Today I found this free downloadable ebook by Geekpreneur which outlines in simple language why they think Twitter is a great promotional tool for your business. This whole "microblogging" idea is sounding more and more convincing to me the more I read about it. Here’s a synposis:

Why Twitter is good.

No-stress way of promoting yourself.

It takes away the worry of writing a "perfect" blog post, because you’ve only got space for a couple of short sentences. So it’s easy and painless to tell people about the latest development in your business or website.

Great visibility.

Each time you write a "tweet," you end up on the public timeline along with every other person who is on Twitter, which is viewable by anyone on the web… so, each time you write a post, it can be seen by anyone in the world– not just the people following you. (I hadn’t really thought about that…)

It takes no effort, cost or setup. And you get your own URL.

All you do is sign up for a user name, and start tweeting. It’s much easier to get started with Twitter than any other form of web communication. Plus, you get your own URL– twitter.com followed by your user name–  that you can promote to other people. (Mine is www.twitter.com/astewart). You can customize the page with a different background to match your business. (I haven’t yet.)

It will train you to make all your writing more succinct.

The 140-character restriction will train you to get right to the point, and to avoid  rambling purple prose. (Another great tidbit I read today is: you’re not as interesting as you think you are. If you can’t give your readers something useful in exchange for their time, they’re going to stop reading.)

It’s a funnel to your blog.

Twitter is a way of "waving a flag" to notify people about what you’ve written in depth elsewhere. It directs them in a non-threatening way over to your site. It’s a kind of "soft sell."

How to write a perfect tweet.

• Think of each tweet as a headline, with a bit of a personal twist– a question, an exclamation, an observation– that engages the reader.
• Tweet questions, not just statements. This encourages people to reply and engage with you.
• Don’t always plug your business; write tweets that are also of general interest.
• Use keywords in your blog that people are likely to search on. All tweets can be searched, and people will choose to follow you based on the quality of what they see.
• Remember that each time you tweet, you’re talking to a potential client. Don’t write stupid stuff just because it’s so easy to tweet.

There’s even more good info in that booklet, including some good Twitter tools, how to get more followers, and ways to brand your business on Twitter. Check it out and tell me what you think!