My guest post today is Natalie from Mommy of a Monster. On her blog she writes about all things motherhood but today at TMC, she is sharing some fabulous reasons why bloggers should be utilizing Twitter to help grow their blog. {And if you leave a comment on this post, be sure to add your Twitter handle so we can follow you}!
Are you a tweep? Do you tweet? Retweet? Use hashtags? Use the @ sign to get in touch with someone? Can you say something clever using only 140 characters?
If you have NO idea what I’m talking about, chances are, you either aren’t using Twitter to help grow your blog or you are on Twitter, but have no idea what you’re doing.
If you aren’t using Twitter to get people to go to your blog, you are missing out on a huge opportunity to both drive traffic to your blog and gain readers. For bloggers, Twitter can be an amazing tool. Much like you would spend time visiting other blogs and social media outlets (i.e. Blog Frog or Facebook) to meet other bloggers, Twitter can help do the same thing.
Before I started tweeting, I thought: Why do I care who is going to the grocery store or what somebody had for lunch? And why would people care what I had for lunch? And I’ll be honest, sometimes people do send out tweets like that (myself included) but most people use Twitter to have fun conversations, ask questions and get immediate answers, share information about blogging, parenting, cooking, or anything else, and to drive traffic to their blogs/sites. In fact, Gigi from KludgyMom wrote a free eBook titled Getting Over Your Fears of Twitter which you can easily download that will help you get started!
Here are five reasons why every blogger should use Twitter:
1. You can drive traffic to your blog. Use Twitter to market yourself. Some people get on Twitter and the only thing they do is tweet about their current posts. Those people probably don’t get much traffic because they aren’t engaging or communicating with others. Twitter is about engaging your audience and building relationships. As a rule of thumb, for every ten tweets that you send out, only one of them should be asking people to visit your blog…the rest should be “talking” with other people. Twitter is all about marketing yourself, and your blog. People want to know you and the only way we get to know each other is through engagement.
2. It’s a way to microblog. There’s a 140 character limit on Twitter, and it is liberating! You don’t have to labor over a post or search for the right words. Some of the tweets that have gotten the most attention are as simple as “Tater just sat down at the table to eat lunch naked. Wonder where his clothes went” because parents relate to it, it’s funny, and people like to know that their kids aren’t the only ones that do crazy things.
3. Networking. Twitter makes it super easy to meet new people and bring people together. You can easily and casually introduce people via light hearted Twitter banter. It’s like meeting someone at a backyard barbeque as instead of a formal business meeting. Informality is a great ice breaker, and it encourages people to let their guard down a little.
4. Quick answers. You can ask all sorts of questions to the Twitter universe, from what is the capital of California to what people think of a particular brand of baby food. And the more followers you have the more detailed answers you will receive.
5. It’s fun and addicting. Once you get the hang of it, Twitter is fun and very addicting! It’s a great way to get to know other bloggers because it is so informal…it’s like talking to a friend throughout the day without ever having to pick up the phone. I tweet with my friends and we only email back and forth if we are having long or detailed conversation.
If you haven’t tried Twitter yet, you really should! It’s a fantastic way to get yourself out there and you’ll be surprised not only by how many great people you’ll meet, but if you use it correctly, how much more traffic will show up on your blog!
Please send me an email if you are interested in guest posting at Theta Mom® for TMC Network. Full details can be found on the Network page.
I know I should be working on my manuscript, but Twitter is sooo much more fun!!
as always, Nat, GREAT POST!!!!
Twitter has REALLY changed my blogging life. I never realized how EASY it is to connect to people. I’ve only been blogging since May, but at first I was blogging to myself (lol). Then, sometime around December, I joined Twitter and WOWSA! Not only have I connected with others so easily, but also I’ve gotten more followers and traffic to my little baby blog. Plus, it IS fun. And it brought me to the Theta Mom Community, which I love.
I love twitter as well. It’s really changed my life. It’s allowed me to connect with the bloggers I love on a deeper level… and made me decide to go to conference on a whim (um, BBC Philly maybe?) because of the bloggers that would be there.
Love the conversations that are there more than the promoting – although I do love to read what everyone promotes… but I think the “promoting” factor is almost getting to be too much for some people at times. It’s definitely a fine line.
Thank you for this post! It was exactly what I needed. I recently joined Twitter and have had a slow time getting the hang of it. I describe it as like being the ‘new girl’ in school who doesn’t know anyone but wants to make friends! I’m definitely going to stick with it.
Fabulous info…I will get this…I must! Thanks!
Twitter is great! It is easy to loose myself over there and find that it has been an hour, and tweeting is all I’ve done….but that time spent building connections and friendships is worth it!
Great post. I’m still getting the hang of Twitter even though I’ve been blogging for a year. I can see its addictive qualities though. Also people have just schooled me to apps like TweetDeck and Hoot Suite which could make the Twitter experience a lot easier.
I never go to Twitter.com. HootSuite & TweetDeck are awesome. Scheduling tweets has changed. me. life. I will look you up on Twitter.
It has really helped me grow relationships with my readers.
thank you so much for this info, I use twitter but don’t know any of the great short cuts.
Couldn’t agree more, Miss Natalie. Couldn’t agree more.
Great post! I definitely suffer from the sin of plugging my blog and not hanging out building relationships! I used to hand out in there and LOVED it, but it is a time commitment that I just don’t have right now!
Twitter gave my traffic a nice boost, plus I’ve met some fab new online connections. You post is right on the money.
This is such a great post-I have just retweeted it!
Best wishes,
Natasha.
Great post! I am new to Twitter and still trying to figure it out, but I have seen how it can be addicting! @AHomeMadeByKiki
oops…here’s my handle
that s the thing – it is too adddictive. This is why I am afraid to start spending much time there
I agree! Twitter is lots more fun than I expected. I’m still trying to figure it out though!
I remember when I first heard a blogging friend talking about twitter…
“Have you started Twittering?”
Huh?
I thought, That is a really personal question to be asking someone over dinner. And we don’t know her all that well… why would she ask that?
Now, I am addicted to Twittering – which we all know is “Tweeting”
Twitter can definitely be addicting! My hubby (@bgardner) got me hooked on it! It’s also a great way to meet people that you would have never met before!!
I’ve been working on getting the hang of Twitter. I agree with the commenter above who said she feels a bit like the new kid in school. I like how it has evolved over time, though…most people I follow link to great stuff I wouldn’t have found on my own. Usefulness is critical!
This is very helpful! I am learning more and more about twitter. I have already made some great connections and people have visited my blog from twitter. The tough part for me is finding those simple statements to peak interest to click the link and come on over.
I remember when I first heard of twitter, I thought it was just for famous people. lol
I love Twitter – im forever refreshing my screen, updating my tweets but find it annoying when bloggers who have a huge follower base either ignore your replys or tweets – im sure they were newbies once upon a time.
I thought this was a GREAT article! I am new to Twitter and still trying to figure it out… like I’m still not sure about hashtags (like once you # something, what do you do next??) or setting up groups, or all of that jazz, but I am looking forward to utilizing it more!
I’m just learning the joys of twittering and would LOVE some tips! I’m hopeful it will drive some traffic to my blog and my twitter because currently I am tweeting to myself!
Doesn’t help that I really don’t have any idea how to use twitter properly! Any tips would be greatly appreciated!