By Tina Hilton of Clerical Advantage

If you’re thinking about or working on building an online presence for your business, I hope that Part I and II of this series have given you a good foundation to build on. In this installment, I’ll discuss adding more ‘customization’ to your presence by using Twitter.  If you’ve been hiding under an Internet rock, Twitter is the social media darling that allows users to communicate what they are doing, reading, watching and thinking in 140 characters or less.
To many newbies to Twitter, it might seem a bit useless, redundant and senseless. After all, it’s not all that different from instant messengers is it?  At first glance, maybe not, but in this case first impressions are wrong.

Hey, don’t feel bad if you’ve checked Twitter out and didn’t understand what the big deal was all about. I signed up several months before I actually started ‘tweeting’, because the possibilities weren’t clear to me at the time. After all, why would people I didn’t know be interested in what I was doing?  And how could sharing that help me in my business?
Luckily, I didn’t let my first impression keep me from experimenting with Twitter. I’ve found it to be an invaluable source of helpful information as well as a wonderful networking tool.  The fact is, I’ve come in contact with amazingly talented people whom I probably might never have even heard of without the assistance of Twitter.
So just how does it work?
You should know right up front, Twitter probably isn’t going to make you tons of money directly.  But indirectly it could very well be responsible for increased income due to leading new clients/customers to your business and through learning from others. Twitter is all about connecting. I’ve found the following advice to work best for me.

Be Yourself- The first step is signing up for a Twitter account. Should you sign up under your business name or your own name?  You can do either, however I would suggest using a picture of yourself, not your business logo. I’ve found that Twitter works best by being yourself, both the image you’re displaying as well as in your messages (called “Tweets”).
Don’t Follow the Leader…Unless They Interest You- You’re next step will be finding others to follow.  Find people who interest you or who are involved in things that interest you.  One way to find people to follow is to do a Twitter search for something that interests you and see who’s talking about it. Follow them if they seem interesting and then see who they are following or who else follows them.  Don’t follow someone just because they are a ‘celebrity’ on Twitter or otherwise, unless you truly find them interesting.
Share, then Share some more- Now you need to start tweeting. You can tell everyone what you’re doing, reading , watching.  Just make sure that you mix the ‘I’m getting ready to watch LOST” tweets with plenty of ” Reading about using sandwich boards to market yourself ” and make sure you share the link to the article. If someone you’re following tweets something you find interesting, retweet it. (a retweet is the exact tweet of the other person with a RT in front of it). You may think you’re the only one interested, but trust me, there are others out there just like you. It’s all about sharing information and sharing of yourself. And yes, tweeting about your latest blog post or business special is considered sharing.
It’s Not About Numbers- I’m sure there are plenty of people who would love to argue this with me, but I don’t believe you need thousands of followers in order for Twitter to be useful. If the people you follow and those that follow you back are interacting and providing useful information and tools for one another, then Twitter is working for you. Period.
Be Helpful- Offer your help whenever possible. That could be as simple as answering a question. Or perhaps someone you’re following has the perfect answer for one of your followers. Interact, and offer your help whenever you can. I’ve found the Twitter community to be the most helpful place I’ve ever been involved in, and that includes ‘in person’ communities I’ve belonged to.

You may be asking, this is all great Tina, but just how is this going to help me build an online presence?  Trust me. The more you participate with your Twitter community, the bigger it grows, the more your name, face and business will be recognized and shared. I think you’ll find it’s a great tool for building your online presence.

Next week: More Social Networking

If you have questions concerning virtual assistance or have an interest in working with a virtual assistant you can contact Tina Hilton or visit her business website for Clerical Advantage.