If Twitter.com was around during Gandhi’s time, Martin Luther King’s time or even during Hitler’s hey day, you can bet these leaders would have used it to develop a massive online following. They missed out – but you’re fortunate to have access to this amazing tool.

Basically, Twitter.com is a social media site. Specifically, it’s a micro-blogging site that allows you to keep in contact with others using 140-character posts. Some people use it to keep in touch with friends.

But you can use it to find people in your niche, develop a following (AKA a list of contacts), and develop a good business relationship with your followers. In addition, you’ll also be able to position yourself as an expert in your niche, drive traffic to your newsletter list and even find prospective joint venture partners.

Here’s how:

* Join Twitter.com and fill out your profile. Be sure to let people know a little about you and your interests (so they can decide whether they want to follow you on the site). Use your real name (or pen name), picture and include your website link.

* Create a few posts. Start off by “tweeting” (posting) about things that will interest your target market. Don’t post promotional links just yet. Instead, just make a few good contributions so your page doesn’t look so barren.

* Find people in your niche. Your next step is to develop your list of followers. Obviously, you should blog about your Twitter profile, mention it to your newsletter list, and include your Twitter link as part of your forum signature lines.

Next, you can seek out other people on Twitter by clicking on the “Find People” link. Best way to find those of like minds is by searching for a single keyword related to your niche. When you find people in your niche, click the “follow” link – you’ll find a good percentage of people will follow you back.

Once you’ve found a few people in your niche, then you can uncover even more by following the people who are following them. In particular, be sure to follow those who have large followings and are active on the site.

Your list of followers will grow virally, as people will find you through their contacts.

* Connect and tweet. Finally, start Twittering. Tweet (post) interesting bits of wisdom, tips, advice and links to articles. Occasionally you can post a link to a product. And always, connect personally and develop relationships with some of your followers by personally using the reply-to and direct message features.

Using Twitter is just one way to help establish yourself as a respected expert in your niche. To get your hands on an entire strategy that will turn you into the niche guru, check [[Niche Expert Secrets - coming soon]] out!