Top tips on how Twitter can help women in business

Last evening I had the pleasure in interviewing Sam Russell on Building Your Business Using Facebook and Twitter. As it happens Sam and I have both been inspired and guided by Mark Shaw, Mark has built a reputation on helping clients effectively Twitter.

Mark recently published a great article and I am pleased to be able to share it with you here.

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Women face many particular challenges in the business environment, from juggling work and family commitments, to establishing authority in a world that is often still male-dominated.

Online social networking technology can be a great way to overcome many of these challenges, and probably the most important network at the moment is Twitter.

Twitter allows you to stay in touch with your customers while you're on the run, connect with industry leaders, gather accurate market information in real time, and much more besides. I'm convinced it's one of the most powerful new tools available to help people in business, from struggling small business owners to busy executives.

Why do I need Twitter?

There's been a lot of coverage of Twitter in the media recently, so it's natural to be a little skeptical. This is one case where you should believe the hype, however. Twitter is a simple but great idea that has been picked up by millions of people, and in the process has become a highly versatile, very cost effective business tool.

You probably already know that Twitter allows you to build a network of contacts, then communicate with them via messages of 140 characters or less. Typically, people use Twitter messages (tweets) to describe what they are doing, or to link to interesting online content.

The really exciting thing about Twitter, though, is that it allows you to do your marketing, networking, and business research much better, and on a lower budget, that you ever could before.

Once you're set up (which takes a minute and costs nothing), you can target your particular business niche very accurately, while getting global reach. In your marketing, for instance, you might choose to focus on reaching customers in your home town, or alternately you might reach out to users all over the world who have expressed an interest in your product.

You can speak directly to your customers to get feedback on new product ideas. You can track trends in your market as they happen.

And if you're running your own businesses, on those days when you're feeling a little isolated Twitter allows you to connect with collaborators, experts, and investors around the world, without leaving the office.

Making the most of Twitter for your business

In any new community, it pays to know a few ground rules so you get the maximum benefit (and don't make a fool of yourself!). Here are a few tips that will give you a head start on the rest of the pack:

1. Your profile page is very important. Use a high quality photo of yourself, and give enough information to give a sense of who you are, what your business is, and what you're hoping to achieve on Twitter.

2. Try tweeting about ten times per day, and make sure you share useful information and links as well as posting the 'I'm walking down the street' style of tweet.

3. You'll find the Twitter website is very limited, so try downloading a third party application Tweetdeck helps you manage your contacts and messaging, and Tweepsearch will help you find users who share similar interests to your own.

4. Try to convey your true personality and don't always be talking about your business. Users will be turned off quickly if you try too hard to sell to them, but by being honest and transparent you'll connect with people who can help you.

Like anything new, you'll need to spend a bit of time listening in, while you get the hang of it. Soon you'll see how the Twitter community can help you in every aspect of your business. Have fun! So why not get started today twitter.com/

About Mark Mark has been twittering for over a year and has made it his business to help others effectively use Twitter to help their business. He has amassed a wealth of knowledge and techniques on how to make Twitter work and how to get the most out of it. He currently advises clients on how to establish themselves on Twitter, how to grow their following, how to become recognised as an expert in their field, and how to generate leads from the medium.For more information go to www.markshaw.biz/