I’ve been on and off twitter for almost two years now.  When I first joined I thought it was a total waste of time so I walked away. After recently giving it another go, I’m kicking myself for my short-sightedness.

In recent months I’ve met a number of people who say it is their number one source of new business. A friend has so far sold a hundred copies of his book because of his witty and often times hilarious tweets.  Though I can’t claim that Twitter is a source of business for me, it is:

- driving focused traffic to my website

- a great way to find and meet people with common interests

- a way to find guest experts for my Blog (coming soon)

- a fabulous resource for getting loads of interesting information I would never otherwise run across

I’ve very conscious and focused about using my time, so I’m not on twitter all the time. I do however try to post something useful every day. And when I have 5 or 10 minutes between tasks, I browse though my incoming tweets to find interesting resources and information.

My followers are primarily made up of two groups:  photographers and people interested in Search Engine Marketing.  Whenever I post about those topics I can definitely see an increase in traffic to my website.

There are many twitterers who build empires and then there are those who carefully develop a network of like minded people. Personally I like a tighter focused community because my tweets are far more likely to be read and acted on.

How to Get Started With Twitter:

1. Join … it’s easy.  The user name you choose is what everyone is going to see. Choose your own name, or choose a name that has some relationship to your business or what you want to promote. Try to make it easy to remember or recognize.   http://twitter.com

2. Add your bio. You only get a few lines to promote yourself, so make them count.  Add your interests, your background.  Add your website URL

3. Add a photo. Your own or an avatar.  Make it recognizable or memorable.  As I’m scrolling through a long list of incoming tweets, I will often stop just because of a recognizable image.

4. Start tweeting. Try to tweet at least once a day … two or three if you can manage it.

5. Manage your expectations. You aren’t going to build a list of followers overnight. Nor is it likely you will get a new client tomorrow (though that would be nice!).  Think of this as a long term relationship building process.

6. Contribute with information and observations. Don’t just advertise your services non-stop.  If you do, don’t surprised to see your followers quickly bail out on you.

Enjoy and have FUN.

Follow ROCKETT on twitter

RESOURCES

Twitter Affiliate Cash

Twitter Decoded: Marketing with Twitter

Twitter Traffic Machine

The editor at Quick Online Tips suggests that all we need to do is get on Twitters top User lists and we’d instantly be getting 10,000 new followers a day. I wish!!

But the other day I stumbled upon a site that promises to add hundreds or maybe even thousands of followers to your follower list … all you have to do it TELL people about it.   The concept is kinda like mulit-level marketing, with out having to spend hundreds of dollars or even one cent.  Good deal.  I’ll update this from time to time and let everyone know how I’m doing.

All you need to do is add your twitter name and pass here … and then start letting people know about it!

Melanie

PS …. follow “Rockett” on twitter!

RESOURCES:

The best books on building your business with Twitter, YouTube and Social Media marketing.