So, it seems everyone has Twitter accounts now except me, while I continue stoically avoiding the time and energy sink of telling the work I’m staring out the window/picking out shirts/watching TV. But for the rest of the world, a Twitter account is as important as a blog (and likely just as useful for the 90% of blog owners who post just once and give up).

Yesterday however, I actually found Twitter useful in business. Here’s how: I received an email from Michael Hopkins of eBookTimes.com; in visiting the site, I saw his Twitter banner, clicked on it, and found out some of his posts. One of them, a discussion of eBooks, tied in well with one of my products on publishing info-reports (“Top 10 Tricks to WIN BIG With Your First Info-Product!“). Long story short, we got in contact, and there’s the chance of mutually-profitable business ahead (affiliate offer, JV, or what have you).

Now, let’s recap this heartwarming tale and break down how Twitter helped:

• I already had a PREEXISTING relationship with Michael. I had been receiving his emails for years, as a customer of his popup tool Dynamic Popup Generator.
• He got me to visit his site with his EMAIL. He mentioned a post and a product, I was interested, so I dropped by.
• While there, I saw his TWITTER BANNER. His icon for Twitter got my curiosity (as well as wondering what his account would be like), and so I clicked.
• He had INTERESTING TWEETS. From his tweets, I found a post on his blog, and went to his site.
• He LINKED TO HIS SITE. After all, the tweets were interesting to me because they linked to offers.
• We found COMMON GROUND on a product. There’s no guarantee anything will happen, but we ended up dialoging.

So, what does this mean for Twitter?

Go through the list above again – Michael worked hard for years to get my interest in his emails – and THAT was what took me the step farther into Twitter.

The Twitter account helped in connecting me to a post I would never have seen otherwise – but as this example shows, Twitter will never be a replacement for quality support and attention.

However, it IS an additional method of reaching visitors. I’d say the icon on his site was a huge factor to getting me over there, so if you are ‘a-twittering’, make sure the world knows about it.

Finally, make the tweets count – tell the world about your business topic (only). Start on target and people will know what to expect. For another theme (or site), start another Twitter stream.

So I’m almost convinced – Twitter has finally done something positive for me. Now if only I had something useful to Tweet about…