Twitter isn’t just for telling people what you had for lunch or for pondering the mysteries of the universe out loud. Many businesses now use Twitter to stay in touch with customers and, more importantly, to promote their products. Bloggers can use Twitter the same way. Online writers can use this micro blogging site to promote their regular-sized blog to drive traffic and get new readers. If you’re a blogger and you haven’t established a Twitter account yet, here are ten tips to set up a Twitter account and get the most out of this service for your blog.
1. USER NAME
“Branding” is the hot marketing buzzword and it’s crucial here. The title of your blog is your brand and brands need to be consistent across all channels of communication. Remember this when choosing a user ID for Twitter. Try to pick an ID that is close to the name you “do business” as or the name of your blog. This will encourage familiarity and make followers remember your brand, not just your Tweets.
2. BIO
Don’t leave your Twitter bio blank. That’s valuable ad space. Instead, explain who you are and the purpose of the blog you’re promoting. Be sure to use relevant keywords, which will make your Twitter profile easier to find by users searching by subject.
3. URL
Cross promotion is a key tactic, and we will get more in depth with it in a moment. First, be sure to list your blog’s URL in your profile under the “more info URL” section. Remember that your goal in establishing this account is to drive traffic to your blog. Telling them exactly where the blog is located is the crucial first step to achieving this objective.
4. CROSS PROMOTE
Remember that promotion is vital and none of your online resources exist in a vacuum. Your web site, blog, Facebook page, Google+ profile and more should all include links to each other. While the purpose of this Twitter account is to promote your blog, it’s important to get as many eyes on every source of content you produce. More followers on any one of them can snowball into more blog traffic.
5. PICTURE
For your profile picture, you want to choose something eye catching and memorable. At the same time, remember the “branding” concept. If your blog has a particular logo or photo it’s known for, then this should definitely be your profile picture on Twitter. If not, maybe now’s the time to start working on that logo branding strategy.
6. TWEET FIRST
Some businesses that are new to Twitter just start following like mad. This is not a good idea because it makes the account look like a spammer. Instead of doing this, send a handful of well-written Tweets over a few days. These can be opinions, links, greetings or whatever you want. It’s just very important to have some content before you start casting the net for followers.
7. MANUFACTURE SOME FOLLOWERS
Even if you follow the guideline to Tweet first before following and searching for followers, actually getting those followers might be tough. Twitter users are naturally wary of following anyone who doesn’t have any followers. You can populate your follower list yourself, though, by asking friends, family and business associates to follow you. Don’t forget to follow your business account with your personal account, too.
8. PARTICIPATE
A great way to get Twitter followers – who will hopefully then follow your blog – is to participate in conversations. If you say something interesting, Twitter users may check your profile. From there they might choose to follow you and then check out your blog. Popular comments are also frequently retweeted, sending your messages to other Twitter users that aren’t following you – yet.
9. RETWEET
Twitter users love retweets. A retweet says someone liked your comment enough to tell others. By rewteeting someone’s comments, you flatter them and make them more apt to follow you, check out your block and possibly even promote you. If Twitter were a real world, then retweets could be seen as capital.
10. FOLLOW THE BIGS
Search Twitter and find the big, influential Twitter members in your area of interest. Following them and joining their discussions will lead to a much larger audience and the possibility of more followers.
James is one of the experts at a British printer cartridge website where he works with toner , ink and a range of printer related products. He also spends a lot of time blogging, writing and web surfing.
