Twitter just released a great basic guide on using Twitter for business.  "Every day, millions of people use Twitter to create, discover and share ideas with others. Now, people are turning to Twitter as an effective way to reach out to businesses, too. From local stores to big brands, and from brick-and-mortar to internet-based or service sector, people are finding great value in the connections they make with businesses on Twitter."

The guide includes some of my favorite links that I have referred to often over the last months. I don't agree with all of this advice (ie- follow everyone who follows you... works for non-profits, not for all businesses), but there is some great insight in each link:

So Should a Business Be on Twitter?, by Frank Eliason.

How Twitter can make you a better (and happier) person from Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com
*love love this article!

10 Twitter Tips for Nonprofit Organizations (great advice for any biz), by Heather Mansfield.

50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business, by Chris Brogan.

Twitter has without a doubt transformed my companies.  I have several accounts: one for my personal and Southern Weddings updates, one for Lara Casey Reps, a Bliss account that Emily now posts to, and a couple more I'm holding for future projects.  Twitter accounts and domains are like real estate-- stake your claim and get your name, your kids names, anything that's yours.  From building relationships I never would have been able to forge through phone and email to learning from the best of the best, we've seen how social media has driven change in everything we do.

For example, when we were looking for specific content for our last print issue of Southern Weddings, we used Twitter as a tool to reach out to wedding pros.  90% of our content came from the blog and Twitter submissions.  You can follow Emily (Special Features), Whitney (Fab Finds and upcoming editorial shoots) and Katharine (Real Weddings) as we prepare for our Fall issue over the next weeks to be included in these Twitter submission requests.  Much more to come on how Twitter changed our business in a future post.

What do you think? How has Twitter helped your business grow?