Twitter is one of the fastest growing social media tools on the web.  Used correctly it can be a very useful tool to help you capture a new audience of followers.  If used incorrectly you can tarnish your brand, turn people away and increase negativity against your company. 

Basics

What Is It?

Twitter is a multi-platform microblogging service. It was designed as a way to post short messages (140 characters, the limit of SMS messaging that mobile phones use) to update your friends with your current "status", i.e., answer the question, "What are you doing right now?" This would help friends keep in touch, and even coordinate face-to-face meetings -- a handy tool for a night of clubbing. 

Why Use It?

Abrams Research surveyed over 200 social media leaders from across the U.S. and Canada duringSocial Media Week 2009 – including founders, bloggers, journalists, entrepreneurs and members of the Twitterati – to see what they thought about the future of social media. Here’s what they found: 

• 40% of respondents picked Twitter as the number one social media service for businesses
• 39.6% of respondents said they would advise businesses to pay for Twitter
• Which corporation has done the best job of using social media?

1. Zappos (online shopping site)
2. Obama (campaign and presidency)
3. CNN
4. Comcast (“Comcast Cares”)
5. Jetblue

What You Can Accomplish Using Twitter

• Gain new readers for your site
• Gain new customers by offering Tweet Discounts
  
• Promote products/services
  
• Find joint venture / strategic alliance partners
• Get speaking engagements
• Announce both free and paid events, such as webinars and teleclasses
• Meet local people with similar interests
• Coordinate meetings with key people
• Save countless hours of research by having nearly instant access to thousands of people
• Track social media buzz about topics and companies