Wouldn’t it be great if ads were free and you could tell hundreds if not thousands of people about your blog every day without spending any money?
Well here’s one way to do it without spamming– using Twitter.
You see… if you aren’t on Twitter right now then you’re really missing out. In fact, Twitter is the only source of traffic for my own personal blog, Obvious Writing, and the results I’ve been getting are pretty amazing.
Of course there’s more than one way to use Twitter but I’m about to reveal a simple strategy that will work for you. I know it will because it works for me.
And it’s based on two easy principles.
Now you might be tempted to brush this off because it’s simple and really easy to do but I promise you this. If you use these principles then you can double the amount of web traffic your site is currently getting.
And the only tool you’ll use is Twitter! Imagine that.
Here they are:
- Be interesting.
- Be helpful.
Isn’t it obvious?
Know your audience!
No one wants to be spammed, sold or advertised too. We want something to fill our time. We want people to help us reach our own personal goals. I mean, seriously. When I pick up the phone I don’t want to hear from anybody other than a friend or family member. I don’t want a salesman to call me on my personal phone line and I’m sure you’re the same way.
Is Twitter different? NO!
In fact, salesman on Twitter are met with a skeptical crowd. And spamming is the best way to get unfollowed or completely blocked.
But you can still promote yourself on Twitter. You just have to be a little sneaky about it. You have to be a better person. You have to be a friend.
And this isn’t just an act. Dishonesty is the quickest way to drive people away and you aren’t going to fool everybody. You seriously have to be an honest to goodness friend on Twitter.
Take an interest in your followers. Write Tweets that they’ll enjoy reading. Spread news you think they’d love. Be interesting.
You know… share a few of your favourite links or resources. Start a conversation. Be helpful.
If a follower asks a question… be the first to answer.
Be a friend and a hero and you’ll be amazed by how much traffic your website will get.
I went from zero to 311 visits a day with a similar approach.
So if you really want to grow this month… think about this.
Be a better person and you’ll grow a better blog.
Good luck!
Your obvious friend,
Courtney James
The Obvious Writer
P.S. Hey, and if you’d like you can follow me on Twitter for more free tips. It’s really easy to do and I can’t wait to meet you.
Teenius says…
This is an awesome post with some very valuable information. Twitter is a useless marketing tool unless you do it correctly, and this post really identifies some great points. Courtney is also a great guy, so I highly recommend you to check out his blog or Twitter page.
Great article I agree. I usually just post my articles and I help people on Twitter or talk to them but not nearly as much.
I’m gonna try doing this and see if I see a difference in traffic from twitter. Twitter is still my number one source of traffic though.
Shoemoney also made a post about this saying how Twitter sends him a bunch of traffic. And he says less than like 5% comes from his tweets. Then he goes on saying interacting with the twitter community is great.
So I’m going to try to interact more.
Caden Grant’s last blog post..10 Useful Tips For Writing A Blog Post
Being helpful is where it’s at. It’s funny. All of my traffic is Twitter based. Well… most of it. Lately I’ve been tested different traffic sources.
Courtney’s last blog post..How to Write a Guest Post for Problogger
Great post. Twitter is definitely fantastic free advertising. Everyone should use it correctly. Thanks for the tips. I will make sure to check out the blog also.
Jake | Web Journey’s last blog post..50 Tips to Improve Online Writing
Thanks Jake. I hope you find the blog useful too. Let me know if you have any ideas for improving it. I’m open.
Courtney’s last blog post..Free Resources For Top-Gun Marketers
Well obviously this is a rocking post
Courtney, you are one guy I am following a lot. I read most of your posts and even have subscribed to your newsletter. All I can say, keep up the good work.
Farrhad A | The Marketing Park’s last blog post..How to Make Thousands by Creating a Unique Selling Point
Nice to hear! Thank you very much. I’m just trying to get some value out there. I recently changed from a newsletter to just an announcement list because I was worried about annoying people. Wouldn’t want that.
See you around for sure.
Courtney’s last blog post..Free Resources For Top-Gun Marketers
Yeah, Courtney is great at what he does, so I definately recommend people check out his blog and Twitter
I heard a lot about twitter but never tried it out seriously. I only see spammers in twitter. All of them are there to advertisd their blog. Well, i shall try to follow your tips to drive some traffic from twitter.
You’re right. There are a lot of spammers on Twitter and this is why you’ll standout. I made the mistake of spamming on there at first. Then I relaxed and joined the conversation. It’s fun and free traffic for your blog too.
I think personality is a huge factor there.
Courtney’s last blog post..Free Resources For Top-Gun Marketers
Just a quick tip, you might want to let people know this is a guest post in the beginning. I was thrown off when I saw “Obvious Writing,” haha.
Being interactive on twitter is a must. People who post nothing but links to their own sites really irk me. I think it’s the interacting that really brings people into your sphere of influence. Awesome post dude!
Corey Freeman | Outstanding Writer’s last blog post..Quick Tip #13
Oh, sorry about that. Usually I’ll put the box at the top, but Courtney declined an author area so I just worked with what information I had and the post that he’d sent me
Killer advice Corey!
