YNOT EUROPE – Did you know more than 60 percent of Twitter users access the social network while at work? Did you also know the majority of Twitter users are adults between 35 and 49? These statistics indicate Twitter has the potential to become an impressive marketing arm for your business.

Businesses of all types consistently are employing Twitter in their marketing strategies. The most successful Twitter marketing ploys usually have five things in common.

They are authentic and use a conversational tone.
Each Twitter user has his or her own style, but remember that at its heart, Twitter is a conversation. Instead of constantly directing users to your business website, be sure to offer opinions and tips here and there. Discussing everything from sports to favorite recipes can make your company — or whatever it is you’re promoting — more attractive to your customers. Help the community, and it will help you.

They offer special deals to followers.
Occasionally offering other Twitter users a promotional product can be a great marketing tactic. The key is to use the promo posts as a carrot to create interest in your business. Offering customers a promotional T-shirt or some other small, physical item in exchange for following your business on Twitter is one way to build a loyal customer base.

They indicate the company behind the tweet cares.
After one gentleman complained about a certain pizza company on Twitter, the company rushed to contact the man and overcome his grievance. How did the company know he tweeted a complaint? The company was in tune with what other Twitter users were saying and searched the tweet stream until they found the dissatisfied customer. Always stay on top of what your customers are tweeting about your company. If someone is unhappy, try to fix the problem. In most cases, the now-satisfied customer will let everyone know in the same way he let them know his displeasure.

They are part of a 2-10-times-daily stream.
Tweeting 20 or more times a day puts a Twitter user in the “spammer” category unless some major event has everyone talking. However, if you tweet only once a day, then you risk being overlooked among the noise. Try tweeting anywhere from two to 10 times daily. In this way, customers know your Twitter account is alive and well, but you’re not going to flood them with comments they care nothing about. In addition, no matter how many times a day you tweet, ensure every post has to someone besides you.

They’re tech-savvy.
MarketMeSuite, formerly MarketMeTweet, is one of many business applications that can be used to improve your company’s Twitter returns. Management programs like MarketMeSuite perform everything from Facebook integration to pre-scheduling tweets. Links to blog posts also can be automatically tweeted with the service.

Twitter Marketing can be much easier if you bear these five tips in mind — not only for you, but for your customers, as well.

Jon Harte is an affiliate marketer from Ventura, Calif.