These eight ‘twips’ are best practices for building long-term high-payout Twitter accounts. Remember effective Twitter marketing is about building relationships and beginning a conversation – not making the sale. Your website makes the sale. Your time spent on Twitter interacting with your audience drives prospects to your website. Heavy-handed marketing or high-pressure sales directly on Twitter will not work in the long run.

Top Eight ‘Twips’ for Marketing on Twitter:

• Avoid Automation. People instantly unfollow people who write like bots. Demonstrate that you’re human by writing each of your tweets. Don’t publish automatic prescripted tweets, your audience will know.

• Be personal. Personal tweets let people see who you are. If your tweets are just about your niche, then followers may think you’re just a robot. Lesson: Post occasional tweets that aren’t strictly about your niche. Avoid mundane, ‘too much information’, tweets.  No one cares that you’re at Starbucks drinking a latte.

• Be a Wordsmith. To write effective tweets, learn about and use fundamental copywriting techniques. Write tweets so effective that even you would want to click on them.

• Talk to the Gurus. Twitter is great for opening up dialogue with big names in your niche. Ease your way into relationships with them by answering questions they ask in Twitter. In responding to them by tweet, you are helping them gain popularity.

• Two-Way Street. Don’t just send out Tweets, spend time responding to others. So much on Twitter is one-way communication; you begin to wonder if anyone is listening. Take the time to reply to people you’re following. This technique is the best way to build new followers, too.

• Too Much of a Good Thing. Twitter is not the place to publish updates every half hour. Don’t rattle off tweet after tweet. Followers won’t listen if you bombard their wall with all your tweets. Be thoughtful and meaningful with your 140 characters and use them wisely. I recommend a max of 5 tweets per day.

• Appreciate Twitter Culture. Follow Friday is an example of how to use Twitter quirks to strengthen your relationship with your followers. Follow Friday is when members recommend other Twitterers to follow. Try recommending four or five people who you feel others will get value from following. Participating in Follow Friday is a great way to fit into the Twitter community.

• Share Your Tweets. Tell everyone that they can follow you on Twitter.  Add a link to your account on your blog or website. Include your Twitter URL in the signature of your emails and blog posts. I would even add it to your business card!