There are a number of ways you can use Twitter for business, both for branding purposes, as well as customer support and market research just to name a few.

Twitter allows you to be on the top of your game when monitoring your business and brand. It offers you a way to connect with other like minded individuals and business owners and exchange ideas. It allows you to monitor what is being said about you or your brand via handy applications like TweetBeep, which also allows you to dig up leads on Twitter as well. Sort of a multi handy application really!

Twitter is powerful in that it connects you with a steady flow of thoughts and ideas from all walks of life, and can build what’s known by some as ’social celebrity’ rather easily. When you achieve social celebrity it means that you or your business is being talked about and your products are being viewed by your followers. That’s a good thing, we call it creating a buzz!

There are so many ways to put Twitter to work for you that if you aren’t exploring them, you really harming your business. Just remember that if your using Twitter it’s because you believe there is value in human connections. So don’t just restrict your tweets to only business. Yes it’s OK to talk about yourself on Twitter, and talk about your business. It’s also OK to drop links to your blog posts or products.

Just don’t get carried away, and be sure that in between flaunting your own stuff you are generously spreading the word on other peoples stuff as well in the form of RT’s and recommendations. Also be sure to insert that human factor by tweeting about life in general, or sharing interesting or funny quotes, pictures, and links to cool articles.

Your followers want to know that there is a person on the other side of the Twitter avatar, not just an automated tweet or a sales pitch. If you can connect with your followers on a personal level, then it will be a natural impulse for them to then turn to you for their business needs. If you stop to think about it, what is the best sort of advertising a business can have? Word of mouth. Twitter is the ultimate tool for word of mouth advertising. Just make sure the words being spread around about you are good words!

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

Twitter Assistant

Think of your bio as your opportunity to tell the world a little something about you that they may find interesting. The more interesting you sound to people who read your bio, the more likely they will be to follow you and be interested in your Tweets.

It’s a bit like window shopping. If you were window shopping for followers, what would entice YOU to follow you? What would make you interesting to YOU? You must consider that angle when creating your bio in order to get the best result possible.

That being said, here are a few practical tips to consider when creating your bio. Remember that you only get 160 characters to tell the world about you.

Those 160 characters should include a keyword or two relevant to your business that will help folks find you, as well as your name if your user name happens to be an alias. It should also include the URL to your quality website.

Remember to NOT use all caps when creating your bio, as in the on line world this is considered ’shouting’ and really tends to make your bio a bit difficult to read. Also, don’t try and fit more words in by runningallyourwordstogetherlikethis. Seriously this will completely turn off any potential followers and it does you no favors whatsoever.

Have a lot to say though and the 160 character limit just isn’t cutting it? There is a work around. Create an account at www.tweetspinner.com. It will allow you to create more than one bio and rotate them around on a periodic schedule. This way you can include even more cool facts about yourself to entice followers into becoming one of your Tweeps! Handy huh?

Some other things to keep in mind when creating your bio is to avoid flaunting your ego. Don’t boast as you will just look like a jerk and turn off potential followers. Be friendly, engaging, and interesting. Those are the magic 3 ingredients to the perfect bio, and I KNOW you have it in you.

Two final tips- If you don’t have a current quality blog or website set up to link to in your bio, use the opportunity to link to one of your other social network accounts, such as Facebook or LinkedIn. And finally, don’t forget to include your location. There are many local and off line connections to be made on Twitter, but they can only be made if people actually know where in the world you are. So make sure to include your city, and have a great time Twittering with all your Tweeps!

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.