Whether you like it or not, major companies are now using Twitter as a branding tool and to communicate with their customer base. Some of them don’t have a clue, and only Tweet their sales links, or promotions that serve only them. Others though, really ‘get’ it, and are using their Twitter profiles to really build a reputation for themselves and truly connect with their clients and customers.

Some of the best examples of major brands that use Twitter in a savvy manner are Starbucks and Dell. If you take a look at their updates, you will see that they truly interact with their followers. Answering questions, retweeting, ASKING questions, and just really engaging with their followers are all excellent ways to make them feel connected.

This is the very same thing you should be doing with your business when striving to brand yourself. Ask questions. Answer questions. Give feedback, offer insight, interact. Don’t just post random marketing messages, and links to your products. Don’t fill up the time line with a ton of links and nothing of value. And don’t forget to support your followers and their own endeavors by retweeting those things you find of interest, or valuable, or that you believe in.

Your followers will appreciate you for taking the time to help them promote their own stuff, or for mentioning them or something inspiring they said to your own follower base. It makes them feel good, and they will then return the favor for you. Think of the relationship between you and your followers similar to that of a family. What you give and put in, you get back ten fold.

Twitter is such an amazing way to build a name for yourself in your business or industry, when used properly. Take the time to study successful Tweeps who are using it in inspiring ways, and model your own efforts after them. You will soon be amazed at the results and response you get! Happy Tweeting!

There are a ton of reasons why social media is great for your business, and why Twitter is fast becoming one of the most popular social media platforms. Unfortunately, if you are new to Twitter, or to date have never bothered to try Twitter, you may just be wondering why the heck you should Tweet anyway!

So, to answer that question I have compiled the top 12 reasons you should be Twittering. Indeed why you should WANT to be Twittering!

1. Gain first hand social networking experience. There is no end to the possibilities of social networking and new technologies and unfortunately there are way too many people out there willing to jump on the bandwagon and declare themselves expert. Except for the minor little lack of having NO EXPERIENCE whatsoever in new technologies!

2. Twitter is faster than texting. Seriously it’s like a massive text messaging system, and a mass text is like your updates, and a private text is your DM’s. @replies are to specific people, but they show up in the universal time line. See? So really the only time you need to text someone is if you get a message outside of Twitter.

3. You’ll meet new people and make new friends. Whether it’s just exchanging Tweets, or you meet up with new friends for lunch and a coffee, your Tweeps can have an impact on your life in both big and small ways.

4. Speaking of friends, Twitter will allow you to see them in new ways as yet unexplored. Because of the ambient intimacy that Twitter sparks in people, it tends to ‘humanize’ them. On any given day you can see that one of your friends goes through periods of happiness, frustration, boredom, etc just like you and everyone else. That’s important because it makes us feel like we are not alone in this world!

5. You’ll become a better writer. Because of Twitters 140 character limit for Tweets, it forces you to get creative in what you say in order to get the message across. It also forces you to be concise and to the point, rather than throwing a lot of extraneous words around. This makes YOU a better writer and your readers very happy.

6. Twitter keeps you connected. It makes it fun and easy to stay in touch with family and friends, whether they live an hour away or halfway across the world. No matter how busy you are, there is always time to drop off a Tweet to your mom or a DM to your best friend in Thailand.

7. You can keep up on all the hottest trends and latest fashions in just about every category of merchandise. You can also keep up with what’s cool in the way of books, restaurants, and night life in a certain area, just to name a few. Because Twitter is real time, you are keeping up with what is hot and current RIGHT NOW, not what was hot and current two weeks ago when the magazine went to press.

8. Twitter can make you more thoughtful and aware of yourself and your life. When you answer the question ‘What are you doing?’ you are giving yourself a few moments to reflect on the answer. You start to see yourself through the eyes of your followers, which makes you that much more aware of yourself and what needs improvement.

9. Twitter doesn’t cost a dime. In terms of investment, the only requirement is a bit of time, and even that is fairly negotiable. You can devote just 10 minutes per day on Twitter, and still grow a nice following.

10. Brand yourself and your business with Twitter. Branding yourself happens by customer interaction and people seeing and hearing your name and associating it with your product. With Twitter, it is very easy to brand yourself and spread the word, building both your celebrity and your business at the same time.

11. Twitter can increase your blog or website traffic. Especially as you Tweet more and build your following, but also due to RT’s, Twitter is great for generating traffic and interest in your site. It has a bit of a viral effect, and since using Twitter myself, I have seen quite an increase in traffic to my site.

12. And finally? Twitter is just downright fun. Think of it as a sort of one big chat room, where you can talk with like-minded individuals, share creative ideas, read inspirational quotes, and just interact with fellow Tweeps on a very engaging level. Don’t believe me? Why not give it a try for yourself? I predict that before you know it, you yourself will be a member of Twitaholics Anonymous, and darn proud of it too!

