Easy tips for using Twitter for business:
- Point out interesting things in your space, not just about you.
- 3rd party clients like Tweetdeck and Twhirl make it a lot easier to manage Twitter.
- Twitter can help direct people’s attention to good things.
- Learn quickly to use the URL shortening tools like TinyURL, bit.ly and all the variants. It helps tidy up your tweets.
- Share links to neat things in your community. (@wholefoods does this well).
- Don’t get stuck in the apology loop. Be helpful instead. (@jetblue gives travel tips.)
- When promoting a link ask a question or explain what’s coming next, instead of just dumping a link.
- Ask questions. Twitter is great for getting opinions.
- Use direct messages for 1-to-1 conversations if you feel there’s no value to Twitter at large to hear the conversation (from @pistachio).
- Commenting on others’ tweets, and retweeting what others have posted is a great way to build community.
- Twitter gives your critics a forum, but that also means you can study them.
(Excerpted from Chris Brogan’s “50 ideas on using twitter for business”)