Most people know that Twitter is an awesome way to keep current on what's going on in the world these days.
Whether the goal is to keep up on the latest specials from your favorite businesses or to simply keep up with your friends' lives, Twitter is a great tool.
Interestingly, most people claim to be annoyed by the term 'tweet', yet studies show that the site is still growing in popularity Using Twitter is easy, even if you've never done it before.
After you have created an account, you can add short messages (less than 140 characters) simply by typing them in.
These messages, or 'tweets', are sent to everyone that has become one of your "followers".
If you find other people or businesses you'd like to keep up on, you can choose to be a 'follower' of them, and you'll be updated whenever they add a new post.
Due to its rising popularity, it's quickly becoming an effective way to get more visitors to your website.
More and more businesses and individuals are using it to increase traffic.
If you know how to do it, you can do the same.
There are several reasons why this is becoming more common: *It's user-friendly.
Anyone that knows even the basics of computers and the internet can easily use it.
*It's widely accessible.
People can use it from any computer or even their cell phones.
They can get updates from anywhere.
They don't need to carry around stacks of coupons anymore.
They can just go to Twitter from their phone and see if any new specials have been posted from the business they are about to visit.
*Its instantaneous.
Most users are constantly checking for updates.
It has become a pretty big part of their lives.
And if they happen to 'follow' you, that makes you a part of their lives as well.
*Its popularity is growing.
Thousands of people are joining Twitter every day.
And if I've only learned one thing about society in my entire life, it's that a majority of the people in the world like to 'keep up with the Joneses'.
The first step to take in order to increase your website traffic is to simply gain new followers.
Like the proverbial tree in the forest, if you're tweeting and no one is there to listen, it's not really making any sound.
One of the easiest ways to gain instant followers is to notify your other network sources.
If you have an email list or a list of business contacts, let them know that you'll be updating your Twitter account more often.
If you don't have this option, start following other people or businesses the same or related field.
Many of these users will follow you in return, and if you add interesting or informative tweets properly, the word will spread.
Once you have a number of followers, you want to make sure you use your tweets wisely.
Don't waste time by talking just to be heard: *Keeping your relationships current.
Whether they are clients, business contacts, or friends, Twitter can help you keep your followers updated with your latest news, just as following them will keep you updated on them.
This type of two-way communication will likely lead to a better and long term relationship.
You even have the option to follow-up or 're-tweet' their tweets through other lines of communication.
This kind of effort will likely lead to good things down the road.
*Announce new product releases.
If you have a number of followers, Twitter is a good way to announce a new product, website, or offer.
You can also use it to slowly build up excitement about an upcoming release or announcement.
*Website updates or changes.
If there is anything new or different on your website, even if it's something as small as a new article, spread the word on Twitter.
This will likely cause your followers to visit your site again even if they are regular visitors.
*Become a valued resource.
If there are things going on in the world that interest you or might interest your followers, spread the word.
People like gaining valuable or interesting information and they may just pass your tweet around to others rather then doing their own.
Whether we like it or not, Twitter has become a practically essential part of living in the 21st century.
The numbers show that it's becoming more popular every single day.
A business is doing themselves a disservice by not utilizing its potential to grow their website traffic.