Tired of Twitter talk yet? Wondering why the micro-blogging service with a 140 character limit is getting so much text? The latest Twitter Talley shows there’s good reason b-to-b marketers are twittering. Twitter is the fastest growing member-based community site on the Web.

• As of February 2009, there were 7,038,000 Twitter users—an increase of 1,381%, up from 475,000 the previous year. (According to Nielson NetView.)
• The reported figures from Compete are higher, with over 14 million unique users in March 2009.
• In the blogsphere, talk about Twitter has doubled over the last two months, with nearly 1.2% of all blog posts mentioning the micro-blogging site.

Beyond these numbers, consider all the related sites and applications for managing and monitoring Twitter. TwitterFon and Twitterrific apps for mobile devices. Endless sites dedicated to tracking and monitoring Twitter trends, brand mentions, and social graphing.

You know the Twitter basics. But what is the value of Twitter to b-to-b marketers, and what do you really need to know?

What’s driving Twitter’s growth?

• It’s a human powered newswire. You can get information you are interested in in real time. In the words of Twitter’s CEO, Evan Williams, “Twitter lets people know what’s going on about things they care about instantly, as it happens.”
• Twitter’s format is simple. The 140 character limit is liberating. It’s less intimidating than a blog. People tweet messages they would never blog.
• The communications are genuine. You can monitor what people think and how they feel through active communications.
  It makes you smarter, faster, more efficient, and more connected. If used productively. (It can also be a huge distraction and time waster.)

How can b-to-b marketers use Twitter?
Whether b-to-b or consumer, people buy from people. Twitter is about connecting with people and sharing information.

Listen - Learn how people think and feel. Gather customer insights, solicit feedback, and research.

Share - Communicate thought leadership while staying connected to the market. (Read about the allure of Twitter among the C-level executives). Share news and event updates.

Respond - Build a relationship. Delivery timely customer interactions. Answer complaints. Build and nurture relationships, engaging customers at all stages in the buying cycle.

What b-to-b brands and companies are using Twitter?
Twitter’s Search is a good place to start. The Social Brand Index has lists by category. You can also find and follow top business executives who tweet with the beta ExecTweets. Follow your industry’s leaders and influencers, your competitors, and consider that all messages are brand messages.

What to seriously consider before you Twitter:

• This is not about selling stuff. It’s about creating and advancing customer relationships. You need to become a resource and make yourself available to your followers.
•  It’s not a social media strategy. It’s one tool and tactic.
• It’s a commitment. To compete, you’ve got to tweet. Plan on 5-10 tweets per day as a minimum for an active account with a good following.
• It’s not a search engine optimization tactic. Tweets don’t show up in Google search results, and links can’t impact your search rankings.
• You can’t outsource it or fake it. The communications need to be real. The language is open, direct, and natural. It can’t be faked, and it can’t be done by your agency.
• You can’t control it. Or run everything through legal first.
• Evaluate before you implement. Do you have anything worthwhile to say? Do you have someone eager to listen and respond to what others have to say?

Try listening and following first. Then join the conversation and become part of the community.