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There is no doubt that Twitter has become a phenomenon on the Internet. I recently just got started on Twitter and I was determined to figure it out. Twitter is definitely an odd place at first glance, I had know idea what I had gotten myself into. I didn’t know how to find people, how to engage people, nor did I know what everything was about. I tried to setup my image/avatar and was greeted by the “FailWhale”. I put Twitter down for a bit to put some thought into it.

After some time I came back to it obsessed with needing to understand. None of my email contacts were on there, I had only followed a few people from work. I didn’t know what to do, but then I found a series of useful tools.

After I found some tools I decided what better place to start than to search for some people that have similar interests. So I used Twitter Search, looked up a few keywords and followed some people. I didn’t really have anyone following me, so I started replying to things other Tweeters were saying. Slowly but surely I began to develop a following.

When you begin to have people following you, other people see your tweets and will in turn follow you. A friend of mine at work posted  a great article on Infusionsoft’s Blog about Twitter. I found most of his tips to be helpful in growing my Twitter presence. Here are some helpful things I found that can help a new person on Twitter, specifically a Small Business.

  1. Get your Picture uploaded, if you are a business why not use your logo. This will seperate you from all of the new people. That sad brown face is follow repelant.
  2. Get Twhirl or TweetDeck, this will make your life easier when it comes to managing this new noise you are welcoming to your screen.
  3. Being a small business owner, and this being a blog about marketing ideas, you should know that I am going to tell you to use Twitter to market your business. Not only is it free but there are millions of people on this thing. Know that there are people out there that would love to hear from you these people can include the following:
    • Prospects - People you may not have reached, search for people that have qualities of your ideal customer.
    • Customers - Twitter is a great place to communicate to your existing customers. Twitter provides a social place your customers can get to know you.
    • Like Minded Individuals - That is right, other small business owners, people in your niche, and maybe even your competitors.
  4. You need to follow people in order to get people to follow you. This is probably one of the more profound tips I have for new businesses on Twitter. This is not something that is to be abused, Twitter is a community that does not tolerate spamming. By following people you are going to be able to see the things they tweet. This will allow you the opportunity to reply, if you place value in all of your tweets you will be in good shape.
  5. Make everything you tweet and @people contain value. This does not mean your best sales pitch, but rather something the people you are following will enjoy. This is going to be a big factor when it comes to getting the people you are following you to follow you back.
  6. Every now and then when it becomes appropriate promote yourself, your products, your website, and your blog. Now you have a means of driving traffic, getting attention, and ultimately making money.