Hi there, The Digital Marketer here, ready to help you put the power of the Internet and technology to work for your business.

I'm a firm believer that Twitter is good for business, but you have to have a strategy behind your tweeting to get the most professional benefit from Twitter.

Before I fill you in on five types of tweets that work well for business tweeting, here is a word from our sponsor:

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How to Use Twitter for Business

Back to tweeting for business.

Twitter is all the rage right now, but so many people are still puzzled about the proper ways to tweet. And if you have business goals in mind, crafting appropriate tweets can be even more daunting. Here are five types of tweets you should know about that work well for professional and business Twitter accounts.

5 Types of Business Tweets

1. The Filter.
One great use of Twitter is to follow people who post links to interesting and relevant articles and blog posts they're reading. You can become one of those people who others follow -- sort of a human filter for people who follow you because they like your perspective. Demonstrate your expertise by sharing what you're reading. Stay focused on your industry or topics that are in some way related to your business.

Think of your job as a human filter as being a valuable resource that others rely on. When others depend on you for pointers to useful content, they pay more attention to you. They may also repost -- or "retweet" -- your tweets, which increases your reach by introducing you to their followers with their implied seal of approval.

2. The Tip.
If you are an expert in an area, show your expertise by providing a regular tip -- in 140 characters or less, of course -- that your followers can actually use. But it isn't just the tip that matters. The length of your tweet is very important if you want others to share it with their followers.

To do this, your tweets should actually be shorter than 140 characters. To figure out the ideal length of your "retweetable" tweets, calculate 140 minus the number of letters in your Twitter name minus 5. The 5 at the end represents the @ sign in front of your name and the space after your name as well as RT - for ReTweet - and a space after that.

So my retweetable tweets should be 123 characters long to accommodate someone retweeting me. There are 12 letters in my Twitter name - alizasherman - less 5 for the RT, then the @ sign, and 2 spaces or 17 characters less than the standard 140.

3. The Announcement.
It is totally appropriate to post periodic tweets to announce something directly related to your work or your company. Don't overdo it and blast people with nothing but commercial messages. But if you are clear that you're using Twitter for your business, people will be tolerant of a certain amount of marketing. If there's something "in it for them," such as sales, discounts, contests, and freebies, people tend to be even more tolerant.

4. The Response.
Twitter isn't just about announcements, tips, and posting links. Twitter is a conversation, and if you don't join in and participate meaningfully, you might as well be a robot. People won't follow someone who isn't engaged and present when using Twitter. That means taking some time to read what others are tweeting and commenting on them or responding when someone addresses a tweet to you.

Tweets are addressed to others using the @ sign so be generous with @-ing others when you know you have something worth adding to the conversation. And like any social setting or conversation, be courteous and always take the high road.

5. The Retweet.
Though you should use Twitter to drive traffic to your site, blog, and other content and clips, your Twitter account should not be entirely about you or your company. Give a shout out to some of the people you're following by retweeting what they've posted on their Twitter page.

Did you like an article someone referenced in a tweet? Retweet it, citing the Twitterer as the source of the link. Did you read a great tip or profound quote in your Twitterstream? Retweet it, giving credit to the originator of that missive.

You can add your comments if there's enough space but just retweeting someone else speaks volumes. It means you found what they said on Twitter to be valuable enough to pass it along to your own followers. By retweeting others, you show that you're not only willing to play nice in the Twittersphere but that you're happy to share the limelight. 

Bottom Line: Having a strategy behind your tweeting can keep you on track and make your Twitter account much more productive for business. Above all, be yourself, be generous and by all means behave!

Contact Me

That's all we have time for today. Visit the show’s website at digitalmarketer.quickanddirtytips.com for links to all of the sites mentioned in the show. If you'd like to ask a question or request a topic for The Digital Marketer, email me at digitalmarketer@quickanddirtytips.comor leave a message by calling 206-339-6279.

You can also book me, your humble podcaster, for your next event as a keynote speaker or lecturer on topics related to digital marketing and social media. Visit Macmillanspeakers.com/alizasherman for more information.

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The Digital Marketer's Quick and Dirty Tips for Building Your Business With Web Tools is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips network at quickanddirtytips.com.

Tune in for another business boost from The Digital Marketer, the host who's not afraid to go under the Internet's hood & get a little dirty!

Resources

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/

Retweetist - http://www.retweetist.com/