Twitter has always been one of my favorite social media platforms, even before I was a blogger and started to use it to grow my blog. I’m always shocked to hear that many bloggers don’t like Twitter!
The thing is, if you’re a blogger, small biz owner, or any kind of entrepreneur and you’re not using Twitter, you’re missing out on huge benefits. A little over a year ago, I wrote a posted all about 5 main reasons all blogger should be using Twitter. That post made some of my blog friends change their minds and they started using Twitter. And you know what? They started seeing Twitter’s benefits!
Twitter is one of my top traffic drawers for Coffee With Summer, which is simply awesome. But, one of the main reasons why I love and swear by Twitter for blogging is because of the relationships and connects you make on it. I want you to experience ALL of the benefits Twitter has to offer you. This is why I’m sharing 10 steps to becoming a Twitter pro!
10 STEPS TO BECOME A TWITTER PRO:
1. Have An Inviting & Complete Profile // The first step to setting any social media profile up for success is to have an inviting and complete profile. What makes up the perfect Twitter profile? I’ll tell ya!
- A Twitter handle – one that’s the same as all of your other social media platform handles, if possible.
- Clear profile photo of yourself
- Your blog URL
- Your location
- Short & sweet bio about yourself – You’ve got to get creative with the 160 characters that you get.
- Pro tip: Include your email in your bio. It helps to have your email easily accessible anywhere you can.
2. Follow People You Genuinely Are Interested In // I cannot encourage this enough to y’all – you’ve got to ONLY follow people on Twitter (and all social media) that you’re genuinely interested in. Follow people that have a similar focus or vision that you have. Follow people that you look up to. Do not follow people if you’re just looking for a follow in return. That shows inauthentic motive. Just follow those who you’re actually wanting to connect with in some way. It’s that simple.
[bctt tweet=”If you want people to genuinely follow you, you must first be genuine in who YOU follow.” username=”SummerTelban”]
3. Utilize Hashtags When Necessary // Twitter is where the hashtag first became a thing back in 2009. But just because that’s where hashtags first developed doesn’t mean you should use them in every single tweet. Hashtags are something you should definitely use on Twitter, but with discretion. You should never typically use more than two hashtags per tweet, but again, it depends. Buffer has this article on How to Use Hashtags, which includes some stats that might be helpful to you.
4. Schedule Out Content // Scheduling out tweets is a really good thing to do, but if it’s all you’re doing, it’s not good. If you’re relying on your automated tweets to grow your platform, you have some really unrealistic expectations. You need a balance between automation and real-time engagement. I’ll share more on that in a bit.
[bctt tweet=”Social media tip: You need a balance between automation and real-time engagement.” username=”SummerTelban”]
I use Hootsuite to schedule out tweets of my own content (blog posts, graphics, etc.) and I use Buffer to scheduling retweets or tweet of other bloggers’ content. This is the method that works best for me. I use both the free versions of Hootsuite and Buffer for now, but in my opinion, they definitely are worth upgrading if/when you need to.
Some ideas of content to schedule out:
- New blog posts
- Old blog posts
- Branded graphics
- Relevant quotes
- Other blogger’s content
- Share content that is relevant to your blog’s niche/focus. For example, I’m a life & style blogger. You’re not going to see me retweeting a blog post about parenting.
[bctt tweet=”10 Steps To Becoming A Twitter Pro” username=”SummerTelban”]
5. Find A Balance In What You Post // Balance is everything, especially on Twitter. You don’t want to share too much of one thing. You’ve got to find a balance that is great for you and what you share on Twitter. There’s the obvious 70/30 rule when it comes to sharing content. You want the blog posts you’re tweeting out to be 70% of other people’s content and 30% of your own. But you’re not sharing just these kinds of content. If you are, I highly recommend adding some more variety into your strategy, such as quotes, quick tips, and graphics/video clips. Instead of retweeting other people’s content, try scheduling some tweets out of their content and always be sure to credit them! Whatever you end up sharing on Twitter, let there be a well-defined balance.
[bctt tweet=”If you want to grow on Twitter, you’ve got to share a variety of content.” username=”SummerTelban”]
Another thing that I’m a huge believer in incorporating into your Twitter strategy is to have everyday life conversations with your followers. Ask polls, silly and serious. Tweet about your day, good or bad. It’s hugely important to make sure that you maintain your personality and brand’s personality into your social media platforms. This is how you find real connections.
6. Credit Your Sources // I just mentioned in my last point that you need to always remember to credit your sources. Crediting your sources aren’t just good ethics and etiquette, but it’s also in your favor. By properly crediting your sources, you’re opening yourself up to have that tweet retweeted by the original author. This helps to not only expand their content, but it helps expand your profile, which can lead other new readers to you.
This is a great incentive to make sure you’re always sharing other people’s work! Share the love.
7. Utilize Twitter Analytics // Friends, if you’re not using Twitter analytics, you’re really missing out on some great information. Twitter analytics shows you your top tweets, profile visits, top mentions, and tons more. It breaks it down so well. Twitter analytics is huge to figure out the kinds of tweets your followers enjoy engaging with the most.
8. Use Twitter Lists // Many bloggers say they get overwhelmed with Twitter, because there’s always so much going on. The solution to this is to create lists. Create lists of just bloggers and create lists of those who serve as encouragement or recreational following. When you create lists, you can switch between them depending on who/what you’re looking to connect with at the time. I know this has been a huge help to many, many bloggers!
[bctt tweet=”Are you a blogger who’s overwhelmed by Twitter? Try utilizing Twitter lists!” username=”SummerTelban”]
9. Interact In Real-Time // I briefly touched on this earlier, but real-time engagement is what Twitter is all about. This is actually what one of the top preventers is for some bloggers using Twitter. Some people feel like they don’t have time to engage in real-time. The thing is, real-time engagement is a huge key for growth. You don’t have to be engaging in real-time engagement all of the time, but it’s absolutely needed.
[bctt tweet=”If your entire social media strategy is automation, you’re never going to experience growth.” username=”SummerTelban”]
So, my encouragement it to hop on Twitter for 10-15 minutes at least twice a day to engage with others. Tweet to others, answer questions, and have fun connecting.
[bctt tweet=”True community is formed from real, authentic interactions, not automation.” username=”SummerTelban”]
10. Be Human // Social media as a whole has caused many people to wear masks and put up facades. Friends, don’t let this happen to you. Be raw and real. Be authentic. Be genuine. Don’t try to be someone else. Be yourself. When you’re unashamedly yourself, you’ll grow some amazing connections with others. You also won’t have the burden weighing on your shoulders to be perfect or to always looks like all is well. Be you. Be human. Be real. Your followers will really respect you for that.
[bctt tweet=”Want to grow your community? Be unashamedly yourself.” username=”SummerTelban”]
Are you a devoted Twitter user? Or are you someone wanting to get into Twitter? What tips of these have you implemented and what do you want to? Let’s chat Twitter strategy!
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