7 Tips for Making Twitter Work for You and Your Business!

Your ultimate goal when using Twitter should be to network, it’s like an online social hour (or social 140 characters). And like every networking organization, it’s all about who you know, or in Twitter’s case, who you “follow” and who “follows” you. The key to making Twitter work for you and your business is to weave the social aspects of your life in with your business.

So how do you do that?

Below, you will find seven steps to help you develop a loyal Twitter fan base.

First, you’ve got to find people!

1. Search for people you know who are already using Twitter via the “find people” link up at the top of Twitter. Once you click that link, type in names of people you know to see if they’re currently on Twitter so you can connect with them.
2. Using the same “find people” link up at the top, click on “find on other networks” to match up your current contacts from your Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail and MSN accounts with your contact’s Twitter accounts and follow them from there.
3. Use the Twitter search. You can either search right from your Twitter homepage or go to http://search.twitter.com. Search using the keywords for your industry and find people tweeting about specific topics in your industry and within your niche. From there you can follow them, and follow their followers!
   Now that you’re on your way to having followers, here are a couple of tips to maximize your “Tweets.”
4. Mix in your “social Tweets” with your “business Tweets.” Remember, people buy people, and that goes for Twitter too! Build a loyal fan base by allowing them to get to know you, like you, trust you and respect you, and then weave in the “I’ve written a blog about social media, check it out at www.celebritysites.com” (of course, you would actually link to the blog post, but since I haven’t written that yet… which now I will… I put our homepage in there for demonstration).
5. You can also use http://search.twitter.com to find other current Tweets about your industry that you can comment on. If you find a Tweet that interests you, you can respond directly to that person by using “@TheirName” in your tweet so they get your reply, ultimately contributing to the Twitter community, gaining more content for your own Twitter account and participating socially with other users.

And finally, here are some of my favorite Twitter tools to make your life easier!

6. TweetDeck (www.tweetdeck.com) allows you to manage your Twitter account by separating your replies, direct messages, as well as specified groups of people. TweetDeck also allows you to update your Facebook status automatically with your Tweets.
7. Tweet Later (www.tweetlater.com) allows you to setup Tweets to be sent out at a scheduled time, automatically follow anyone who follows you, and send out auto-responders to anyone who follows you.

Remember: Twitter can be used for many different purposes including social networking, marketing a business, prospecting, research and new ideas, reconnecting with old friends, etc. Millions are tweeting every day including just about every TV show, radio personality, movie star, pop singer, rap artist, sportscaster and professional athlete. Although this concept may seem foreign to you at first, remember that email was once that way and now it’s second nature! Ultimately, what makes Twitter so popular is the ability to connect with friends and likeminded people. Remember: people buy people!

Known as the “Online Celebrity Agent,” Lindsay Glass helps her clients tell their stories in the online world. Being brought up around a family of marketers, but a product of Generation Y, Lindsay naturally gravitated to the new world of online marketing. Lindsay began freelance writing in 2000 and soon after launched her own PR firm that thrived by offering an in-your-face “Guaranteed PR” that was one of the first of its type in the nation.

At an early age, Lindsay learned from her father, and business partner, that “people buy people.” Today, Lindsay takes that concept and builds upon it by working with her clients to create Celebrity status for them in their industries. Lindsay’s clientele span the entire business map and range from doctors and small business owners to Inc 500 CEOs.

Lindsay is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelors Degree in Marketing. She is a co-founder of Dicks Nanton & Glass’ Celebrity Branding Agency’s Online Division and was instrumental in the development of the Online Celebrity Platform™ the company’s flagship online offering which builds on traditional media with a slight twist. “The biggest mistake people make online is believing that their web site is just an extension of their business cards and brochures. That approach is not only old fashion, today it’s a waste of time and money. Your web site has to be dynamic, grab attention, tell a compelling story and ultimately convert visitors into prospects and finally into customers. If not, that traffic that you’ve worked so hard to get to your website will move on within 10 seconds, never to be seen again. We help our clients avoid that pitfall to grow their business and their revenue streams.”

Lindsay has also been selected as one of America’s PremierExperts™ and has been seen on ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox as well as featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Newsweek.

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