I was going to blog about “Twitter for Internet Marketers” anyway. Two things made it happen today.

Guy Kawasaki interviewed Chris Brogan about Twitter and there are some interesting lessons revealed in that conversation. Then Darren Rowse of ProBlogger wrote about social networks and asked how many of them his readers were actively involved in - and ended by asking “hard-core Twitterers” how they were using Twitter.

Now, I’m no ‘power-tweeter’ but like to think of myself as an analytical thinker and I have been testing out Twitter for just over a month, have 90 ‘followers’ and am reaching my special landmark - 175 tweets.

This is about what I learned and what I plan to do with Twitter

When I first started using Twitter, I noticed the question that appears above every ‘tweet box’: “What are you doing?”

And after reading a few posts on the public timeline (Twitter’s homepage), the question that struck me was this:

“Who cares?”

(I actually worded it in language that won’t bear repeating here! )

But instead of giving up then and there on Twitter, I thought a while, and then decided it made more sense to rephrase that question into:

“What are you doing THAT OTHERS CAN USE?”

Or find interesting. Or helpful. Valuable. May make them laugh. Cry. Think. Whatever.

The emphasis then shifts from ‘me’ to ‘you’, my follower on Twitter.

It’s an important shift that I see many top Twitterers have made, in their own unique style.

That shift is likely why I now have 90 followers instead of the 7 I had all week long when I began.

So, how can Internet marketers use Twitter?

At first glance, it appears that most Internet marketers got Twitter ‘wrong’ - just the same way they got ‘blogging’ wrong (many still do).

The knee-jerk impulse is to turn Twittering into ‘traffic’ - instantly. This meant lobbing links at your followers willy-nilly. ‘Trick to get the click’.

Won’t work. Not for long. Unless there’s REAL value at the other end of that link. And that’s the ’secret’ to Twitter traffic.

I see Twitter as a challenge to my creativity, intelligence and concern for the online community that follows me as I tweet.

Creativity, because in less than 140 characters, I must convey a message. Not a ‘hook’, or ‘tease’, or ‘lead’, but in most cases a COMPLETE message. Yet, one that appeals enough to my audience to get them exploring further - or at least, willing to keep me on their ‘FOLLOW’ list.

Intelligence, because it’s oh-so-easy to do DUMB things. In an attention-starved economy, such dumbness is swiftly punished - by the WRONG click… on the REMOVE button that Twitterers wield ruthlessly to avoid having their time wasted by drivel spewed by the brain-challenged!

Concern, because as soon as the shift happens in placing me and myself ahead of you and what’s likely to keep you engaged, I run the risk of losing you as a ‘follower’. Sure, I could still keep tweeting into the ether - but no one cares, and that’s a waste.

To oversimplify, then, Internet marketers can use Twitter to add value to their followers.

Easier said than done. How?

I’ve done some of these things:

• Microblogged about longer posts on my blog - with a quick summary linking back to the longer discourse here

  Examples:

  “What’s with the obsession over BIG lists? If you’re worried too, you need this - http://www.ezinemarketingcenter.com/drmani-says/“

  “Why I Think BlogRush Won’t Work - And Why I Hope I’m WRONG! - http://www.MoneyPowerWisdom.com“

• Shared news, stories or experiences likely to be of interest to my audience (NOT ‘my cat rolled over’ or ‘I spilled coffee on my keyboard’ or… you get the point)

  Examples:“Is Twitter good for infopreneurs? I think so. It taught me to be brief! Like this. Good thing, that. No? :)”

  “Woken up today by sparrows twittering outside my bedroom window - and ending today a confirmed Twitterer! Interesting”

  “Just got off the phone, spent 30 min talking to Frank McKinney. He’s INSPIRING, see his Palm Beach experience!“

• Links to cool articles, blog posts or product launches. Haven’t tried using affiliate links yet, though can’t see why they won’t work just as well.

  Examples:“A ‘luck magnet’ that attracts Success! Ken McCarthy excels with a blog post that’s a ‘must-read’ - http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/?p=115“

  “Marlon Sanders: “Sooner or Later, Something Clicked.” A ‘must-read’ blog post - http://www.marlonsblog.com/?p=38“

  “Nice interview about Twitter on Guy Kawasaki’s blog - http://blog.guykawasaki.com“

• Sending progress updates, like I did all day and night long during my 24 hour blogging marathon, the Heart Kids Blogathon.

  Examples:

  
  “Entering the 18th hour of blogging - the next few are the WORST… doubts, frustration and tiredness surface and one doubts one’s sanity! ;)”“Sleepy. Fingers numb. Tired. And happy! Tea - I need some stimulation to stay awake for the next 4 hours!”

  “It’s darkest before dawn! Simon Hodgkinson donated $2,000 just now! And all of a sudden, new possibilities appear! ::grinning widely:: “

Why this mix? And does it work better than ‘link lobbing’?

I think it does work better. The reason is probably because it gives a slightly better insight into what has MY attention at the moment, which - if someone is curious about me and wants to emulate / follow / study / mimic / learn from me - is relevant and interesting.

To my mind, Twitter has some SERIOUS advantages over all other forms of social networking.

It’s fast. You can ’sneeze’ news, memes and thought-bites quickly and widely.

It’s ubiquitous. You can type, SMS, call in or even photo blog your tweets… from anywhere.

It’s short. Ideal for the attention deficit follower who needs you to get to the point QUICKLY.

It’s informal. Often, ‘Power Twitterers’ tweet on a whim and fancy.

It’s personal. One on one. And one to many.

It’s revealing. Your followers get a better insight into the real you - because rarely are tweets as well thought out and drafted as blogs.

How to get even more out of Twitter?

I’ve now wet my feet enough in Twitter to know the water’s warm - and am beginning to enjoy it, know the ropes and build my network.

Some ideas that grabbed me will soon be tested (I’ll report back if they work really well)

1. Use Twitter instead of my ezine or email list! Shocking. Yet with email delivery rates being abysmal, I’m wondering if Twitter may not be an easier and more reliable way to let folks know when I update my blog, than by using email.

2. Use Twitter for affiliate marketing (see above).

3. Use Twitter as a quick summary version of my blog - like Guy Kawasaki uses it to share his picks of Truemors updates daily, or Dave Winer sums up his longer blogs in a nutshell tweet.

4. Build personal rapport with clients and subscribers without the wasteful effort and time consumption it would involve if done via email or on the phone/Skype.

In the end, indirectly, all this will translate into Twitter traffic - just that the traffic itself happens as a RESULT, and does not become the primary REASON to Twitter.

What do you think about Twitter? Share your comments and feedback.