This article is based on excerpts from an interview with Tom Clifford, @tommytrc, Digital Development Manager, HC Miller.

Successfully starting an internet marketing business today requires more than desire, it requires the use of some social media tools as part of your overall strategy. The hardest part for most online entrepreneurs is choosing which social media tool is right for them and then implementing the tool into their online strategy. Using Twitter as a business strategy tool is definitely something to consider.

Clifford says: “Today’s social media is no different than the way Grandpa used to meet his friends, have a coffee, communicate, have fun and add some business to the mix. Twitter and the other networking tools social networks are just different medium to bring people together social media is all about having access to people all over the world in real time your message can go from small to huge instantly because of technology and your followers people use the social media for building your personal brand (think internet or online business) or building the brand of a brick and mortar business The biggest mistake is trying to use all available social media tools at first and getting overwhelmed with the mechanics or what they don’t know about the use of tools.”

Tip: “Start small, pick one or two tools and learn to use them well, stick with them, evaluate how they are working, give it some time, and then re-evaluate before subtracting or adding tools. Put it out there and you may be surprised at what happens.” “.

He asks: Are you monitoring your brand through Twitter? Where and who is your audience? Are your tweets relevant to your target audience? Is your audience engaged in social networks? How are they responding to you?

Monitoring your brand through Twitter can be as simple as looking at the number of followers, tweets, and retweets. Failure to follow up and adjust for the success of your brand will give you less than stellar results.

If you’ve done your homework and know where and who your target audience is, make sure your tweets have value to that audience. Tweeting just for the sake of tweeting will not build your brand or your successful online business. Twitter does the work of converting to a small URL for you, so when you tweet something valuable and relevant about an article, blog post, or video, you don’t have to worry about the tweet exceeding the 140-character limit.

Knowing if your audience is engaged on social media is also critical to the success of your brand and online business. If they’re not involved in social media, you can tweet all the relevant and valuable content in the world and you’re still not connected with who you want to connect with! If you don’t get the response you expected, it’s time to invite them into your Twitter world through other social networks.

It’s rare in today’s world to find someone spending time online, for whatever reason, who isn’t connected to some kind of social network. Your challenge is to move your non-responsive audience from the mindset of social media as a mere social platform to social media as a combination of business and social media.

To quote Peter Shankman: “90% of your sales are lost because you don’t send the right message to your audience in the way they want it.”

For your success!
Donna Denil, online entrepreneur