Using Twitter Wisely Can Grow Your Brand

I know that I go on and on about Twitter. I am such a fan because it is the single best source for hits on my blog. Twitter brings me more traffic than any other source. And why? Because after using it on my personal account for over a year, I have learned the ins and outs of how to use this tool effectively to get my brand out there to the masses. When used correctly, Twitter can bring about massive growth to your brand and increase your visibility online and offline.

Twitter only works to grow your brand when you engage others. Once you engage others and develop relationships on the site, it can really increase your hits and page views. You can’t just tell people to go to your page or post links and expect people to come to your site until you properly develop and grow your relationships on Twitter. Ask questions, visit other blogs and comment, and reply to others when they speak to you. Once you have solidified your foundation, you can then use this platform as a way to get your message and brand across to your followers and followers of your followers.

Being a Twitter snob may work for others, but for me, I reply to all people who engage me. I show support on others projects and blogs, and they in turn  support my vision and brand. Twitter is a two way street, a win win when used correctly.

Here are a few ways you too can use Twitter to your advantage:

• Tweet your links using bit.ly or another link shortener and always introduce your links. Never just place a blind link up and expect others to click on it.
• If your link is retweeted, always thank the people who have retweeted your link. That is getting you more hits and it should be appreciated and valued.
• Use a service such as Twitterfeed that automatically posts links to your posts when it is added to your site.
• No matter how old a blog post is, repost it every so often to gain more hits and drive up popularity in the search engines.
• Schedule your tweets using HootSuite or another like service, but do not use this as your sole method. Personalizing your Twitter experience is always more genuine.
• Use a service such as IntenseDebate or Disqus that allows people’s comments to be tweeted in their Twitter stream.
• Use a service such as Tweetme that will allow others to tweet your blog posts in their Twitter feed.
• Do not go by someone’s follower account. Whether someone has 5 followers or 500,000, treat your followers equally. Most Twitter follower counts are filled with spambots unless purged on a regular basis.
• And when in doubt, engage, engage, engage.

Do the above mentioned items on a regular basis and I will assure you that you will begin to see your unique page views and hits increase. Twitter is a great networking tool. Use it to your advantage.