How to use Twitter for Business

At last there is an official guide from Twitter, called Twitter 101, aimed at businesses telling them how to get the best out of it.

"So what does Twitter do for businesses?

Twitter is a communications platform that helps businesses and their customers do a number of useful things. As a business, you can use it to quickly share information with people interested in your company, gather real-time market intelligence and feedback, and build relationships with customers, partners and other people who care about your company. As an individual user, you can use Twitter to tell a company (or anyone else) that you've had a great--or disappointing--experience with their business, offer product ideas, and learn about great offers."

Twitter best practice for brands

Michael Brito, social media strategist and community builder at Intel, has blogged on Mashable about 10 Twitter Best Practices for Brands. The article discusses the art of using Twitter effectively for a brand. Here are his top 5 recommendations. Check out the full post for more:
Do your research before engaging customers
Determine organizational goals
Utilize either a branded or personal profile
Build your Twitter equity and credibility
Track metrics and conversation trends

Twitter Search in Plain English

Get an insight into how to use twitter for your own or a business search, by taking a look at Twitter Search in Plain English in the latest excellent Common Craft video series. Only lasts just over 3 minutes.