by Amelie Mueller

Created on: July 13, 2009

Booming social networking sites such as Twitter are every public relations and marketing executives dream come true. They present the ability to reach millions of potential clients in a short, 140 character limit blurb. With one click of the mouse you can mass distribute a link to your website and distribute your brand name. And that's not even the best part of this mass ad campaign. Social media's latest prodigal son is no strings attached 100% free.

While micro blogging presents us with endless possibilities, we still have to know how to take advantage of them. To fully utilize Twitters power it actually takes a little more work than simply tweeting a link to your website.

Businesses should begin by building up a useful list of followers. Without followers you're merely talking to the wind. Of course, numbers are important here. The more followers you gain, the more eyes are going to see your brand. There are many utilities available to us to build up our network. Twitter has been working hard on improving their search tool, which allows you to search the entire Twitter database for any keyword you choose to lookup. For example, if you are marketing a car wash chamois, try searching for washing the car or car show. This will bring up a list of all the tweets containing those phrases and subsequently a new customer base in which we know express interest in cleaning their cars.

A great web based application that allows Twitter users to discover each other is WeFollow. Twitter users add themselves to the WeFollow database under specific categories. You can then browse through the categories to find other users who share similar interests and are actively seeking to build their network as well.

Now, here's the catch, it's not enough to just follow these users and start sending your spam tweets their way. Take the time to reply to your fellow Twitter users. Read their individual profile and other things they have tweeted about. Send them a reply about something non-business related. Establish a one-on-one interaction. We are all more likely to take interest in an individual than we are product. Remember you are your brand. Sell yourself first and let your product reap the benefits of a strong network of friends.

Twitter is not a place for spam. There are tons of applications out there that allow Twitter users to sort out other users that are considered spammers. You will be no exception if you expect to open an account, immediately follow 1000+ users, and start sending out spam tweets containing nothing more than a business slogan.

Finally, let's not forget the obvious here. Make sure that your existing customers know that you are on Twitter. Consider adding a line to your business card, a link on your website, and posting a sign in your store. Encourage them to follow you by posting any sales you may have there on first. Offer your Twitter followers special discounts or hold contests and giveaways specifically for them. People are doing you a favor by following them, be sure to give them something back every once in a while. So don't be afraid to get creative, there are countless ways to drum up business with Twitter.

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