Here are eight reasons to use Twitter to promote your business:

1. Stay on top of industry trends. Follow authorities in your industry, including authors, trade associations, and related organizations so that you’re always learning.

2. Attract your target audience. Find them, exchange tweets with them, share information with them. Twitter is an active community covering a wide range of demographics, making it a powerful place to share content and build your audience.

3. Monitor breaking news. I personally learned about the deaths of Ted Kennedy and Michael Jackson via the almost instantaneous tweets on Twitter, not to mention other important news alerts that come through in a blink.

4. It’s fun! Really! Twitter gives you a great platform for connecting with potential clients, customers, peers, and alliance partners, not to mention an active community of content where you can learn at every turn. Each day is a new adventure full of opportunities.

5. Find discounts and special offers. Retailers share coupons, sale announcements, and other offers for their Twitter followers.

6. Conduct industry research. You can use Twitter as a platform for asking questions and getting important answers from your audience.

7. Drive traffic to your Website or blog. Share new blog posts and articles on Twitter along with a link back to your site and you will discover how powerful this platform can be.

8. To use it well, you’ve got to love it. I don’t know anyone who has built a large audience yet finds Twitter frustrating, annoying, or time consuming. The real secret to success on Twitter is to enjoy using it because that will come through and will make everything you do there stand out even more.

— Stephanie Chandler, businessinfoguide.com