Twitter is again generating a tremendous amount of interest from brands and businesses all over the world for good reason.  Growth rates are accelerating, with an average 460,000 accounts created during the month of February 2011 and mobile usage is growing at a staggering rate of 182% during the last calendar year. So how do you market your business on Twitter?  Ten ways for twitter marketing for business!

1) Build a profile on Twitter that resonates with your target audience and don’t be bland and boring. You have 6-10 seconds to garner your target market’s interest - be bold, provocative, creative - faint of heart never won fair lady right?

2) Think of Twitter as a finely tuned competitive analysis engine. Connect your account with your competitors to get an immediate sense for what they are doing right and wrong on this dynamic social media platform. Be aware, it’s a digital quid pro quo world - savvy competitors will be doing the same.

3) Use Twitter as social glue for your brand. Meaning, integrate your Twitter account across all of yours social media platforms and profiles: Friend Feed, LinkedIn, Google Profile, Squidoo Page(s), Facebook, Web Site, etc. The more the better - you driving brand awareness and updating your content across all of these platforms, which will generate marketing ROI moving forward.

4) Twitter is a superb tool for aggregating news or information about any topic that relates to your brand or business. You can mine content via your Twitter account or sign up for and participate in Twitter Chats to learn more about specific topics.

5) Leverage Twitter to drive sales. Think of Twitter as a digital billboard if you will. Integrate a Bit.Ly shortening code for a discounted promotion for your web site and only use this customized link with your Twitter account so you can track your marketing impact.

6) Many businesses don’t understand Twitter’s inherent capabilities as a platform for spreading brand awareness and building relationships. They jump on Twitter and start off broadcasting content to the community and ignore any interaction with their connections. Do this at your peril. People want to engage with your brand via Twitter - meaning, don’t  just shove content down their digital throats. Build and cultivate relationships.

7) Use Twitter as a real time customer relationship management tool by encouraging your customers to connect with you via Twitter and responding to their Tweets.

8) Think of Twitter as a live broadcasting platform. If your hosting an event on or offline use your Twitter account to update your Followers in real time with what is going on.

9) Use Twitter for a brand monitoring tool via Twitter’s Search Engine and use the RSS Feed to automate the process to deliver regular reports on what’s being said about your brand or business on Twitter.

10) Build brand influence and awareness to drive revenue.  Convert your Followers into brand advocates by engaging with, thanking and rewarding them with accolades, discounts or something of value that cements their relationship with your business on Twitter. Influcencers (those with large followings) can amplify your Twitter marketing message and visibility significantly.  Connect and build relationships with them to amplify your message, content and brand awareness.

How is your brand or business leveraging  Twitter to generate Marketing ROI? Love to get your comments below!