Informer's World

Folks have been waiting for years to figure out how social networking service Twitter will begin to make money off the millions of people tweeting 140 characters at a time. The company has been getting by on funds from investors and on real-time search deals with big names like Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google…but now the company is taking the wraps off Promoted Tweets, paid-for tweets that will turn up in users’ search results on the basis of keywords and brands.
According to Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, the goal of Promoted Tweets is that they be useful to users and meet a “higher bar” than a regular tweet. Promoted Tweets will be clearly labeled as “promoted” rather than as a legitimate search result, but in “every other respect” they will look and behave just like regular tweets: users can reply to them, retweet them, favorite them. Only one Promoted Tweet will be displayed on a search page, and, according to Twitter, if users don’t respond to a promoted tweet by clicking it, retweeting, or otherwise interacting with it…it’ll eventually disappear from the program.
Initially, Promoted Tweets will appear at the top of some search pages on the main Twitter Web site, but Twitter is describing this implementation of Promoted Tweets as a “first phase” of rolling out Twitter-based advertising in order to get a better handle on what both Twitter users and advertisers consider useful. Eventually, Twitter plans to migrate promoted tweets into Twitter clients and other “ecosystem partners,” including integrating Promoted Tweets into regular timelines.
Initial partners for Promoted Tweets will include Best Buy, Red Bull, Sony Pictures, and Starbucks.
Promoted tweets mark Twitter’s first move to directly commercialize the service; until now, Twitter has eschewed traditional forms of online advertising, preferring to “optimize for value before profit.” Apparently Twitter now considers itself sufficiently optimized for value.

Welcome to How To Use Twitter! Before we get into the detail let me make one thing very clear! Twitter is a way of connecting with other people who share your interests or who might be interested in what you have to say. Please do not view it simply as a source of traffic for your Squidoo Lenses, Blogs or other Websites. Something new has happened online and if you're not part of it, you're missing out. The new trend I'm referring to is Twitter.


Twitter, is a free service available at Twitter, is a combination of a microblogging tool and a social networking site. Twitter is a fantastic way to get more traffic to your blog and build a relationship with your readership. If you're brand new to Twitter, or even if you've been around on the site for some time, you'll find out in this lens how you could use it to generate traffic to your Squidoo Lenses and your blogs and open the doors to brand new subscribers.

What is Twitter and How Can it Help Me?
 
 
Twitter is changing the way that many people connect and communicate online and should be an indispensable part of your overall marketing plan for your Squidoo Lenses, blogs and websites. Twitter is free to join and you can get set up with an account in a matter of just a few minutes.


Twitter has two main components. Just like social networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook, you can add "followers" and follow other people as well. They'll receive your updates and you'll receive theirs.

What is unique is that your messages are limited just to 140 characters, which is why some people call it a "microblogging" tool. You have to keep your messages brief and to the point.

Sometimes it's a real challenge to get the point across in the allotted space, but it also leaves room for a lot of creativity! Coming up with ways to say what you have to say in that small space is part of the fun of Twitter. It makes you think about the core aspects of the message you are trying to convey. You may also find, like me, that it helps you write shorter reports and emails generally!

4 Ways Twitter Can Help Jumpstart Your Traffic!

Before you set up your account, let's go over a few of the ways that you can use Twitterr:

1. Getting traffic to your Squidoo Lenses, websites and blog posts - With a simple post to Twitter, you can have lots of readers come to your lens, blog or site. Even though feeds do the same thing, you can often find new readers on Twitter or remind current readers to re-visit your lens, blog or site.
2. Connecting with your readership - When you write, you're speaking to your readership from a distance. You write your lens or post, edit it and then post it. During all of these activities, you're removed from your audience. But when you use Twitter to communicate, it becomes a conversation. You can show more of your personality to your followers and truly communicate with them on a different level. This can get them more interested in you and your writings which will build more traffic over time.

3. Building your brand - In order to stand out amidst the large amount of Twitter accounts online, you need to develop a persona for people to connect to and identify with. You can further your branding by using a Twitter account. You need to figure out what makes you unique in your niche and then extend these differences between you and others in you Twitter posts. Decide what your persona or approach is and then make sure your Twitter posts reflect that.
4. Researching - With Twitter, your target market can be at your be at your fingertips. You can spy on their interests, ask them about their needs and automatically get ideas for your blog posts.