Getting Started With Twitter In Three Easy Steps

Twitter is all the rage right now — because it is very easy to incoporate Twitter into your business routine.

If you’ve used Twitter before you probably already know that it’s a great tool for chatting amongst friends and fellow online business owners. I really enjoy learning what people are doing in thier businesses and in thier lives.

Here are 5 tips for getting started with Twitter:

1. Sign Up and create your own Twitter account.
The service is free to use and takes just a few minutes to get going. Simply go to www.twitter.com and sign up. When you set up your account don’t forget to fill in your website’s URL and a tid-bit about yourself or your business in the profile.  Having a clear profile is key to getting business from Twitter.

2. Start following other Twitter users.
. You can either save their pages to your web browser bookmarks or, and this way is easier, once you’ve found their page simply click the “Follow” button under their name. This will allow you to see their posts, or tweets. Now you’ll need to let others know that you have joined Twitter so that they can follow your updates as well. You can do this by telling your list subscribers, posting about Twitter on your blog, and more. There are even scripts you can add to your blog or website that will retrieve your most recent tweets and post them for your visitors to see.

You have the ability to use your Twitter page to see what’s happening with others or you can even download applications such as Twhirl or Twitterdeck that will allow you to have instant messaging style software on your computer to see all your posts and the posts of those you follow.  You can even post to twitter from your Treo or iphone.

Now that you’re all set up simply login to your Twitter page or open up your Twhirl software and start sending messages. Just as with any social networking site such as forums or message boards, Twitter can easily take big chunks of your time if not monitored carefully. This is one reason it would be wise to devote a set amount of time per day to network with it. A good starting point would be around 15 minutes each day. You can easily plan this with your morning email check and cup of coffee or at the end of the day.

3.  Let people know what you are doing. An ytime something interesting is going on in your business, whether it’s a site change, a product launch or even a special post to your blog, use Twitter to let your followers know. As with any marketing tool, don’t just bombard Twitter with your links. Be personable and establish your expertise in your niche. Be friendly and observant to others as well and you’ll go far with Twitter.

You may not see results from your twittering efforts immediately and that’s ok. The important thing is to begin to get your name recognized and be a regular contributor. The more post and incorporate the service into your daily business routine, the more recognized you’ll become. People will want to know what’s going on with you and your business and in time, you’ll be linked to over and over again by other users.

Don’t forget to follow me — http://twitter.com/meredithe