If you're doing any kind of online marketing at all, you know about Twitter. It's taken over as the most popular micro blogging social network on the planet. You really have to learn to dip into it and build a following to build your business. With the right approach, you can build your list, promote affiliate products, or build anticipation for a product launch.
There are a few simple steps to follow to get the process started and a few things to avoid at all costs.
1) Don't start blasting sales offers to everyone in sight. That won't work. Work on establishing a basic presence first. Complete your profile, put up a photo, and choose your user name carefully.
2) Decide what brand you're creating before you start so your presence and tweets "match" and are consistent. If you're dealing with a couple of different niches, you can set up multiple accounts on Twitter and keep each one simple.
3) When you've got the basics (above) set up, then what? Well, Tweet! Send useful information, like you're talking to a friend. Don't start selling right of the bat. Build trust and demonstrate your usefulness before you do anything else.
4) Use the "Find On Twitter" function in Twitter to find people in your niche. For example, I just did a search on Twitter for cooking and there are thousands of users that have that word in their profile.
5) There are a lot of tools out there that will help you make even better use of Twitter. One of them is a free Word Press plug in that will automatically connect your blog to your Twitter page. Imagine the time that could save you.
Remember that Twitter is not a big sales page. People don't join Twitter to be sold to. So tread lightly and gather your minions by providing valuable information and you'll likely succeed.