As always.
“Being interactive on twitter is a must. People who post nothing but links to their own sites really irk me. I think it’s the interacting that really brings people into your sphere of influence. Awesome post dude!”
More people should be reading your blog.
Courtney’s last blog post..Free Resources For Top-Gun Marketers
Indeed twitter is one of the most effective advertising tool, however there is the tendency of spamming which is kinda annoying.
priscus’s last blog post..Guru E1107
Yes, indeed.
Spamming is a huge temptation on Twitter. I hear you. There is actually a spam report service on there too. Just discovered that.
Courtney’s last blog post..Free Resources For Top-Gun Marketers
Yeah, you just need to follow @spam and inform them via DM, and they should deal with it
I’ve never had to report anyone (thankfully), but apparently they’re pretty good at sorting people out.
Great tips… I have not spent enough time on twitter to get good relationships with fellow twitterers… which means no one reads my tweets!!
Drop me a Tweet Forest. I’d be more than happy to read yours. It only takes a few minutes a day. It’s the value you provide that will get you the attention you deserve. Thanks Forest.
Courtney’s last blog post..Free Resources For Top-Gun Marketers
Holy comments!
Thanks for the interest. I just want to say I really appreciate your time.
Hope everybody’s having a great day (or night).
Your obvious friend,
Courtney James
The Obvious Writer
Courtney’s last blog post..Medieval Prayer Reveals Monkish Marketing Secrets
Thanks for stopping by and replying to the comments, Corey!
It really was an awesome post, so I’m glad my readers enjoyed it as much as me!
Actually I still not using twitter. After read your post, I feel that I’m going to use twitter. Thanks =)
blinkky’s last blog post..Human Calendar For Your Blog
Yeah, Twitter is well worth using as it’s such a good resource for advertising and connecting with fellow bloggers. It can also be pretty fun to use too!
Hey that was a cool post.. very well written, Short and informative !
Enk.’s last blog post..What is Keyword Stuffing ?
That’s really a rocking post. One of the best twitter related post. Its really important to help others on twitter. Retweeting is one way in that.
Harish | Blogging Kid’s last blog post..A Recap of Some My Best Posts On This Blog
thanks for these tips…….. I don’t think that I am funny but I am really helpful for others.
Thanks for the twitter tips. I can be useful, but funny is another thing.
Seth W’s last blog post..How to Write a Guest Post for Problogger
@blinky
Hey. I’m glad to read that.
You’d be surprised what Twitter can do for you. Still, I think it’s more about being a great friend and human being. That policy seems to get the best results.
@Enk
Thank you! It’s a bite-sized nugget.
@Harish | Blogging Kid
Awesome. I’m amazed by the positive feedback.
@a_usman
It’s okay! You don’t have to be funny. If you’re helpful this is enough. And thank you for taking the time to comment. Really appreciated dude.
@Seth W
Hah. Well… funny doesn’t always have to be about cracking jokes. If you share things that amuse you I’m sure your followers would love that too.
This is really just a beginning. Twitter has been a real blessing for me and I’m glad I can share my humble little tips.
Before I head out: I’m really amazed by the positive feedback and I’d love to follow you all Twitter if I’m not already doing so. Just drop me a “tweet”.
Your obvious friend,
Courtney James
The Obvious Writer
Really appreciated.
Courtney’s last blog post..3 Ways To Measure Your Writing I.Q.
Twitter has been both of my blogs largest source of traffic. I feel like I could be doing more too to increase the effectiveness of my Twitter use too, but for now it is doing fine!
Awesome guest post here Courtney, I didn’t think a list with two items in it would be good, but you surprised me.
Alex | Blogussion.com’s last blog post..Wordpress Releases Version 2.8 “Baker”
Yeah, Twitter’s been up there with my biggest sources, and I don’t have any RT boxes on Teenius, so I guess it just shows you the potential it has for massive traffic!
Twitter is really a wonderful thing in the blogosphere. This microblogging will help us to get more visitors if you work in the twitter with real interest as well as helpful.
Kadir’s last blog post..why Should You Become As An Affiliate Marketer?
These are very nice tips, Simon. You are pointing out something that some high profile marketers fail to recognize every time. Everytime you see a sales page profiling twitter as a “free advertising” tool; recognize that marketer as the biggest fail. Twitter is not a tool to advertise yourself or your business; it was never meant to be. But still, you can generate huge traffics from twitter by following some of the rules of the thumb as pointed out in this blog post. Be a champion twitter user…you can make a living out of it!
Richael | Domain Marvelous’s last blog post..Can .sex (or the new gTLDs) finally dethrone .com?
The article was infact a guest post by Courtney from ObviousWriting.com, but I’m glad you enjoyed the article nonetheless.
I think the thing about high profile marketers is that they don’t need to follow those tips. I think by taking the high road and sticking their noses up, they’re not going to lose any money/traffic, and, thinking about it, they might lose traffic from going to a grassroots level as people will stop associating them with the big houses and the posh cars!