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If you’re new around here, you may not know that Twitter is my favorite social media platform. I created my first Twitter account 7 years ago in college. It was definitely not the account I use now, but was one I specifically for school. We would have Twitter Chats (before they were called that) and live tweet some of the material we watched during class. We were even graded based on participation.
Now I use Twitter largely as a marketing platform for myself and my blog. I don’t always have as much time as I’d like to be able to chat and participate. Yet even when I’m not at my desk or have my phone handy to be tweeting, I’m still “there.” When I started blogging, I started a brand new account with no followers. Slowly in a year and a half, I’ve grown my following and finally feel more confident in my “Twitter Routine.” Here’s how I’ve done it.
9 Tips to Use Twitter More Effectively For Your Blog
1. Schedule posts in advance, so even when you’re away, you’re really not.
Consistency is key, and I personally love Buffer to help me do this. When I went on vacation in January, I had scheduled out the entire week I was gone plus some extra. You can use Buffer for free for 10 posts at a time, or it’s $10 a month for 100 posts. I also like that Buffer has suggested posts to help me on days when I’m a little low on content to share.
2. Twitter chats.
Admittedly I don’t participate as much as I would like to, but these are a great way to get connected with new bloggers and creatives. For fashion bloggers, I love #StyleChat (Wednesdays, 12pm PST). For creatives, there is #CreateLounge (Wednesdays, 5pm PST). For beauty bloggers, try #BeautyChat (Fridays, 11am PST).
3. Tag people, but tag them correctly.
I hate to be the Twitter police, but SO many bloggers tag people the wrong way. If your tweet looks like this:
@hellorigbyblog You know, I’ve been the same way for a few weeks but in the last few days the posts are flowing! That happens sometimes…
— Cat (@oddlylovely) March 4, 2015
The only person who will see it is the people who follow both Cat and I. This is totally fine in this situation because Cat and I were having a conversation. Also, please don’t tag someone at the end of your tweets when you’re having a conversation. It’s really hard to read in your timeline when you can’t see the context. This, on the other hand, this was a tagging fail:
@thebaileycarlinSorry 2 hear this!Take them 2 ur local str&hv a mgr look @them.Once deemed defective you’ll get a rfnd or exchg — Old Navy Official (@OldNavy) June 27, 2014
In this instance, Old Navy was trying to have a conversation, but because they didn’t space the username properly, their entire audience saw this customer service fail. Oops.
If you want to tag someone at the beginning of a tweet, do it like this, with a period before the tag:
.@kendieveryday tops off her boyfriend jeans with the must-have field jacket. pic.twitter.com/JNfHXXZfbX
— Old Navy Official (@OldNavy) February 27, 2015
OR, just restructure your tweet, like this:
Love @oddlylovely‘s list of her favorite pup products: http://t.co/58CUku1BoW #doglove — suki (@suki) March 5, 2015
4. Check your analytics to see what your followers really like.
By keeping up with your analytics, you can see which tweets are most favorited, retweeted, and clicked on. You also can get some information about your followers, like their main interests, their general age range, location, and gender. Not surprisingly, 87% of my followers identify as female, 8% are from Seattle, and their interests include shopping, fashion, and beauty.
5. Have a genuine conversation!
Twitter is all about engaging and chatting… well, in 140 characters or less! But that’s my favorite part of it – asking questions, getting answers and building friendships.
6. Utilize photos when sharing blog posts.
I, like a lot of others, are visual people. When I see an interesting photo, I’m much more likely to click on your tweet, and thus click on your link. I always try to include a photo when possible with my tweets.
7. Share others content.
The beauty of Twitter is quickly and easily sharing others content. Love an article about Gilmore Girls? Tweet it out! Tag the author, and you’re sure to put a smile on their face.
8. Use hashtags when appropriate, but don’t get too crazy.
Twitter is searchable without the # in front, but using certain hashtags like “#bbloggers”, “#fbloggers”, or “#vloggers” can help you reach a new audience who follows those hashtags. Ironic hashtags are always fun in my book too, I use “#thestruggleisreal” and #sorrynotsorry fairly often. ;)
9. Most of all, have fun.
Twitter shouldn’t be taken SO SERIOUSLY all the time. Having fun and tweeting quips, silly PSAs, and dumb stuff your dog/kids/SO did is important too. I follow you on Twitter because I like you and I want little sneak peeks into your life outside of your blog.
What are some of the ways you’ve been using Twitter for your blog, yourself, or a business? I’d love to hear about it!
I say Hootsuite works fine, too!
That’s good to know!
Hootsuite is my life saver, otherwise I would be a major fail on Twitter. I need to be better about joining in on some Twitter chats.
I could be a bit better about joining chats too, and glad to hear that Hootsuite is working well for you! :)
I’m fairly new to Twitter and had NO idea it made a difference how you tagged other people so… THANKS!
xo, [a girl called] Steve
You’re welcome, Steve! So glad it was helpful! :)
These are some great tips! Thanks for explaining the period before the username thing…I’ve always wondered!
