Written by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, Twitter Marketing Expert

Joining the microblogging platform of Twitter may seem so easy that you start right in answering the question “What’s happening?” without understanding what’s really happening on Twitter.

Of course, you see that big number 140 that counts down as you type in your tweet – until you reach 0 and then negative numbers if your tweet is too long.

Yet other than that, what’s the big deal about answering the question “What’s happening?”

The big deal depends on why you are on Twitter.

Written by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, Twitter Marketing Expert

One of the most important advantages Twitter has over Facebook and LinkedIn for connecting with potential customers/clientele is using Twitter search functions.

Because Twitter is so open – everything is open to everyone except for the minority of people who lock their Twitter updates, Twitter search functions and third-party search functions can return very robust results.

Written by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, Twitter Marketing Expert

Effective Twitter marketing strategies are NOT one size fits all.  It’s important to consider your goals when planning your own marketing strategies on Twitter.

Effective Twitter Marketing Strategies for a Mommy Blogger

Imagine you are a mommy blogger and your end goal for your Twitter participation is to increase readers for your mommy blog.  Some of the steps you would most likely take are:

•    Use Twitter and third-party search functions to search for people tweeting about subjects you write about, such as childcare, home schooling, behavioral issues.  You would then follow these people.

Written by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, Twitter Marketing Expert

One effective way of getting Twitter people in your area of interest to know you is to participate in a tweetchat on a related subject.

What is a Tweetchat?

It’s a stream of tweets on the same topic in real time.  Imagine it as a gigantic instant messaging free-for-all on a stated topic.

First let’s talk about participating in one.  Then, we’ll talk about how starting one can help you market on Twitter.

Let’s take this scenario:

Written by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, Twitter Marketing Expert

If you want to attract online attention to a particular product, service or cause, consider running a Twitter contest.  Because of the 140-character limit and public tweets, Twitter is an ideal social media platform for this marketing strategy.

How to Run a Twitter Contest to Promote a Product

Let’s say you want to promote a new product – we’ll call it “Miracle Copywriting” – that sells for $89.   You tweet about this new product, including the link to your site where the product is sold.

Written by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, Twitter Marketing Expert

If you have a legitimate non-profit cause for which you wish to know how to raise funds without spending money on advertising, Twitter can provide a relatively easy fundraising project for you.  Here’s why this is so:

* You have a worthwhile cause – let’s say you want to help a children’s cancer research fund raise money.
* The format of Twitter makes it easy for you to tweet about this fundraising drive and include a link to an article about what the funds can help accomplish.
* If you have a decent amount of followers, there are bound to be several followers who will retweet this information because these followers also believe in your cause.
* As you are not self-promoting but rather promoting for a good cause, you can repeat your tweet more times without annoying your followers.

Written by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, Twitter Marketing Expert

Your brand – what you are known for – is something that you should definitely want to protect.  You’ve probably worked very hard to establish this brand, and you do not want people tarnishing that brand.

Can you prevent people from complaining about your products or services?  No.  But you can make sure that the moment someone does complain publicly on Twitter, for example, you are brand monitoring and you then nip the problem in the bud.

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:

Phyllis Zimbler Miller

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is a Twitter marketing expert whose company Miller Mosaic, LLC develops and implements Twitter marketing campaigns.

Phyllis and company co-founder Yael K. Miller are the marketing duo who combine traditional marketing principles and the power of Internet marketing strategies to promote your business more effectively. Phyllis tweets with the username @ZimblerMiller and Yael tweets with the username @MillerMosaicLLC.

The company bases its work for clients on developing a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for each individual or company and then promoting that USP through integrated messages on Twitter and other social networking sites, blogging and websites.