How to Use Twitter For Networking

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By Jessie Fitzgerald
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Find fun, friends, and business with Twitter!

Twitter is a powerful social networking site that is really, really booming now: and you should be a part of Twitter if you want to build relationships and grow business. Below I will provide a brief overview of setting up, using, and maintaining a Twitter account for business purposes.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A website
A business, service, or product
Time for networking (don’t underestimate the time you need to commit to Twitter)

Step 1

Be a brand to be noticed and remembered.

Set up a profile. This is fairly simple, and you can edit many details later. I suggest you choose a “branded” name such as your business name, or something that will identify what you do. I am “creditblogger” at Twitter because I special in niche blogging about credit repair. Don’t overanalyze this step, but don’t discount its importance. Set up the basics here, and further customization can be performed later.
Step 2

Find all kinds of friends!

Get friends! Use your address book in your e-mail account to find who has a Twitter already. Invite anyone you wish. Once you have your warm leads, now the cooler leads. The search option at Twitter has been down for a while, so I suggest using the grader link provided in the resources and search for those with similar services as well as those who will fit your target market. Search by what you like and need, and read the tweets (updates) on their pages. If they seem like a good choice of friend, select the “follow” button at the beginning of their profile. Find lots and lots of friends, because this is very important. I advise getting as many as you can in 15 minutes around once a week or month.
Step 3

Tell others what's up with you in updates.

You need to update. Updating on Twitter means you use 140 characters to answer “What are you doing?”. While self-promotion is important, don’t just post a link and expect everyone to bite. You need to have some personality and really answer that question occasionally. Links should be tasteful, as well as accompanied by an honest and compelling call to click description. My Twitter favorites (see resources) have many links for self promotion. See how the item linked to matches the description.

The second side of being social is responding.
Step 4

Read what others say and @reply.

Two communication options exist in Twitter: the @reply and the direct message. When you read the updates of your followers/friends, you should respond with @theirusernamehere with a reasonable response. Try to say something worth reading, not to spam, and when using a link to be helpful and not a spammer.
Step 5

DMs are for privacy.

Direct messages. These are for private things. Once someone has, for example, asked for you business or you have something a bit more private to ask them, use a direct message. 140 characters rule still applies. If you have much more to say, use the DM to obtain further contact details.
Step 6

Stand out by customizing your profile's appearance.

Customizing your profile. At the very least you should select a different background. You can also choose your own. Choose the colors for links and text you find most appealing. Match personality, match product, and be legible.
Step 7

Target the right site for what your twittering purpose is.

Only one website link? It is very important that you choose this link properly. In your profile, in immediate view, you may link to one site. You need to pick the “base” of your web operations. It may be a mini-site for promotions, it could be a blog, it may be your business website. Select what you feel is most important.