Photo from Stock That Rocks

Twitter often gets a bad rap for lacking robust information like Facebook, or pretty pictures like Instagram. Twitter can be thought of as the fun, witty middle-child who loves to inform in small bursts and banks on concise, emotional responses. With that being said, Twitter is a fantastic way to convey your branding or blog message. With a capped character count and limited response options, Twitter forces people to be creative and straight to the point—something none of its social media siblings can do.

To that point, Twitter still requires a bit of strategizing, a few hours of studying, and lots of enthusiasm. Keep reading to learn 9 ways to use this smart and savvy platform as a way to drive traffic back to your blog!

How to Drive Traffic to Your Website with Twitter

Join a Larger Conversation

Perhaps one of the easiest way to get noticed on Twitter is by joining trending discussions. Trending hashtags will appear on your homepage and profile, letting you know about special events in your area, topics that are trending across the country, and even fads started by the social community (#ThingsThatMarketersDo was a fun one).

There are two efficient ways to effectively join these larger discussions. First, you can use the trending hashtag or phrase. Once it appears among the other tweeters in the trending category, people will have a chance to organically see it, like it, retweet it, and respond. The more clever or interesting your tweet is, the more effective it will be in showing up in this larger community. The second way to get people’s attention in a trending category is to interact with them—retweet, reply, or like their tweet to get your profile in front of a new pair of eyes!

Use GIFs

Twitter users love a good interactive element. Videos, GIFs, and polls are some great features that Twitter supports and oftentimes helps convey a message that 140 characters simply can’t. See something exciting on your feed? Reply with a celebratory GIF! Strongly agree with a statement? Send a thumbs up GIF! The possibilities are truly endless. However, be sure you’re within your company guidelines before pressing send—whatever you tweet will be out there for everyone to see.

Tweet A LOT

What most people don’t realize is that tweets have an extremely short lifespan. While Instagram and Facebook use algorithms to decide who sees what, Twitter still operates a little more organically, meaning your feed, along with everyone else’s, is filled with a lot of content. We recommend trying to push out 8-12 tweets per day to make sure you’re reaching different people at the different times they’re interacting with the platform.

Reuse and Recycle

To piggyback on the last bullet point, 8-12 pieces of original content is a little much, and honestly, it’s a time sucker. Instead, reuse and recycle. Some social media management platforms now allow you to see which tweets performed best, edit them, and throw them back into the ring. Depending on how creative you get, you can probably share one piece of content five separate times all with different verbiage and images. Now THAT’s efficiency.

Use Links

Because Twitter is a succinct platform, you should only include vital information in your tweets. Links are great ways to show that a) you’re providing more robust content and b) that you’re willing to share. Using a social media management tool, or a link-shortener program like Bitly, you can beautify your links so they aren’t a mass of jumbled letters but instead a streamlined, concise line.

Show Off Your Expertise

Because Twitter is rapid-fire, it forces readers and participants to digest information quickly. A great way to get someone’s attention is by tweeting several times in a matter of minutes (otherwise referred to as a Twitter storm). Used wisely for, say, a list of 9 ways Twitter can drive traffic to your blog, it can look like valuable, long-form content to a reader who is just logging onto the program, or looking for something that is being talked about often. Use a well-searched hashtag and include links and you’ve got yourself a short and sweet marketing strategy.

Share Resources

Because bloggers are often part of a larger community, it’s vital to share information that could be useful for others in your area of expertise. Link to a favorite hashtag generator, share a blog post that helped you overcome a career obstacle, or help bolster engagement for a fellow blogger friend who just shared a great piece of content. Not only does this show that you’re a team player, but it will put your Twitter presence in front of other bloggers who could end up as potential business partners and collaborators at some point. It’s a win-win!

Don’t Forget About Your Bio

Similar to other social platforms, your bio is a great little space to include things like mottos, taglines, sales, announcements, links, hashtags, and other promotional tools. It’s something that people will remember as attached to your picture and your header image. Think about fun ways to lay it out, like with dividers, all uppercase letters, or even including a strategic emoji use as a way to stand out from the crowd. Consider updating your bio every other month to reflect your most current or important content.

Don’t Be Afraid to Have a Conversation

One of the best ways to use Twitter is to open dialogue. Ask questions, provide your thoughts or expertise, and contribute to conversations that you think are interesting, regardless if it’s for your business. Showing that you’re engaged and willing to reciprocate goes a long way in the Twitterverse. Upbeat, conversational tones are best for this platform. It’s also good to sprinkle in a little humor when it makes sense!

Whether you’re just joining the blogging world, have been a long-time internet contributor, or simply want to shake things up, picking and choosing your favorite tips out of this list could seriously add some foot traffic to your URL.

What are some of your favorite ways to get your Twitter followers’ attention? Let us know in the comments below! While you’re at it, be sure to give us a follow on Bloglovin‘ to keep up with our latest posts!