by Monique Hodgkinson

Do you use Twitter? Do you tweet? What?

Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows postings called tweets, which are 140 characters in length or less. Sign up for an account at Twitter.com and start tweeting. “Follow” other Twitter users who are interesting to you or are in your line of business.

When you tweet, remember that it is about building relationships. The general Twitter etiquette is to follow back those who follow you. Keep your tweets friendly and professional. Offer insights. Nobody wants to follow people who are self-serving or give too much personal information.

Twitter was initially conceived as a tool that would allow friends and family to update each other quickly, but rapidly evolved into a business tool. Many large companies are now showing their Twitter addresses — rather than their Web site addresses — on national television. Take the time to build relationships on Twitter, which will ultimately contribute to building the trust necessary to strengthen your brand. By using Twitter, I have forged relationships with others that have resulted in selling products, finding industry support, receiving publicity, and arranging speaking engagements.I was interested in hearing the perspectives of other Twitter users.

Here’s what some of them have to say about how they use Twitter for business.

Shel Horowitz says, “Twitter has gotten me book sales, client inquiries, blurbs for my next book, even a speaking gig. My approach is to be friendly, helpful, informative, accurate, and to share a lot of resource links. I try to be subtle and selective about when I want to sell something or ask for a favor.”

Sam Winter of SassiSam says, “Twitter has allowed me to connect with other small businesses and build up a really supportive network. Having an office at home is hard, because you miss the social interaction of working in an office. Twitter has enabled me to connect with people, businesses and products that I wouldn’t have normally, and for me that’s been fantastic. My brand awareness has increased dramatically, because Twitter generated traffic and sales.”

Ben Kirshner from Coffee For Less uses Twitter to convert people in his network into customers. He says, “Current and potential customers can see we are a real live legitimate company that reaches out to its customers and is active in the community. Non-customers can see the comments current ones leave when researching a business. Our focus on customer satisfaction is paying dividends. We use Twitter to respond to our customers and keep our finger on the pulse.”

These examples show how Twitter provides an effective way to connect to others, build community and develop your brand. Take the time to tweet regularly, making your tweets about more than just self-promotion. You are sure to see results.

Monique Hodgkinson is the founder of Screen Caffeen, a company that specializes in building online strategies and solving customers’ challenges on the Web. From Web design to social media marketing, Screen Caffeen will wake up your online presence. Stop by at screencaffeen.com or contact Hodgkinson on Twitter at twitter.com/screencaffeen.