I love Twitter Search!

Because I use Tweetdeck . . . and because I’m interested in the

Future of Advertising,

Twitter for Business,

Twitter Lists,

Facebook for Business,

and the Future of Newspapers,

I can have a constant stream of TWEETS about all of those subjects.

Today, in my Twitter for Business column of Tweets,  I found a link for the Small Business Trends report on Twitter Tips. I checked it out for the Twitter workshop I’ll be conducting next week.

A digest of some of the tips I liked best:

I. Getting started

• “Lurking” for awhile before making a move can be beneficial
• Use Twitter Search to follow your company mentions.
• Decide you will schedule some time, even just a half hour, to monitor your stream and write Tweets.
• Follow LinkedIn contacts and others in your industry, and then follow whom they are following.
• Listen to conversations, join in, and add value.

2. Smart Marketing

• Create a custom Twitter background to reflect your brand.
• Do Not SPAM. Do Not just talk about yourself and your company.
• Pay attention to your followers and engage them in conversation.
• When you do talk about your business, mention clients and partners.
• Add links to valuable resources — both for your industry and for personal growth.
• RT best messages from your followers, and thank people who RT you.
• Fill out your Twitter profile to help people know to follow you.
• Plan contests, polls, and Twitter-only discounts.

3. Observing Etiquette

• Don’t automate. People hate reading robotic posts that lack sincerity and authenticity.
• Don’t SPAM.
• Give before you expect to receive.
• Build relationships, and you will gain a whole lot from Twitter.
• Respect your audience. Remember the Golden Rule.

4. Spreading the Message  How to get Re-Tweeted

• Leave at least 15 characters, so people will not have to shorten your message [because RT’s add another name].
• Post valuable content, such as links to online resources.
• Use attention-grabbing phrases before links; tell people why they should click.
• RT others.

5. Time Management

• Don’t feel you need to read every Tweet. If you want to make certain not to miss anything on a certain topic, then do a Twitter search.
• If your time is limited, then make sure to limit your Twitter time, e.g. 15 minutes in morning, 15 minutes in afternoon, 15 minutes in evening

6. Advanced strategies

• You can tweet requests for all kinds of help.
• Set up a desktop application like Tweetdeck to constantly stream certain keywords
• Read profiles and begin conversations
• Tweet a link to job postings.
• Use hootsuite.com to track tweets, get measurements, and manage multiple profiles through one interface.
• Check a host of Twitter applications to see what will work best for you.

FINAL HINT: If you read the Full Report, then you can see “Who Said What Tip” and you can follow them.

Please join the conversation, and add your favorite tips, tricks, and “secrets.”