Now, if you still don’t feel the need to tweet in spite of all the reasons above, well, get back to your x-box and zone out

Mr. Twit R. Muscle

You’ve gone through all the steps, you have set up your Twitter account, your all logged in. NOW what? It’s easy fellow Tweep…get to Tweeting! Start having fun, and enjoying yourself on Twitter.

Remember that Twitter is primarily a social network, so the idea is to get out there and be social. That being said, here are a few tips to get you started with enjoying your Twitter experience.

The first tip is to make sure your Twitter name is easily searched and relevant to you or your business. If not, you can go into settings, and as long as the user name is available, you can change it. A great idea you can implement when choosing your user name, is check out www.KnowEm.com. This will search your user name across all of the social networks, and if it’s available you can then use their services to register that name all across the board. Then make sure you add a nice picture for your avatar, and a line for your bio telling Tweeps a bit about yourself.

Next, start following some folks that you find interesting. Chances are they will follow you back, and then you can get a conversation going. Start talking, and posting Tweets. You can start by saying hello and introducing yourself. Even if you don’t have many followers yet, you will have them, and people will peruse your time line to see if you actually ever Tweet or not.

It can feel a bit weird to post when there aren’t too many folks listening, but it’s a great time to just get familiar with Twitter, and using @replies and DM’s. Once your followers start to increase, it will get much more difficult to keep up, so take advantage of the calm before the storm to learn Twitter thoroughly!

Remember to use your @replies as well. If you don’t use them, you are just broadcasting into Twitter space, and not really connecting with anyone. And many new Tweeps never realize people may be talking back to them, because they don’t know to check their own @replies!

To gain followers you find interesting, click on friends profiles and follow some of their folks. Or do a search for profiles with similar interests, and follow them. Chances are they will follow you back and your Twibe will grow.

Also be careful with auto DM’s. And if you DO use auto DM’s, try and limit it to greeting new followers, and make it as friendly and ‘unautomated feeling’ as possible. When you hit your followers with a bunch of uninspired auto DM’s, they are just going to view you as a spammer, and we don’t want that.

Another great tip, especially with business, but with personal accounts as well, is don’t use the ‘private’ or ‘locked’ feature on your account. Very few folks will bother following you if they can’t see your Tweets. This is self defeating, so just don’t do it.

And finally, just have fun with it. The more you Tweet and follow others, the more your own followership will grow. Conversations will get bandied back and forth, and before you know it you will be a seasoned Tweep, and wonder what the heck life was ever like before you happened across the Twitterverse! Happy Tweeting Twitter Heads!

If you’re new to Twitter, it can be tough at times to know what to talk about, what to Tweet, who to Tweet, when and how to Tweet, and how OFTEN to Tweet! (You get the picture right?) That’s why it’s important before you even begin Twittering to figure out your ‘Twitter Strategy’ whether it’s for personal use, or business use.

Your Twitter Strategy is just cool talk for figuring out how to let your personality shine through on Twitter. Think of Twitter as a sort of extension of you and your thoughts, and your Tweets are like sparkling diamonds of personality that you drop within the time line of your followers.

Now your particular cut of diamonds might not be for everyone, and that’s OK. That’s to be expected really, especially as your cultivate your followership and it grows to larger proportions. You can’t please everyone, but if you focus on being the most authentic you possible, chances are your followers will respond and the majority will love you exactly as you are.

So what do I mean by being the most authentic you possible? It’s really not that complicated. It just means being yourself on Twitter, but more importantly being your BEST self on Twitter. If you are funny, express that. If you tend to be more serious, that’s OK too. Express THAT. If you are passionate about animals or children, let your followers know. If spirituality is important to you, show your spiritual side.

It doesn’t mean you force feed your followers the things you believe in or that are important to you, but that you do make a point to share them, so that they get to know you and your true, authentic self. Don’t take advantage of your followers by spamming them constantly, and don’t disrespect them by underestimating them or making them feel insignificant. Take the time to interact with them and talk with them. Get to know them and express the fact that they are important to you.

Share a part of yourself with them, regardless of whether or not your account is for business or personal use. Even when it’s for business, your followers follow you because they WANT that personal connection to you that can’t be had in any other medium out there. So open up, show a piece of yourself and your life, and offer your own wisdom and insight to others.

You can Tweet about your family, and things that move you. Share links occasionally to a video that touches you, or a blog post that stirs your heart. Share a quote that means something to you, or a life lesson you think could help another. Tweets like these dig down and reveal your soul to your followers, which could also be called your authentic or true self.

Twitter is not about putting on a mask, or hiding behind an avatar. It’s about connecting with those that are reaching out to connect to you. Is it good for business? Absolutely. But it’s only good for business when you have first made that all important connection with your authentic self, and it has reached out and touched someone. Then you not only have a possible customer, but a fan for life.