Tweet Your Posts

Whenever you write a new post, you can make a tweet promoting it. There are a even tools out their such as the Twitter Tools plugin for WordPress that will do this automatically. I think it is a great way to kick start your new posts and get a few visitors right off the bat.

However, there is one thing to keep in mind. Do not use your Twitter account solely for this purpose. Your account will come off as being a spammer and you will surely lose all of your followers. Which kills the whole purpose of this technique. So become part of the community and tweet about all sorts of things, not just your blog posts.

Add A Link To Your Profile

Besides using tweets as a way to promote your blog, you can also use your Twitter profile. They allow you to place a hyperlink pointing to your blog or website. So make sure to advantage of this link and link to one of your blogs. Funny thing is, I forgot to do this for more than a month after I signed up for Twitter. Luckily one of my followers pointed it out to me.

Use A Twitter Background To Brand Yourself

Besides using your Twitter profile to link to your blog, you can also create a custimized background. The background can have more information such as who you are, what your blog is about, and how to contact you. It’s basically like an online business card for everyone to see.

If you have a logo for your blog, go ahead and put it on your background. This will help create a brand for yourself. If you would like an example, check out my Twitter Page as well as Darren Rowse’s.

Give Your Readers The Option To Tweet Your Posts

Last but not, give your readers an easy way to share your posts via Twitter. A lot of Twitter users enjoy sharing valuable information with others and your posts might be worthy of sharing. The easiest way to add a Twitter button to your blog is to use a plugin for WordPress. TwitThis is very popular, as well as Sociable.

So if haven’t yet, start using Twitter to promote your blog. It’s a great way to draw in some extra traffic and give your new posts a quick jump start.

Related posts:

1. 5 Free Ways To Promote Your Blog
2. 4 Ways To Write Better Blog Posts
3. Promote Your Blog With Business Cards

Using social media is not difficult, but it can be done incorrectly. Here are 5 mistakes new bloggers make when using social media to promote their blog.

1. They Spam The Networks

This is the most common mistake. Bloggers sign up for all the different social network sites and immediately start submitting their content. Each day, they do it all over again and submit their new posts.

Not only does this make you look like a spammer, but it can also hurt your results. Many social networks such as StumbleUpon start to ignore your account if you constantly submit the same URL. This is why over time, you will notice your traffic decreasing even though you are submitting your posts every day.

2. They Sign Up Only To Promote Their Blogs

Many bloggers sign up for the various social networks only to promote their blogs. This is the biggest mistake of all. The point in social media is to build networks and relationships with others. If your focus is promoting your blog, then you miss out on all the other benefits of social media.

3. They Talk But Don’t Listen

Much like mistake #1, many bloggers talk but don’t listen. In other words, they promote their stuff and talk about their own blogs without listening to others. They only time they sign in is to promote something, instead of seeing what others have to say and promote.

By spending time listening to others and interacting with the communities, you will build relationships and contacts you can use later on down the road.

4. They Never Finish Their Profiles

One of my favorite things about social media is the fact that most networks allow you to create profiles. A place where you can upload a picture, share some information about yourself, and place links to your blogs. It’s a great place to market yourself for others to see.

Unfortunately, many bloggers never get around to finishing their profiles. Every day I come across a few profiles that are either blank, or half done. I think this is a big mistake because it not only robs you of the marketing side of your profile, but also makes it look like you care more about promoting your stuff then yourself.

5. They Take More Than They Give

When first starting out in social media, the best way to win friends is by giving more than you receive. In other words, help others out and share peoples content for them before asking for favors. It’s a good way to built a positive image for yourself and show that you are their for more than promoting your stuff. Just remember, offer value first, then reap the rewards later…

Keep these 5 mistakes in mind when you start using social media as a means to promote your blog. Start building friends within the communities and before long, you will start to see some good amount of traffic from the various social networks.

Related posts:

1. Off Page SEO For Blogs
2. 5 Free Ways To Promote Your Blog
3. 4 Ways To Promote Your Blog With Twitter