Twitter is one of the newest social media platforms, but it also is one of the most productive. Although it involves sending only short messages, you can reach thousands of customers via Twitter if you know what you are doing. Read on to learn how to use Twitter to attract customers and make money.

Setting up a Twitter account is easy. Just sign up and choose the username you want. You should create a username that is similar to your business name. Try to make your username one word; using a lot of underscores or dashes will confuse people who are trying to find you.

Once you have set up your Twitter account, you need a photo and a bio. Your Twitter photo is important because if you don’t have a photo, people tend to think your account is not legitimate. Choose a professional looking photo of yourself or of your place of business.

Your bio is the hardest part of setting up your account because you only have 140 characters. Write one or two compelling sentences about your business. State what your business does and who it serves. Your elevator pitch is a good starting place for your Twitter bio.

Once your Twitter account is set up, you’re ready to start tweeting. Some new Twitter users make the mistake of only tweeting links to their business. Don’t do this. This practice makes you look like a spammer, and customers will be turned off by it. Instead, tweet nine things that aren’t links for every link you promote.

The best way to use Twitter is to post relevant facts about your niche. Twitter’s short message format makes it perfect for factoids and short pieces of advice. You can also post pictures using the Twitpic application, but don’t overdo this, as they appear as links on your Twitter feed.

Hashtags are one of the most effective strategies you can use to help attract followers. People who are looking for posts on a particular subject can search for it by hashtag. Some people create hashtag campaigns in which they try to get as many people as possible to post a particular hashtag. These kinds of campaigns draw a lot of attention to your tweets. In addition, if your hashtags are sufficiently popular, they will be listed as a trending topic on Twitter.

To create a hashtag, simply put the pound sign (#) in front of a word. The best hashtags are relevant and witty. You can run words together in a hashtag, but try not to make your tag too long if you want people to use it.

Twitter presents a unique challenge to Internet marketers. While Facebook is expansive, Twitter limits you to posting only 140 characters at a time. This requires you to get your message out concisely while still making sense. Some business owners avoid Twitter for this reason, but if you don’t use it, you’re missing out on a large number of customers. Push yourself to use Twitter to get your message out and you will soon see results.