I met Nicky Kriel on LinkedIn a couple of years ago, and we quickly discovered that we shared similar opinions about many aspects of social media. When I found out that she was writing a book about Twitter, I was sure it would be a hit. I’ve just finished reading it, and it’s everything I expected, and then some.

If you’re ready to start using Twitter, How to Twitter for Business Success provides all the basic information you’ll need, including a checklist for setting up your Twitter account, explanations of terminology frequently used on Twitter, and guidelines for tweeting. However, the book is not strictly for newbies.

There are also lots of tips for using Twitter features such as Direct Messages, Favorites, lists, advanced search, hashtags, and trending topics – useful even if you’ve been on the site for a while – as well as advice for building your audience, engaging with your followers, driving traffic to your website, and converting that traffic into business.

I joined nearly five years ago, and I discovered lots of important information in this book – not all of it was new to me, but even a refresher is valuable from time to time. It’s too easy to fall into certain patterns without even noticing whether they’re still achieving the desired results. I’m especially looking forward to trying out some of the tools Nicky recommends for finding people to follow, backing up your Twitter and other social media accounts, and blocking spam Direct Messages.

Last but not least, there are guidelines around managing your time, including the use of automation (some is good; too much is bad).

How to Twitter for Business Success is a must read for any business owner who is already using Twitter or wants to get started. For those who are still on the fence, there’s even a chapter outlining the pros and cons, to help you make an informed decision.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of the book as a gift from the author, but I was not asked to write a review, and all opinions are my own.