How to use Twitter to grow your blog and make great connections

Another great week of #bmbchat has rolled around and this time, with Twitter being the social-base we decided to talk about ‘How to use Twitter to grow your blog and make great connections’.

Today we’re bringing you a roundup of the things we discussed and some of the key insights that were shared so that you can consider what and how to implement changes to your own Twitter use to grow your blog and make great connections.

Why do you use Twitter? How does it or is it working for you and your blog?

• We had a great a range of answers to this question! It seems that Twitter is a great tool for connecting with journalists, diverting traffic to blogs, networking, promoting individual blogs and finding publishers within your blogs niche.
• Not to be underestimated, some bloggers also suggested Twitter as a fantastic research tool when searching for new blog topics and content due to the real-time ‘social-commentary’ it contains about news. pop culture and events.

Click to Tweet: TIP: Know your goals for using Twitter; don’t be here “because”. Do you want to extend your reach, learn, or connect with inner circle?

• Best practice for promoting your blog on Twitter is a gentle mix of personal content within your blog niche, with links back to your latest post 2-3 times daily. This stops the over-promotion of your blog, whilst reinforcing your knowledge and interest in your niche.
• Another key tip suggested is to tweet links to your posts to people that you think they may resonate with. One key ‘Re-tweet’ from the right person could lead to a torrent of new followers. This should be done sparingly and only to tweeps you already know.
• Tools such as Hootsuite are a great way to schedule tweets for times you aren’t able to be online.

REMEMBER: Everyone started on Twitter with 0 followers at some point (except maybe @problogger  ! Don’t be afraid to ease in.

When it comes to tweeting links – how do you feel about auto tweets? (ie the post tweets automatically when you publish)

• The general consensus here is to schedule your tweets manually as opposed to using auto schedule. This way you know exactly what time certain tweets will be reaching certain segments of your audience.
• A great suggestion was to schedule the same link, with different tone and conversation to target different segments of your audience and to keep things interested.

There was a robust discussion about whether to link your Facebook and Twitter accounts and while some bloggers like this approach there was a strong sentiment that it sends the wrong message to your Twitter network. Some bloggers said that they unfollow anyone who tweets their Facebook links! My personal view is that they shouldn’t be linked for two main reasons. The first is that it looks horrible and uninviting if you have a thread full of Facebook updates and no engagement (especially if your Facebook update is longer than the 140ch and only shows up on Twitter as half a sentence) – it doesn’t inspire me to conenct with you and it tells me that you’re not serious about using Twitter to engage (& therefore to engage with me). The second reason is why would you want to send your audience from one social network you don’t own (Twitter) to another (Facebook)? If you want people to go anywhere as a result of your tweet surely it should either be to your blog or to another webpage that contains valuable or interesting information to position yourself as a person who is interesting and influetial.

Do you think about the time of day you tweet (& share links?) or is it just when you happen to be online?

• Although many people said that they generally tweet when they happen to be online, it seems that best practice is to schedule tweets for key times of the day.
• Commuting time is paramount for an increase in traffic, as most people are busy on their phones and tablets. Evening time between 8-11pm is also a great time for scheduling posts, as people often have more time to read, research and engage with your content.
• Another key tip was to look at domestic v international time in order to engage with a global audience!

Do you struggle to join conversations and connect with the people you want to connect with on Twitter?

• In terms of the other ‘social networks’ available, Twitter is the easiest in terms of establishing direct communication with thought leaders/publishers/celebrities etc.
• Although some Twitter users may struggle to join conversations and connect, perseverance and nurturing key relationships will ultimately lead to trust and engagement.
• Just ensure that your conversation is relevant, informative and engaging to both your key targets and a wider audience

Tip: Social media is all about being SOCIAL! Be friendly, have a conversation and engage!

For any agencies/brands wanting to engage with bloggers on Twitter, what advice would you give them?

• A good start would be to RT a blogger or comment on something that they have shared.
• Be polite, and perhaps ask for a DM with direct contact details if you would like to discuss promoting a product or service on their blog.
• Also, make sure that you read their blog thoroughly before approaching them, see if they offer media lists or work with brands in the first place!

Some great further reading about how bloggers use social media generally is this post: Most Bloggers Think About Social Media The Wrong Way by Julie from Fabulous Blogging.

We’ll be back with Part 2 of the Twitter Chat next week so hope you can join us – Tues 18 Feb, 8pm AEDT (GMT+10) You can stay connected by following us on Twitter

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