How to get the most out of Twitter for your business

If you were to categorize social networks, most would say that LinkedIn is where business gets done, Facebook is where people share the mundane and Twitter is where the action is. As the 2014 version of the "tickertape," Twitter is a hodgepodge of news, opinion and trends, shared by journalists, celebrities, business leaders, politicians, content experts, the Pope, your neighbor and about a billion other people around the world. Here's how to get the most out of Twitter for your business: Follow the Right People: Twitter can be a noisy platform. Don't follow just anyone. Follow users that are potential customers, journalists that might write about your company, employees, business partners and industry thought-leaders. Interact with Followers: The more you put into Twitter, the more you get out of it. Spend at least two hours per week interacting with your followers, finding new people to engage with and build relationships that will help drive your business. Don't Over Sell: A good rule of thumb is that 20 percent of your tweets should inform your followers about your business, products and company news; the other 80 percent should be entertaining and spent by engaging your followers so they stay connected with you over time. Promote Yourself: Feature your Twitter handle prominently on your own site and in all your marketing materials to help customers and prospects connect with you on Twitter and build your following. Manage Your Time: Twitter is like the rabbit hole and can take you to places you've never imagined. You can spend hours on the social network, connecting with people. However, you have a business to run so it's a good idea to spread and schedule your tweets throughout the day, rather than posting the all at once, as people check Twitter at different times of the day. Don Martelli is a vice president and director of digital integration for Schneider Associates, Boston. He can be reached at dmartelli@schneiderpr.com or via Twitter, @BigGuyD.