With movie stars, musicians, politicians and sports stars tweeting, Twitter is the largest online phenomenon at the moment. So what does this mean for your business? Using Twitter is essentially another method of marketing your business to its followers or customers via the internet. Similar to the Facebook ‘Like’ function, customers have to 'follow' your tweets.

Some of the exceptional benefits of Twitter are that it is amazingly simple to use, it can reach thousands of potential customers and it is free! And of course, by signing up for Twitter, you can also start to follow other people and business including your service providers, suppliers, customers and competition.

So, here are some useful tips to get started using twitter:

It really is simple! Remember, keep your tweets light and friendly and invest time into your social marketing. You should be posting on Facebook and Twitter at least once a week. Let me know if you have any questions or need help with your custom Twitter page.

I just completed our own custom Twitter page - check it out: http://twitter.com/#!/atomixdesign

1. How do I sign up for Twitter??

Its simple, go to:

https://twitter.com/signup

If you need any help signing up, go to:

http://support.twitter.com/entries/100990-how-to-sign-up-on-twitter

2. How do I get customers to follow my tweets?

There are many strategies for increasing your Twitter followers. I would recommend making sure you BIO information is up to date and adding ‘FOLLOW ME’ buttons to your website.

10 Things You Need to Know to Get Started on Twitter

"A huge number of companies now have a Twitter presence. Some massive brands use the micro-blogging platform to manage their reputations and spread awareness. Other smaller firms use it to build relationships and directly find work and sales.But whatever you want to achieve, what do you need to know in order to get started?

Some brands are still scared, or at least cautious about taking that first step onto Twitter. So let's run down this list of 10 tips on the best ways to get started on Twitter. "

Read more on Search Engine Watch: http://searchenginewatch.com/3640655

How to get Twitter Followers by Nick Marks

"Twitter is an incredible way to get traffic to your site(s), network, stay in contact with your friends and family and even make new friends.

Getting Started: What to do first!

Before you even get followers, you need to make sure that you setup your account correctly, so that you get the most traffic to your website(s).

Step 1. The very first thing you need to do is setup your “online bio” it’s under “settings” and put your website URL on that settings page too."

Read more on Nick Marks' blog: http://nickmarks.name/blog/how-to-get-twitter-followers

10 Ways to Increase Your Twitter Followers by Kevin Rose, founder of Digg

"This guest post is written by Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg and the cofounder of Revision3 and Pownce. Kevin, who has over 88,000 followers on Twitter (making him the second most followed after President Obama), also “bloggs” at kevinrose.com. He is an investor in Twitter."

Read more on Kevin Rose's blog: http://techcrunch.com/2009/01/25/kevin-rose-10-ways-to-increase-your-twitter-followers/

3. What do I tweet!

This article on Smashing Magazine is great:

8 Useful Tips To Become Successful With Twitter

"Twitter1 is the new big thing. With everybody from Britney Spears to Barack Obama now on Twitter, it is safe to say the social networking platform has gone mainstream.Some time ago I was wrong to lament on Twitter about it becoming a marketing tool; I should embrace it as a tool I can use. Nevertheless, like everybody else, I need to be careful how I use it. I do not believe Twitter users will allow the tool to be reduced to a broadcast mechanism for pimping the latest blog post or special offer.So how do I use Twitter? I guess the first thing to say is that I am not a huge Twitter success story. However, Twitter is turning into the third facet of my online presence, alongside my blog and podcast. With that in mind, let me share a few tips that have helped me better use this interesting new tool."

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/02/03/8-useful-tips-to-become-successul-with-twitter/

99 Essential Twitter Tools And Applications

"Below, we present 99 Essential Twitter Tools and Applications, split into the following categories: Tools and Productivity Apps, Statistics and Analytics, Find New Twitter Friends Apps, Search Twitter Apps, Web-Based Mobile Apps, WordPress Twitter Plug-Ins, Adobe Air Twitter Apps and Firefox Twitter Extensions."

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/03/17/99-essential-twitter-tools-and-applications/

It really is simple! Remember, keep your tweets light and friendly and invest time into your social marketing. You should be posting on Facebook and Twitter at least once a week. Let me know if you have any questions or need help with your custom Twitter page.

I just completed our own custom Twitter page - check it out: http://twitter.com/#!/atomixdesign