Twitter is a social network that people tend to either love or hate (or just not understand). It's one of my personal favorites for the speed of communicating, but many clients question the value. Not every social network is appropriate for each person or business, so I'm breaking down how to get the most out of Twitter.

In the Beginner's Guide to Twitter Part One we discussed:

• Why entrepreneurs should be using Twitter
• Best practices for setting up your profile
• What, when, and how often to post
• How to gain Twitter followers
• The difference between a retweet and a favorite

Now we're going to dive into hashtags, lists, analytics and chats so you can step up your game for business.

How should you use hashtags on Twitter?

Hashtags allow people to view all the tweets around a certain topic and interact with others with a similar interest.

Use your hashtags wisely, though. If you use too many it will junk up your tweet and distract from your actual message. You should also really think about your hashtags (on Twitter and Instagram). Are people actually searching on that topic? Are you just adding it to get likes, in which case, are they quality likes (qualified leads)?

• Events: If you're attending a conference/trade show/etc there's a good chance there's a hashtag for it.
• Trending Topics: Join a trending conversation and stay up to date on what people are tweeting most about
• Locations: Find people close to you, find things to do when traveling, etc.
• Popular Themes: For the health and wellness world, some popular hashtags include things like #MeatlessMonday and #MondayMotivation.

Hashtag Tools

• Keyhole: Conversation / hashtag tracker for Twitter and Instagram
• Hashtagify.me: Find similar hashtags
• Tagboard: Monitor hashtags in a nice, visual way

What are Twitter Lists?

Twitter lists are a way to organize the people you follow so you can view segmented timelines of tweets.

For example, since my business covers a few different topics, I have lists for:

You can see which lists others have added me to here. This would be a good place for me (or another similar Twitter user) to go to find like-minded people.

How can you access Twitter Analytics?

Go to https://analytics.twitter.com/ while you're logged into your account.

You'll see a dashboard with helpful statistics like this:

1 Quick Twitter Tip for Beginners

If you are responding to someone or starting a tweet with someone's handle (@twittername), only that person and people who follow you both will see the tweet. If you want more people to see it, add a . in front of the @ symbol.

5 Twitter Chats to Join for Creative Entrepreneurs

I love Twitter chats. I've only joined a few, but I always learn so much and have made some great connections. Here are a handful worth looking into:

1. #creativecoffeehour -- Mondays 9pm EST -- Hosted by Callie Gisler
2. #createlounge -- Wednesdays 8pm EST -- Hosted by Kayla Hollatz
3. #ellechat -- Thursdays 8pm EST -- Hosted by Lauren Hooker
4. #blisschat -- Thursdays 8pm EST -- Hosted by Charissa Moore CCT
5. #OWSchat -- 1st Wednesday of each month at 9pm EST -- Hosted by One Woman Shop

There are a ton more great Twitter chats out there, but these are just a few I've jumped into in the past. Chloe Social has a handy Twitter Chat list in her sidebar here, and Elle & Co. recently posted this Helpful Guide for Utilizing Twitter Chats.

If you know of a good one, leave a comment to share with everyone!

Join me on Twitter. Start a conversation or ask me a question!

Read part one here: Beginner's Guide to Twitter: Profile Set-up, Posts + Followers {Part 1}

In the Comments:

What has kept you from trying Twitter?

-or-

What do you love about Twitter?