How to use Twitter to help your business

A regular on the site, Mark has peaked as the third most popular Twitterer in the country this year and his tweeting has even got his brother a game of golf with former athlete Kriss Akabusi.

The 43-year-old, with a background in sales, is now an adviser to business on how to use the system to help their brand stand out - but even he was not convinced at the beginning.

He said: "I found Twitter back in 2008 and thought it was meaningless. I didn't see why anyone would care if I was eating a cheese sandwich and I thought the website was rubbish.

"Then everyone started talking about it, so I spent 10,000 hours observing it and thinking about it and by the end of the year I was doing quite well at it."

His success on the site led others to approach him for advice and before long people were paying for his Twitter knowledge.

Now he plans to spread the word to more business people to make sure they are not wasting their time - and people's time - with inane tweeting.

The key, he says, is to not sell your product, but to use Twitter to converse and socialise as if you were at a party.

He said: "If you think you can turn up with a Twitter account and just be a success, that doesn't happen. You need time and energy to make it work - unless you're Oprah Winfrey or Shaquille O'Neal.

"You need to do a profile, start conversations and then over time you build up followers. You have to work to drive traffic.

Five tips for business Twittering

- What's the strategy? "Because everyone is there" is the wrong answer. Think about what you want and how you define success.

- Complete a profile in 160 characters, with a photo and website address.

- Twitter is personal - don't hide behind a bland company name. Put yourself out there. "I don't follow Starbucks, I follow Sally from Starbucks."

- Think about what you Twitter about. Don't sell anything. Just use social chat.

- Have measures in place to tell you how well or not you are doing. Measure the traffic and see if you're having any impact.

Mark Shaw is hosting a free talk License To Tweet on Tuesday October 13 at the Marriott West India Quay.

To register for tickets click here