art gallery and arrange to meet fellow users at a specific spot. It’s an informal and casual way of arranging a meeting.

13. …you can acquire votes. Send a link to your stories you’ve submitted in other social news sites like Digg. Sometimes your followers will vote up the stories because they agree with it. This allows you to acquire more support for your efforts on other social media websites.

There’s a bunch more useful information available at the below URL to help out those using Twitter for the marketing of their business: http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/