Social networking has taken the web by storm. You have probably heard of the big name sites, even if you are not sure what they are or how they work. These massive Social Networking sites allow you to meet and greet thousands of potential customers without ever picking up the telephone. One of the most popular is Twitter. You may have heard of the 140-character messaging phenomenon, but might not yet know how Twitter can help your business.

Twitter is a micro-messaging system that works like an instant messenger, except it is not contained to your list of friends, but is instead exposed to the online world. These messages, or "tweets" as they are called, can send out upcoming sales, special offers, and fresh information -- anything you want to promote. Because the messages are short and simple, you can advertise without needing to create long sales copy or print hundreds of flyers.

While Twitter is one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business, it can be time consuming. The 140-character messages can take time to compose, as you want to make the best use of the limited space available. And if you are marketing several products or services, you don't want to be consumed with creating crafty SMS messages all day. This is where a direct response marketing agency can assist you.

Not all marketing agencies have gone this high-tech yet, but some are now offering SMS text data plans to their list of services. In other words, they can create and send your tweets for you based on your ideas. Coupons, one-day sales, 2-for-1 offers, even grand openings can be sent via Twitter to reach an audience that you could never reach through any other type of marketing.

Let's face it: everyone is mobile, so why not capture leads and create a list of followers who are already interested in what you are marketing? With the advancements in technology, cell phones have the capability to do everything your home computer can do and it is all right at your fingertips. Imagine a tweet coming across for a great sale you are promoting -- if a potential customer is out and about, they may be more inclined to pay you a visit.

Your promotion efforts do not have to stop there. Only a top-notch direct response marketing agency will keep the marketing efforts going with business cards, outdoor advertising, sign riders, and even GoCodes (the new way to shorten a long URL) so you can include it anywhere you advertise. Twitter can help your business and save you money if you know how to use it to your advantage.