Soooooo… we all have heard about Twitter, and we should all be using it to keep those that want to be in the “know” about you and your business informed. Once you’ve graduated to being a saavy Twitter user and get some followers, you can start browsing through a number of add-ons, apps, and the like to make your twitter experience more exciting and in a word… easier. I (through Twitter, incidentally) found a pretty cool application called Tweetdeck, which is a great tool for your desktop. It organizes your Twitter ramblings (tweets, chirps, whatever the hell you want to cal them) into categories, has integrations for Twitpic, shortening urls, and the like. It’s really cool, and it’s developed with Adobe’s AIR, which makes it even more uber-cool.
So why Twitter…. what’s the big deal?
Instead of simply reinventing the wheel and spending painful amounts of time, I’ve decided to cannibalize some other sites that have explained it pretty well.
What it is/does: If you join Twitter you can “follow” other twitter users, which causes their updates to appear on your home page. In turn, they can follow you, a form of permission-based marketing. You can also direct message them, but always in 140 characters or less. Twitter communications can be viewed and updated on the Web, through desktop apps, and on mobile devices. Simply put, you get to view and provide short, concise updates as to what you’re doing, or what’s new with your business, life, etc.
Here’s how you might use Twitter for business:
Follow industry leaders who post links to important resources and influence conversations (this really works, I can’t tell you how cool it is)
- Post questions for quick answers and answer others’ questions to establish your credibility and expertise
- Create links to your Web site or blog (don’t over do it or it’s obnoxious and loses value)
- Keep up on the buzz in your industry
- Network with like-minded people.
This little blurb doesn’t even begin to cover following and followers, but I can tell you… you catch on quick. I regularly talk to my clients about incorporating Twitter into their mix, and more often than not, it helps.
Questions on Twitter…? Then follow me on twitter… I’m ROVETTIDESIGN on Twitter; follow me and I’ll most likely start following you, too. See? That was easy!
Thanks to Rich Brooks for the great Twitter Article that I yanked verbiage from.
