If you’re like most people, you’re still trying to figure out exactly how Twitter works, and how it can fit into your home based business marketing strategy. Well, don’t fret because you’re not alone. Many novice and experienced marketers alike are figuring out how to integrate this powerful social media tool into their marketing plans.Launched in 2006, today it is estimated that approximately 5 million people are Twitter users, with approximately 5 to 10 thousand new users joining every day. Clearly, this social networking site has the potential to put your home based business in front of thousands of prospective customers in a matter of minutes.Twitter is a public forum, and some have described it as “instant messaging to the public.” Here’s how Twitter works, on a basic level: Twitter allows you to post texted-based updates, or short messages called “Tweets” limited to 140 characters per tweet. Tweets are displayed on the poster’s Twitter profile, and delivered to those people or “followers” who have signed up to follow you on Twitter. The good news is that you can post an unlimited amount of tweets per day related to your home based business, allowing you to get around the 140 character limitation. When individuals signup to follow you on Twitter, they will see all of your tweets, therefore, the key is to establish a large group of followers who will see your updates on a regular basis.Once you establish your Twitter account, you can begin to build a following by searching for people who have a Twitter account and viewing their followers list.When you view their followers, you can simply click on the button to the right of the person’s picture, and follow each of those individuals on Twitter. Because many individuals set their accounts to automatically follow you back, by following others on Twitter, you can build a massive following of your own quickly, and therefore, build a following for your home based business.Another way to build a following is to simply tell all of your family, friends and associates to sign up as your followers on Twitter. You should also place your twitter URL on all marketing and promotional items. Once you have established a large enough following, you’ll really be able to leverage the power of mass communication. For example, a home based business owner with a following of 100 can literally tweet home base business or product information to those 100 individuals on a daily basis with no costs and minimal effort.Because Twitter is a public forum, however, it’s important to remember to keep your tweets professional, while still giving a personal touch. Tweeting about home based business updates or product information is fine, as long as you balance those posts with helpful or useful information from your particular niche of the home based business industry. Too much self-promotion on Twitter can leave a bad impression among the Twitter community, and can actually damage your business reputation on the long run.