For any small business and especially for early stage startups, creating exposure and getting your message out can be a distraction in addition to costing money you may just not have.  Sure there are lots of new Web 2.0 tools out there that can be leveraged, but many of them still take what amounts to significant time for an entrepreneur, and may require some specialized marketing, PR or IT skills to appropriately portray your company or brand.

While a lot business owners are still scratching their heads when it comes to Twitter, a recent post over at the SmatBlog on Social Media suggests Twitter may be an excellent starting point for small businesses to take advantage of social media channels.  This short posts lists three ways Twitter can benefit a small business or startup (with virtually no cost):

1. Use it as a home base
2. Get market research
3. Find leads

Of course, no tool is without cost.  This article, like many Twitter-focused articles, neglects to factor in the time and effort involved in attracting followers to your account, and you will need a strategy.  That said, for a very small amount of time spent using Twitter you may be able to reap significant benefits for your small business.