For the last few days we have discussed common twitter keywords that often confuse people, so today we are going to discuss some Twitter best practices for businesses.

To begin with, you have to change your thinking about what businesses use the internet for. The internet is not simply a place to put your website and draw in new clients. Think about the internet as a virtual business network. It’s a place to build relationships. Put into practice, that means you could do things like:

• Include in your Bio and/or custom background the names (or @usernames) of the people twittering from your company account. It’s also a good idea to include additional contact info, like email addresses.
• Listen regularly for comments about your company, brand and products—and be prepared to address concerns, offer customer service or thank people for praise.
• Use a casual, friendly tone in your messages.
• While you shouldn’t feel compelled to follow everyone who follows you, do respond to some questions or comments addressed to you.
• If you like a particular message, retweet it. People often appreciate the sharing and amplification of their ideas, so look to retweet cool stuff.
• Post links to articles and sites you think folks would find interesting—even if they’re not your sites or about your company.
• Make sure your tweets provide some real value. You know better than we do what is valuable, but here are few examples to spark ideas:
  – Offer Twitter exclusive coupons or deals
  – Take people behind the scenes of your company
  – Post pictures from your offices, stores, warehouses, etc.
  – Share sneak peeks of projects or events in development
• Don’t spam people. Twitter’s following model means that you have to respect the interests and desires of other people here or they’ll unfollow you. The most common way to run afoul of that understanding—and to thus look like a spammer—is to send unsolicited @messages or DMs, particularly when you include a promotional link.

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