Start connecting your business on Twitter

Yes, I admit, this is not entirely original. Thousands if not millions of people have said this already. But the importance of outreaching to potential customers using social media can't be ignored. So here it is again.

Many consumer-oriented corporations and brands has already started their social media campaign on Twitter, Facebook, etc. But the concept remains largely non-touched by small- and middle-market. The core problem is perhaps not how to make connections, but what do you do with them?

For those of you who are still rather lost in the "Twitter for Business" concept, you should consider reading Twitter 101 for Business to get started. What for those of you who knows Twitter already, you have to focus on more than telling them what morning cup of coffee is making you sick.

Bottom-line: Content. A big list of followers may seem impressive, but are you really connecting with them with content? Sure, the 140 characters limit will limit what you can say, but it is this very dynamic that made Twitter so popular. Users can go through a short list of topics on their screen (much like reading news headlines on cnn.com or cnbc.com) and pick what they want to read about.

Then is the usefulness of the content. You have to think like your follower when you write. I've read so many twitter post that talk about what the business has accomplished and what client they've recently gotten. But that simply doesn't interest me as a follower anymore. I've much rather read about something insightful that can benefit me as a reader. Just remember, you're no longer "pushing" content like you used to on TV, radio, magazine and website. Social media involve "pulling" people to your content.