TweetDeck is the undisputed “king” of the various Twitter client programs that are currently available. But there are several reasons why it needs replacing. The program has outlived its usefulness and when compared with HootSuite it simply does not stack up.

TweetDeck is low on features
Take a look at TweetDeck and it has plenty of useful features, far more than you can find on Twitter itself. There is little doubt that TweetDeck is helpful and makes Tweeting so much easier. However, it lacks some features which mean that you either need additional software or you need to do things in a rather cumbersome way. With HootSuite, the feature set is much deeper and broader, providing you with a host of additional capabilities that TweetDeck users simply dream about.

Here are five reasons why you should give up TweetDeck.

1. TweetDeck cannot tell you how good you are at Tweeting
With TweetDeck you can send Tweets to your heart’s content; but you’ll never be able to find out whether or not they were valuable. Yes, you can see the Re-Tweets, but do you know how many people clicked on any links, or which countries they came from? Furthermore, do you know who referred them to your Tweets in the first place? Such information is useful as it helps you ensure your Tweeting is going in the right direction. Luckily, HootSuite gives you all of this statistical data – and more – for every one of your Tweets.

2. TweetDeck cannot help you with your blog
With TweetDeck you are limited to posting short items to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn. But what if you want to use the same material and publish it on a blog? You have to leave TweetDeck and go to another program. With HootSuite, however, you can also add your WordPress account details, allowing you to exchange information between all your social media accounts with ease. Plus, HootSuite allows you to add your Ping.fm account, meaning you can write something on HootSuite and send it to dozens of different services. You can’t do that with TweetDeck. Neither can you add Facebook pages with TweetDeck (only Facebook profiles). In other words, HootSuite wins in terms of connectivity.

3. TweetDeck needs you to use your own equipment
TweetDeck is a brilliant client program because it is virtually identical on Windows, on a Mac, on a Linux machine or on an iPhone. Plus you can sync these various devices allowing you to have the same look and feel no matter which machine you use. But try using TweetDeck in an Internet Cafe. Try using TweetDeck at your friends house and neither of you have an iPhone. HootSuite can be accessed anywhere you have a web browser. Whether you are on your own laptop or a public computer, such as in an Internet Cafe, or using your mate’s Blackberry, HootSuite is the same, every time.

4. TweetDeck is too wide for easy use
With TweetDeck you are limited to a single row of columns. Sure you can handily separate your Twitter lists and put in a column for a regular search. But unless you have a big screen and you like scrolling left to right, TweetDeck is cumbersome. Not so with HootSuite which allows multiple tabs and columns. You can set up tabs for searches, separately to tabs for accounts, or have Facebook tabs only, or one tab for each Twitter account – allowing the easy update of multiple Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts, LinkedIn or Ping.fm – all at the same time.

5. TweetDeck cannot automate Tweets
With TweetDeck you have to be there. You write a Tweet and send it. But what if you want to send a series of Tweets and you don’t want them all to arrive consecutively. You need a “timer”; yes, there are applications online that do that, but with HootSuite it’s all in one place. You can timetable Tweets easily. Plus you can add RSS feeds so that your latest blog post gets automatically Tweeted for instance. Try doing that with TweetDeck.

So, with HootSuite you can:

• Tweet from anywhere because it is a web application (there is also an iPhone app)
• Automate your Tweets using RSS feeds
• Timetable Tweets for future submission
• Send Tweets to dozens of services by linking with Ping.fm
• See how good your Tweeting activity really is by analysing statistics
• Conveniently see everything with multiple tabs and columns

TweetDeck is undoubtedly a good application. But HootSuite is so much better.

By Phyllis Zimbler Miller

If you are active on Twitter and want to promote your business, it’s important to know how to use Twitter for business marketing to consumers. Twitter isn’t an open invitation to spew sales messages at consumers; rather it’s an opportunity to create relationships with consumers.

Your Twitter profile needs to be human

It’s no good to use Twitter for business marketing to consumers if you are hiding behind the “corporate veil.” In other words, your Twitter username can be in your business name, but even if you are representing a large corporation, your actual name should also be on the profile along with your photo. People relate to people, not business logos.

A real person tweeting for a company is able to establish relationships with consumers that an anonymous corporate/company Twitter user cannot. Add bits and pieces of your personal interests to help create relationships.

You need to provide information before you provide sales pitches

If, for example, you are a footwear company using Twitter to attract new customers, it’s not enough to constantly tweet about new shoe styles your company is offering. You need to also provide useful information.

You might tweet links to research reports on the effects of going barefoot most of the time. Or you might tweet a link to a blog discussing cultural differences in what is acceptable footwear for “business” dress.

If you want people to trust your company enough to buy its footwear, you need to demonstrate you are trustworthy by helping consumers to know more about your field of footwear. You want to be known as a source of good information besides good footwear.

You can offer special deals to your Twitter followers

Although the majority of your tweets should NOT be sales pitches, it’s certainly acceptable to offer special deals for your Twitter followers as part of your Twitter marketing campaign. You can do this by providing a promotional code to be used on your site. And Twitter’s 140 characters makes Twitter ideal for getting your offer across in brief messages.

Also consider doing a fundraising campaign on Twitter – your company name is thus linked with a good cause. For example, anyone using the promo code will have 10% of his/her purchase go to a specific nonprofit organization.

Encourage questions from your Twitter followers

Use Twitter for business marketing by getting immediate feedback on issues of importance to your company. For example, if you introduce a new style in limited quantities, solicit opinions. Yes, some of the opinions may be negative. But it is better to know these opinions now while your footwear is in limited production than to find out this information after you’ve produced millions of pairs of this new style.

