Is Twitter just a tool for soccer moms and teenagers who want to feel connected? Maybe it once was, but not any more.

Twitter is now a secret weapon for businesses of all kinds. If you spend a few minutes on Twitter, you're likely to encounter elected officials, movie stars, news anchors, huge corporations, and small businesses, just like yours. And they're all there, tweeting away, 140 characters at a time.

What does Twitter offer your company? With Twitter, you can connect to hundreds or even thousands of people who are interested in you and then build trust with them.

How does it work? Twitter is easy to use, and it can be free. If you use Twitter on your computer on the web, there is no charge. Charges occur only if you use Twitter on a cell phone or another device where you pay for access.

To sign up for Twitter, go to www.Twitter.com. As you sign up, choose a name that identifies your business. You may have to try several possibilities to find one that's available. Keep it short, because on Twitter, every keystroke matters! And keep it pronounceable and memorable.

On the Twitter website you can also create an avatar for your business, which could be your company logo or maybe a photo of your face. An avatar is a small, nearly square graphic that will be your "face" to the Twitter world. It's one of the ways that people will recognize and remember you. You don't have to upload a photo, because Twitter provides a generic avatar. But a small business needs to be noticed, so your own avatar is best.

Once you have a Twitter account, you can start tweeting, which means to type a message that's only up to 140 characters long. What can you use Twitter for? The answers are amazingly varied:

• Do business-to-business networking. Start building relationships with people who might be your future suppliers or team members.
• Take straw polls. Post a question and see what answers you get. For example, "Which do you prefer: 10% off on an order over $100, or free shipping?"
• Announce a new update to your website or the launch of a new product.
• Find prospective employees. There are many job-hunters there.

Do you have to be on Twitter? Certainly not. But you can be sure that many of your competitors are! To learn more about harnessing the power of 140 characters, see these links:

• A Twitter Basics Primer (Livingstonbuzz.com)
• 25 Small Business Twitter Tips (Kyle Lacey)
• Glossary of Twitter Terminology (Michael Kwan)
• Twitter Etiquette: Five Dos and Don'ts: (CIO.com)

If you search business magazines and the Internet, you can find many answers to the question, "What's your greatest asset?" As a small or mid-sized business owner, you might read that it's your company name, your "brand," your reputation, or your customer list.

Yes, all those things are important to a company's success. But there's another answer that is, perhaps, the most compelling of all: It's people. In particular, it's your employees.

If you have even one or two employees, and they are trustworthy, productive, and dedicated, then they are quite possibly the most valuable aspect of your business. Your customers know and rely on them. You certainly rely on them. Together, you function as the total repository of "corporate knowledge" that your company runs on.
What draws good employees to small businesses? One perk is the opportunity to be a big fish in a small pond, as explained in Small Business: Employees Can Be the Greatest Asset (HomeOffice.Today.com). Also important is the greater feeling of company loyalty and connectedness that the employees might find in a smaller business.

As for keeping good employees, one of the best techniques is training. In effect, by training an employee well, you may be growing a future partner or possibly even someone to pass the business to when you're ready to retire. For a selection of informative articles on training, see Training-More Than Paying Lip Service to Your Greatest Asset (SmallBizTrends.com).

For more tips on protecting your greatest asset, check out Create a Winning Employee Retention Strategy (SmallBusinessReview.com).

Every day, the number of businesses with websites is increasing. But is it enough just to have a website? Do you know what impact that site is having on your business?

Let's step back a moment. Maybe you own a business but don't have a website yet. "I can't sell my goods and services on the web," you say. "So why do I need a website?" Here's the short answer: These days, every business needs a website.

Twenty years ago, people turned to the yellow pages to find a business. But today, people are using paper phone directories less and less. So, whether searching for a window cleaner or a street cleaner, they're likely to start with the Internet. And if you're not there to be found, you can bet that your competitors are!

Once you have a website, how do you know whether the site is doing what you want it to do? In order to determine the value of your website, you'll need to know a few things:

• What is it that you want your site to accomplish? To help people find you? To sell goods directly? To provide professional qualifications for the services your company offers?
• Track what you spend to create and maintain your website.
• Identify who you're trying to reach-your target market.

Once you know these details, you can use some tools to estimate the return-on-investment (ROI) of your website, including:

• Website usage statistics
• Measurable impacts on your business, such as online sales or a reduction in phone calls from customers who find answers to their questions on your website, etc.

A helpful technique is to use a search engine, such as Google, to see where you are. For example, search on your company's name or your principal product/service. Or search on your product name, along with your city and state. Does your website show up on the first page of search results? Or, even better, near the top of page one? If it doesn't, talk to your web designer about incorporating keywords that will help search engines find you.

For more information, visit these sites:

• Why Does My Business Need a Website? (ezinearticles.com).
• Calculating Website Return On Investment (UpRunning.com)
• Website ROI (Webpagemistakes.com)
• How to Effectively Choose Your Website's Keywords (SEOchat.com)

If you are a small business owner, did you know that you could be supplying goods or services to the federal government? It's true. Federal procurement policies often provide set-asides that earmark portions of government contracts for certain types of businesses, such as small businesses and those in "protected" categories like women-owned businesses.

For example, let's say you sell office supplies. Chances are that the federal contract to buy those supplies has a certain percentage set-aside for small business. That's your opportunity.

To become federally registered, an excellent place to start is a Department of Defense (DoD) Procurement Technical Assistance (PTA) Center. For no cost or only a nominal fee, PTA helps businesses market their products and services to federal, state, and local governments. While there is no PTA Center in Arizona, offices in surrounding states can provide assistance to Arizona businesses. (For a list of PTA offices, visit the DoD website.)

With the help of PTA, the federal registration process is straightforward and can be done online. Once registered, your business is added to an array of federal databases and you can search for opportunities at FedBizOpps.gov.

A word of caution: When you start this process, you become a target for companies selling services that relate to becoming federally registered, finding opportunities, etc. Be aware that these companies have websites that look like federal sites, but they're not. To be sure who you're dealing with, ask PTA. Also be aware that these service-providing companies charge a fee. You may decide that their services are valuable to you, but it is possible to go through this process without such paid assistance.

To find out more about small businesses and federal contracting, visit these sites:

• U.S. Department of Defense
• U.S. Small Business Administration
• FedBizOpps.gov
• Arizona SBA
• Arizona Registrar of Contractors