Of course! Glad it was helpful :)
I should really being doing better with Twitter than I am. I will be good for a couple weeks and then I slack off again. I need to be more consistent. Maybe if I worked Hootsuite into my blogging schedule I would do better
I find Twitter to be really valuable, especially when consistent! Let me know how it goes :)
Ugh I’m so not on top of my game with Twitter! I really just starting using it a few months ago and I still don’t post everyday. These are great tips, thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome, Julia! Glad it was helpful! :)
Haha, thanks for all the call outs! I love connecting with you and other blogger friends via Twitter. It’s especially a good way to take a 5 minute mental health break at work. My biggest pet peeve is when someone puts a username at the beginning of a tweet, even though they’re trying to just mention that person and not talk to them. I’m also super surprised by the sheer number of people who forget to include a URL when tweeting about a specific post! At least I assume they’re forgetting it and not completely misunderstanding the platform…
Cat
http://oddlylovely.com
Haha, you’re welcome! I just grabbed things that were close at the time in my timeline (so first thing in the morning, then right before I published!) Apparently you’re just popular on the Twitter. ;) Yes, the tagging thing drives me crazy too, and honestly was the inspiration behind the post. I get so tired of seeing it happen over and over so my hope was to shed some more light on that! I’ve also started seeing the URL thing more often too! So weird!
I love this post. We can all use a refresher course on proper use of any social platform. I just learned that whole period before tagging deal. It makes such a huge difference.
It really does! Thanks Christine! :)
I wouldn’t consider myself a total expert on Twitter, but I always cringe when I see businesses mis-tagging things or putting someone’s handle at the beginning of a tweet when it shouldn’t be. It’s just one of those little things that bugs me, like when people use the wrong version of your/you’re in a sentence.
Neither do I, but I do cringe at that too! It always shocks me how many people seem to not understand the concept!
Whoa, imagine my surprise at seeing my tweet up there. Haha! :) But absolutely useful information. I started using Buffer recently (signed up a long time ago, but like seriously started buffering things yesterday). Trying to make it a consistent habit.
Haha! It was just conveniently there on my timeline when I was finishing up this post. ;) Buffer is awesome and has helped me so much with consistency!
I’m just getting back into the twitter game and this was beyond helpful. Thanks so much!
So glad it was helpful, you’re very welcome Jessi! :)
I love these tips! And this is so timely. My social medium of choice is Twitter, and I love that I’ve met so many people and got access to so many networks and resources through Twitter. This was a great read! I also love your tips on tagging, which I see a LOT of confusion around. Great post, Jenn!
Thank you, Adia! So glad you enjoyed the post, and agreed about tagging! There is a lot of confusion and hopefully I’ve helped a few people better understand how it works! :)
Yes! These are great tips! I have only done one twitter chat so far since becoming more involved with twitter, but I loved it and really need to find the time to get into it more!
Thanks Chelsie, glad you liked the post! I user to participate more frequently in chats, but a lot of them happen during my commute home which makes it challenging!
I had no idea about tagging people properly! Thanks for that! (PS, excited to meet you at PNW meet up in a few weeks!)
Of course, Britt, glad it was helpful! And excited to meet you too! :)
Girl, what a super awesome and informative post! How do you check twitter analytics? And to use the Buffer “suggested tweets”, do you have to pay for it? lol
You can find Twitter Analytics at http://analytics.twitter.com if you’re logged in. Sorry, went back and linked that! Yes, you can use the suggested tweets for free, but they do count towards your limit of 10 at a time!
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These area really great tips! I wrote a similar post the other day and we hit on a lot of the same points! http://www.sagetheblog.com/2015/02/how-to-be-tweet-master-in-11-easy-steps.html
Ha, wow, very similar points indeed! My main goal in writing this post was to touch on the tagging – it’s something I see done incorrectly so often and just drives me crazy! Loved your post too!
It always bugs me when someone tags tweets wrong… especially when they are trying to promote my content or something, haha! Love these tips!
Yes, me too! The mistagging aspect of this post was really my main motivator in writing the rest! Thanks, Shannon! :)
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I didn’t even know Twitter chats existed haha. Twitter is definitely my least favorite social media, I feel like I’m bad at it. I’m going to have to use your tips! thanks for sharing.
xo, Maddy
http://cassidylou.com
Of course, so glad they were helpful Maddy! :)
I wish I had time for Twitter parties. They always seem to happen when I am away at my day job. Bummer!
I know what you mean – most of the creative chats are at the end of my work day or are during my commute home! Super bummer.
I love twitter but admittedly dont use the one for the blog as much as I should. Love these tips though!
Thanks Kay! Glad you liked them :)
Wait. I don’t get why you need a period before tweeting at someone…? I hope I’m not being slow. I typically just start my tweet @hellorigbyblog.
If you’re sharing one of my posts, for instance this one, “@hellorigbyblog shares 9 tips for Twitter (URL)” – the only people who see that are people that follow you AND me. If you were to tweet this instead “9 tips for twitter from @hellorigbyblog: (URL)” all of your followers would then see that. Hopefully that makes sense! :)
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