And make sure you monitor all mentions of your company on Twitter. You want to jump on positive comments – and thank people for those comments – as well as jump on negative comments. It’s much easier to put out a small fire than a large blaze.

In conclusion, how you use Twitter for business marketing to consumers is limited only by your imagination. If you share information first and then gently pitch your products, you should be able to reap the benefit of new customers who are loyal to your products thanks to having a strong connection with a real person from the company.

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is an Internet business consultant. If you liked this article, you’ll love her free report on “How to Become a Twitter Marketing Expert” – grab your report now from www.millermosaicllc.com/free-twitter-report
This article courtesy of SiteProNews.com

Twitter for Business is a 20-page guide written by small business marketing expert, John Jantsch who runs Duct Tape Marketing. The booklet covers the basics of Twitter and shows exactly how John uses it for his business, providing a valuable insight into expert usage.

In this report you will find out how you can follow the right people, how to mine Twitter for leads, what "hashtags" mean and how you can manage your daily Twitter activity.

There are dozens of tips in this booklet as well as a variety of links to useful web sites and services to help you improve your use of Twitter.

John says: "I happen to think that Twitter has some fabulous business uses, and not just for the ultra connected techie, for the typical small business too."

His booklet helps anyone in small business - and the ultra connected techie - to get the most out of Twitter.

Thanks to John for allowing this site to include this useful publication.

Who should you follow on Twitter - and why? Here's my list of recommended Tweople you should follow.

@ajwilcox
Excellent advice on everything to do with mind mapping and Mind Manager

@andybeal
Insightful ideas on reputation management

@aydinstone
Brilliant information and ideas on creative thinking

@BlogCoach
Advice, ideas and information on blogging

@BookMarkLee
Need to get on with your accountant? Follow Mark!

@DaveClarke
Networking advice and excellent links to other people

@Dmscott
Thought provoking marketing advice

@ducttape
Excellent small business marketing ideas

@Markshaw
The expert on Twitter

@mashable
Social media news and "how to" information

@Mediachris
Top notch communications advice

@Mediacoach
The best advice you can get on using the media

@Nigel_Morgan
Practical and insightful PR advice

@NikkiPilkington
Internet marketing and SEO information that is top notch

@Problogger
Blogging and Twitter advice that is realistic and practical

@Rodsloane
Everything you need to know about small business marketing

@Thebookwright
Unleash that book inside you...!

By Marian Harmon

Many businesses are utilizing the power of social media such as Twitter to advertise their products and services. You can do this, too, but the challenge is in marketing your product or service without being annoying. By following a few rules of etiquette and utilizing the power of the search feature, you will quickly be seen as an expert in your field that people trust.

If you do an online search for some of the most annoying habits of Twitter users, one particular complaint seems to be constant - too much self-promotion. Many Twitter users will post updates that are only meant to advertise and add links to drive traffic to their own website like these:

"Need a plumber in NYC? Call me! "
"TRAVELING NOTARY PUBLIC & LOAN SIGNING"

If you want to advertise on Twitter, keep it on your bio and background image. Make sure that your profile is informative and contains a link to your website. Use a background image that defines your business and adds depth to your profile. As a business, you want someone to come to your Twitter page and know within just a few seconds who you are and what you can offer them.

Beyond that, don't use Twitter to actually offer them your services unless they ask you first. Instead, remember that Twitter is a social arena, not a networking meeting. Think of it as a cocktail party or mixer. Meet people, listen in and introduce yourself...not your business. As you listen, use your knowledge of your business field to educate and refer, rather than advertise. Utilizing the search function on Twitter can help you do this.

Think of key words and terms that come up in the course of your business and search for those. The results will show all of the tweets with those words or phrases. So, let's say Plumber Mike searches for 'install faucet' and he sees a tweet in the results from someone who says, "Trying to install a faucet. What is this white tape for?"

A good reply to this might look like this:

"@diydude, that white plumber's tape is called Teflon tape. Wrap it around pipe threads to prevent leaks. Good luck w/ the faucet install!"

By doing this, Mike is using his expertise to answer a question using the same key words in a social way without overtly advertising. People will start to take note and find his profile. This will lead to more people following him, which will, in turn, expand his audience. The key is to keeping it social.

Another way to build your business with Twitter's search function is to give direct referrals or find someone some help. Let's say Mike is a member of a an International Plumber's Association. A lot of the people who follow him are fellow plumbers. As he is searching Twitter for key words, he notes a user in Canada says, "Help! I need a plumber. Anybody know one in Vancouver?"

Mike could respond to this in several ways. First, he could go to his association's member roster and find a plumber in Vancouver. A good response might be:

"@leakycanuck, I'm in NYC but I'll bet @vancouverplumber can help you out. I met him at a conference last month. He has a good reputation."

Or, Mike could give this user a reputable source to search for a plumber:

"Seems @leakycanuck needs a plumber. He should look at ThePlumberDirectory.com and search. There are several good plumbers in Vancouver."

Finally, Mike could simply retweet messages so that his colleagues who are following him will be alerted to possible work:

"Hey guys, if you're in Vancouver, @leakycanuck needs a plumber. Anyone willing to help him out?"

The point is to be creative with your response, offer tangible assistance and keep key words in your response. Why? because people who are following you should be able to understand what you mean in a single tweet. They shouldn't need to follow an entire conversation. Also, people performing a search later on with those same key words will take note of the quality and number of responses you've made, which will lead to more visitors to your profile, more followers and more potential customers who see what you do.

It may seem like you're giving your time and effort away, but if you look at it as an investment in your business, rather than a billboard, people will take notice.

Marian Harmon is a Virtual Assistant specializing in small business support. She can be found on the web at justcallmarian.com or on twitter at twitter.com/justcallmarian