Twitter’s ushered in a new dawn of communication. It’s an amazingly powerful social interaction and communication medium that has impacted how news is gathered or sent out and how buzz is created. And with its mega growth, businesses have taken note.

According to Twibs, a business directory which helps you find brands on Twitter, 18000 businesses are now using Twitter as part of their social media marketing.

So, just how does a brand use Twitter to achieve its marketing objectives? Here are some examples… » Read more: Tweety Tweety Brand Brand

Someone once commented on CNN that Twitter was today’s pet rock fad. I was inclined to agree but the phenomenal success of talk shows, reality shows, late-night shows and Access Hollywood made me realize that we, as a society, are very interested in what other people are doing. And Twitter, pretty much, is based on the simple question : “What are you doing?”

As a marketer, understanding human behavior and the patterns that distinguish different segments of society from each other is of tremendous interest to me. Hence, my change of heart about Twitter and making the effort to understand how people behave on Twitter rather than how Twitter operates. » Read more: Twitter – A simple visual explanation

As a digital marketer, you use a variety of tools to drive your marketing initiatives across the Internet. Twitter is probably in the mix too (and, if it isn’t, see this Twitter marketing entry on how to set one up). The fun part of Internet marketing is connecting every piece of your online marketing mix together using the unique features of the different online marketing techniques like SEO, SEM, Email, Social Networks and more. Let’s talk about how you can use SEO to optimize your tweets on Twitter and at the same time, use the tool for maximum marketing impact.

» Read more: How to SEO your Tweets

Twitter’s now the big fad of today and makes me wonder if it’s akin to the marathon dancing fad that took place during the great depression. In any case, it’s interesting; lots of people spend time on it and as a marketer, you should be thinking of ways to leverage these clusters of people to your brand’s benefit. Here are some basic steps on how to do that.

Create a profile : First things, first. Go to Twitter, hit the “New to Twitter – Sign up now” button and get going. Ensure that a comprehensive profile is created. » Read more: Using Twitter as a Marketing Tool

The obvious course of action with Twitter users is to tweet till the cows come home without considering how their excessive tweeting is akin to spamming. Even worse, if you do this for a business account, then this will not endear your products to your followers. So, here are some basic rules to follow when you tweet.

1. Stick to 140 characters : Yeah, I know, it’s difficult to craft a concise message. Even more so, when you’re plugging a product. But, the message that you send can be more powerful and impressive if you think it through. Anything bigger than 140 deserves to go on your company blog. Also, never split a single comment across multiple tweets as 140 characters is more than enough. Otherwise, your tweet is way too long. » Read more: Twitter – Basic standards to follow when you tweet

What the heck is Twitter?

Twitter is a voyeuristic online tool where users have 140 characters to post their message called a ‘tweet’. This tweet appears to their followers. When you follow people on Twitter, you see their tweets. Conversely when they follow you, they see your tweets.

If you choose to follow a certain company, you’ll not only be aware of the newest things happening there but there’s a very high chance that you’ll hear about it before anyone else. Additionally, you’ll also have a direct channel of communication with folks popular on the Internet such as publishers, PRs, bloggers competitors and consumers. » Read more: How to use Twitter as part of your online marketing mix