The Internet has changed the very way we do business. It is now important for businesses to have a Twitter account and Facebook page. Two years ago that wasn't the case. Twitter especially is important because it gives you the ability to instantly update your customers.

Since having a Twitter account is a must, you might be wondering what you can use it for, or what should you tweet out:

1.) Tweet out updates about your business -- Such as, a new service offering or a new way for your customers to reach customer support 2.) Tweet out coupons -- Whole Foods has done this ultra successfully. Whole Foods has over 1 million followers last time I checked and they mostly tweet out coupons to their followers 3.) Tweet out useful information related to your business -- No where does it say that you can't tweet out valuable information that might not be on your website. Your followers will appreciate this and be more likely to pay attention when you DO tweet out info specifically about your business

Okay now that you have some ideas on how to use your business Twitter account, here are some things to avoid doing:

1.) Tweeting out nothing but links about your business -- Do not become one of the billion spammers on Twitter. You may see a short term gain, but this is not a long term strategy. Make sure that 90% of your tweets are valuable and 10% are selling something or have links to your website 2.) Do not follow or un-follow to aggressively or you will have your Twitter account deleted by the Twitter gods. Especially in the beginning, do not follow or un-follow more than 50 people at a time

Finally, here are "insider tips" that will allow you get maximum effect for your business Twitter account:

1.) When you tweet out a link that you want people to click on, give them a reason to click on it -- Don't just say, "Click here for updates about our XYZ service" say something like this "Click here now to find out how XYZ service has changed to serve YOU better" 2.) Do not leave anything blank in your Twitter profile -- Part of Twitter is your customer's getting to know you better. This can be accomplished by making sure your Twitter profile is completely filled out. Also, include a compelling description about your service or company. I know this sounds very basic but you would be surprised at how many people don't do this!

Follow these tips above, and you will be well on your way to having a business Twitter account that is setup correctly and has a TON of followers.