How to use Twitter to promote your blog

The difference between Google and Twitter

After last week’s experiment, several months of testing various Twitter integration tactics, and reaching 100,000+ people in 36 hours, I’ve learned some interesting things.

Twitter is the best social media marketing tool for bloggers

I started blogging in 2002, and have tested many different tools since then. Delicious, Digg, and StumbleUpon all have the potential of reaching large numbers of people. But for the typical blogger, nothing matches the viral marketing potential of Twitter.

How you use Twitter makes a huge difference

Like nearly every other aspect of business, you can achieve success quicker by using the right tactics. Some bloggers on Twitter get tens of thousands of new readers each day by using the tool; others tweet frantically and never really get anywhere.

Here are some lessons I’m learning from the best bloggers on Twitter…

Only promote your best posts

Instead of automatically syndicating your blog on Twitter, focus on a few articles you know could be winners.

Personally, I aim to publish 3-5 posts to this blog weekly; and tweet 50-75% of them.

Depending on your publishing frequency, you may want to adjust this.

Promote your best posts well

It’s fine to re-tweet your posts several times throughout the day. Several experts suggest every 2-3 hours is best.

With many of us having hundreds, if not thousands, of followers on Twitter it’s easy to miss what your friends are saying. I try to check into Twitter several times each day, but since my whole friend feed in TweetDeck is updated every 10 minutes or so, you can see how easy it can be to miss updates.

When you’re communicating with a worldwide audience, the difference in time zones makes this even more important.

Tweet formula 1: Insight + Link

Depending on how good your titles are, you may be fine just using them in tweets. But I get a little bored with those sometimes.

Instead, try tweeting a little excerpt from your post along with the link for more info.

That way, you add real value and arouse curiosity at the same time.

Tweet formula 2: Question + Link

Questions encourage conversations. Some people believe it’s effective than just giving out information.

Try it for yourself and see.

Tweet formula 3: Retweet someone else

If someone else tweets about your article, try retweeting them:

Highlight reader discussions

One of my favorite parts of blogging is learning from your comments. If one post draws a lively discussion, let people know about it on Twitter.

Use some type of ‘Tweet this’ link

I’ve tested multiple formats, and Tweetmeme was the hands-down winner for me.Perhaps displaying the number of retweets adds an element of social proof, but I think it’s just a very elegant solution to content sharing.

As of today, it will become the only social media sharing tool on this blog.

Know why you’re on Twitter

Is it to build your overall number of followers…or reach a select audience of very targeted people? Is it to drive page views, or share your ideas as far as possible? Selling something, or part of your branding efforts?

You may be able to achieve multiple goals at the same time, but knowing why you’re using a tool helps you focus.

Action step: Spend 5 minutes brainstorming how Twitter could help you build your blog’s audience.

Let me ask you this: How do YOU use Twitter to promote your blog?