Like Facebook, Twitter has seen meteoric rise in the past five years and with more than 140 million active users, Twitter is considered one of the top social networks in the world.  While you may use Twitter for fun, using it for business can actually be a very strategic part of your online marketing efforts.

There are differences between a personal Twitter and a business Twitter account – but the basics still remain the same.  You can still share out compelling content in 140-character tweets.  But there are some differences too.  For instance, Twitter offers businesses with several tools to enhance a Twitter business profile page so it is branded with the ability to load in logos, unique background, images and videos.  In addition, Twitter provides some nifty services to get your business Twitter profile viewed by the right tweeters.  Hundreds of millions of users may sound impressive – but if you own a local business, you may just want to target tweeters in your area.

Here are some tips for leveraging your business Twitter account to gain more followers and enhance your business branding online:

It’s Not Personal, It’s Business:

If you’ve been using your Twitter account to tweet your friends about the latest antics of your dog, or a funny political cartoon – then you should definitely sign up for a separate “business” Twitter account for your company.  Go to https://twitter.com/TwitterBusiness/ for some tips on how to make the most out of a business Twitter profile.  You can also download the free eBook, Twitter Guide for Small Business.

Once you sign up for your business profile page, Twitter recommends that before you begin tweeting about your business is to follow other tweeters that are in the same (or similar) business.  This will give you a better idea of how to space out tweets, what users find interesting, etc.  You might also devise an editorial calendar of sorts and plan your tweets ahead so that you are tweeting often – at least twice a week.

Choose Your Tweets Carefully

At Reputation Rhino, we tweet actively throughout the day, programming some “evergreen” Tweets and engaging users with relevant, timely content on trending topics and other areas of online interest.

As far as knowing what to tweet, we suggest tweeting out content related to your business (like a product launch or sale) as well as providing helpful and relevant information for your followers.  Don’t be too promotional in other words… vary your content so that your followers stay engaged.

An optimized and active Twitter account can rank among the top results for your business and Twitter should be an important element of your company’s online reputation management strategy.

Enhanced Twitter Profile

Because a Twitter business page is designed to promote the most strategic aspects of your business, you may want to use Twitter’s Enhanced Profile tools.  This service allows you to add a logo, image and tag lines as well as input other visual branding. You can also promote a Tweet to the top of your profile page’s timeline to highlight your most engaging and important content.