Written by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, Twitter Marketing Expert

Twitter is the microblogging platform that has been getting a great deal of buzz in recent months. It is an incredibly powerful social media marketing tool if used correctly.  (Many people on Twitter do not use it correctly.)  The more people who are interested in what you’re about and who follow you, the more of a target audience you have connected with on Twitter.

Twitter Website

How to Join Twitter

You join for free at twitter.com and here are some important tips about signing up:

Tip #1: Choose your username carefully.
Although you can now change it easily, you will want to think about how you want to represent yourself or your business on Twitter.  (I’m ZimblerMiller on Twitter.) The username you choose may also impact how you get Twitter followers.  (People follow you on Twitter in contrast to friending you on Facebook or connecting with you on LinkedIn.)

Tip #2: Upload Your Photo.
Upload a clear headshot photo of yourself (preferably without your pet, child or girlfriend/boyfriend).  Again, the photo you use can impact how you get Twitter followers.

Tip #3: Enter Your Name.
Put your own name – even if you write tweets for your company – in the field where you are asked for your name.  And, once again, this can impact how you get Twitter followers.

Tip #4: Write a One-Line Bio.
Write a good 160-character bio and include one URL.  For the fourth time, what you write here can impact how you get Twitter followers.

Why can all these four “simple” tips impact getting Twitter followers?  Because people on Twitter want to interact with real people, not companies, even if the real people are representing major corporations.  Thus it’s important to represent yourself truthfully and as a real person.

Let’s move on to the next step:

As soon as you do the above, enter two tweets so that people considering following you can see the type of tweets you plan on writing.  Therefore, give some thought to how you want to present yourself.

Now Follow People on Twitter

To find people who tweet about subjects that interest you, enter search terms in the search box on your home page.  Once you are taken to a page with tweets mentioning the term, click on a username to go to that person’s profile and decide if you want to follow him or her.  If yes, simply click the FOLLOW button – that’s all there is to it.  And if at a later date you no longer want to follow this person, just return to his/her profile page and click the FOLLOWING button to unfollow.

What happens next is that many of these people will follow you back, and you have now started to build your Twitter community.

What You Do NOT Want to Do

Once you are on Twitter you will be followed by people who will offer you all kinds of software programs to quickly add a large number of Twitter followers.  You do NOT want to do this.

First, you can get kicked off Twitter for spamming.  Second, you want to grow your Twitter community organically by following and being followed by people who are interested in the subjects that interest you.

In conclusion, if some of this information seems somewhat confusing, do not worry.  Twitter is deceptively simple.  Because it is only 140 characters (sort of like IMing) people assume that there’s nothing “to it”.  You’ll have to take my word for now that there is a very great deal “to it”.

I predict that, if you keep an open mind and learn Twitter gradually, there will come a day when you say to yourself:  “I can’t believe I ever got along without it.”

Next week we’ll continue our Twitter conversation.

© 2009 Miller Mosaic, LLC