The phenomenal global reach of Twitter gives you an unrivalled opportunity to showcase yourself and your skills that won't cost you a cent!
Following other like minded people on Twitter is a simple yet effective way to use Twitter as a marketing tool and drive targeted traffic to your websites.
When you follow others you will find that around 70% of the people you follow will follow you back and a large proportion of these new followers will visit your profile to see what you are about. It is at this point that you must present yourself in the best possible way.
Be sure to upload your image, the standard brown gravatar is a very negative sign - it shows that you don't care enough to spend a few minutes uploading your photo.
Your Twitter profile provides space for one URL so make sure you have a website or blog with engaging content and personal information - a mini biography works well, don't forget your followers want to find out about you, they will not be impressed if your link is to a sales page.
Create a custom background (Google 'free twitter background'), this shows your followers you are taking your business seriously, it also gives you the opportunity to showcase your skills and provide URL's (unclickable) to relevant websites.
Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression so do everything in your power to make it a favourable one.
Building a substantial list of followers is a great way to tell the world that what you have to say is worth listening to.
When people visit your profile and see that 3,000 other people are following you this acts as a powerful form of social proof - similar to a testimonial that says...."this person gives good advice, I follow them and I urge you to do the same."
As your list of followers grows so does your own credibility.
Think about your own experiences on Twitter, if you visit 2 profiles and one person has 3,515 followers and the other has 15 followers which group do you feel most compelled to join?
Naturally you click the little green tick and join the larger group - you feel reassured that you are taking the right action because you can see that many others have taken the same action - this is the power of social proof.
As human beings we instinctively look for social proof before taking important decisions, we feel uncomfortable if others aren't taking the same action and we seek out like minded individuals to spend our time with, we like people who are like us.
Twitter satisfies this need by providing a huge pool of people who are just like us with the same needs, wants and interests and it makes it possible to connect with these people quickly and easily.
Twitter is brilliant for raising your profile and building your credibility, however, Twitter's greatest strength is its ability to cut through the layers of bureaucracy that usually surround and protect the big players in your particular niche and allow you to contact them directly.
If you think about the people who dominate your niche, for example, the top internet marketing 'gurus' you would find it very difficult if not impossible to pick up the phone and call them or send them an email and get a personal response.
No, because these powerful, influential people have tens of thousands of customers it is impractical to be available to all, so they employ people and systems to handle these personal interactions and therefore protect their time.
Life on Planet Twitter is very different!
Anyone can search for the name of their 'top person' and follow them, read their Tweets, send direct responses to them and in this way build a relationship. This ability to network and build relationships is unique to Twitter and is, I believe, its greatest strength.
This final point is so important I want you to go back and read it again.
Using Twitter as a marketing tool is all about building relationships and your business will benefit hugely if you can get a few 'big hitters' on your side!
About the Author
ready to take the next step? Stuart Turnbull is a successful Internet Marketer and Online Coach. For a step by step tutorial on unleashing the power of Twitter as a marketing tool in your business visit; http://www.twitmasterclass.com and claim your FREE report!