When Twitter exploded onto the scene, it didn’t take long for the SEO aficionados out there to cotton on to the fact that it offered a wealth of possibilities for companies looking to boost their online credentials. It was immediately recognised as a fantastic place for people to connect with both existing and potential clients, followers and colleagues. In the following months and years, people joined up in their millions, enjoying the instant gratification and direct contact it could offer, all in a satisfyingly short 140 characters. There’s been no drop off in the popularity of the social media application, but there’s now a fair amount of scepticism from people who now think that it doesn’t perhaps offer as much potential in the way of SEO benefits as people once said. Fortunately, there are plenty of people who really understand how to use Twitter, and they of course get a lot out of it, and it is of course all down to how you use it.
How Not To Do It
Plenty of people sign up to Twitter, dip in and out infrequently and post what can only be described as inane drivel. Quite naturally they walk away after a month or two, wondering what all the fuss is about. If you constantly tell people what you are planning on eating for dinner in a few hours’ time, then you should probably understand exactly why you’re not getting the sorts of results you had hoped for. Almost every time someone signs up for Twitter and fails to integrate it successfully into their business plan, it’s because there was no clear strategy in place.
Encouraging Conversation and Respect Connections
There are so many different ways to use Twitter and to get the best out of it, you really do need to find a way that works for you, but one of the fundamental keys to getting the most out of the platform is to embrace and encourage conversation, and strongly respect connections you make. If someone can actually be bothered to respond to something you say, then it’s vital that you respond, and not just by saying ‘thanks’. A comment on Twitter, or your blog or whatever it may be, should only ever be the start of a conversation. If you can cultivate meaningful exchanges between yourself and followers, you are going to become a valued member of a community, and the more value you have the more people are going to want to be able to connect with you. It’s an incredibly organic process which can reap huge results in the right circumstances.
Engender Synergy between Your Twitter Account and Your Other Internet Real Estate
It’s vitally important that you use your Twitter account in conjunction with things like your blog, your website, your Facebook profile and any other platform you use on the net. This way you appeal to more people, you give the same information across all platforms, and drive traffic from one to the other. If you have followers of your blog, you want them to be able to follow you on Twitter too. They are going to get little snippets of your information on a more regular basis, which has to be beneficial to them. Conversely, if you have people on your Twitter feed who become aware of your blog site, they are likely to want to know more about what you are going into greater detail about, on your blog. Post your blog posts on your Twitter feed, leave link buttons to your social media pages at the foot of your blog posts, and get people talking, with an encouraging comments section at the bottom of your blog posts, where you can refer people across to your social media profiles during conversations.
Twitter can be an amazing tool if used appropriately. It’s not all about what you had for breakfast. Give it a proper go, and find out for yourself!
