The rise of social media platforms, like Twitter, over the past few years has opened a lot of doors for bloggers to extend their reach across the internet. Over the past few years, I have had the pleasure to work with several different bloggers, and I have noticed a recurring trend: those that were effectively using Twitter had a much higher level of readers. I have always had trouble using this social platform, but there is no denying its power. Thus, here are a few tips that I’ve learned from the blogging experts that can also help you to promote your own blog using all of Twitter’s different capabilities and features.
Remember to Cross-Promote
Make sure you send a tweet out when you publish a new blog post, and make sure that your Twitter handle is included in each new post. This may seem simple, but it’s the first step towards intertwining your Twitter account with your blog. Using your Twitter together with your blog ensures that people who already read your blog can easily follow you on Twitter and be kept up to date, whilst new readers who find your blog via Twitter will always be able to find your latest posts. I have found that using Twitter in this method only takes a couple minutes and it can greatly expand your audience.
Follow Wisely
Who you follow will be publicly visible to anyone who visits your Twitter account, so make sure that the accounts you choose to follow are in tune with the tone of your blog. This is not to say it’s best to be overcautious with who you follow. To make the best use of the service, you should follow a wide range of people. For instance, following other users, such as OrangeSoda’s Twitter, will help you see what type of strategies you can use to promote your blog. I put this twitter up there because the company is respectable and they also offer constant tips for using social media more effectively. Be sure to also follow those prominent voices that support your own views and opinions.
Interact With Your Readership
The beauty of Twitter is that it allows for real-time conversation between you and your readers. I’ve found it is easy to carry on a conversation over Twitter no matter where I am, since I don’t have to worry about making long responses, but keep it short and sweet. Whilst you can reply to a comment left on one of your blog posts, a back and forth on Twitter is less formal and therefore more engaging for the reader, and potentially more insightful for you.
Actively Seek Out What’s Being Discussed
The search function on Twitter is sorely underused, with your average user relying on top trends to steer them around the site. I admit that I had never actually used the search function on Twitter, but it really helps to catch trends and movements as they are just beginning.To get ahead of the game, search for reactions to your blog, or reactions to the topic that you’re writing about, in order to get a larger picture of what people think about your blog and how they are responding to your content. This can help you to steer your blog in the direction that will attract the greatest number of visitors, while also keeping your blog relevant.
Twitter is hugely powerful tool and it is a completely free service, allowing for you to have easy access to a variety of different resources that can greatly increase the success of your blog. While I know that many people like me have difficulties using this social platform, it is relatively simple to operate and it can bring enormous results for any blog or website.