“OMG I just had the best chocolate croissant at the Corner Bistro this morning!” This and similar irrelevant tweets are the type of messages primarily posted when Twitter first came on the scene a few years ago. Today, Twitter has evolved to be much more than a series of 140-character irrelevant tweets with topics ranging from product reviews and health tips, to the latest general news, and to a variety of consumer offers and product discounts by a variety of businesses.

From start-ups to established businesses, companies both small and large, and consumer-focused to B2B, are using Twitter to reach their audiences in order to promote themselves and grow their businesses. Dell, through its tweeted discount offers, drove sales to more than $3M in a two-year period. New Orleans start-up Naked Pizza gained 68% in revenues in a single day using Twitter. (Entrepreneur, Dec. 2009)

According to an Edison Research/Arbitron survey “Twitter Usage in America: 2010,” Americans’ familiarity with Twitter jumped from 5% in 2008 to 87% in 2010. Forty-two percent used it to exchange information about products/services, 41% shared product opinions, and 28% searched for discounts. In general, Twitter users are more likely to follow company brands (51%) than social networkers (16%).

Clearly, businesses that are utilizing Twitter as an additional marketing tactic are seeing a significant pay-off.

And, for all Twitter “newbies” out there, here are suggestions on what to do and not do on Twitter, from Entrepreneur magazine’s Dec 2009 article “How Twitter is Revolutionizing Business.”

Listen before speaking. “When you sign up and start reaching out to folks, listen to them before joining the conversation,” says Becky McCray, owner of SmallBizSurvival.com. “What are their customers talking about? Who are they listening to, and what can I learn from them? When you feel it’s time to tweet some messages, share things you find interesting — share things you wish other people would share.”

Don’t be boring. “Make sure your tweet is interesting to the reader — be unselfish, and be useful,” says Laura Fitton, co-author of the book “Twitter for Dummies” and founder of the Twitter application storefront oneforty.com. “Short, direct messages work best, especially given Twitter’s 140-character limit. Talk about what your business is doing — e.g., new products, services or promotions, or anything else likely to pique the curiosity of your clientele.”

Consider the source. “The beauty of Twitter is that tweets with value are almost instantly recognized,” says John Battelle, founder, chairman and CEO of Federated Media Publishing. “Does it come from somebody who’s been on Twitter for a month, or for a year? Someone with 10 followers, or 10,000 followers? Did that tweet get picked up and re-tweeted? You can tell a lot about the value of a tweet by those metrics.”

Update daily. Give your customers a reason to follow and return to your Twitter feed. Download a mobile client to your smartphone to facilitate regular updates while on the go — some of the most popular include Twitterific, TwitterBerry, PocketTweets, and Twidroid.

Embrace Twitter applications. Don’t wait for followers to find you — identify and connect with local Twitter users via services such as Twitter Advanced Search, ChirpCity, Nearby Tweets, and Tweepz. Other Twitter applications of value include SocialOomph (for scheduling tweets, tracking keywords, and sending direct messages), CalTweet (for tagging, promoting, and sharing upcoming business events), and Twitalyzer (for measuring the impact and influence of your tweets).

To find out how your business could benefit from using Twitter to increase sales and visibility for your service or products, contact me at [email protected].

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