9 Ways to use Twitter as a Tool to Drive Traffic and Build Community

Twitter is a necessary evil in the online world that I happen to enjoy...now.

image credit: Robert Romania (HiticasOvi)

I have been a member since I started my blog in 2010, but I never really grasped how to use it as a tool to get people to notice my writing. I posted random stuff and I fed my posts over once a day. It worked to a certain degree but I never saw direct growth from it.

In the last few months I have been experimenting with social media strategy and I am happy to say that I have seen a very real increase in traffic to my blog, subscribers and engagement on Twitter.

Here are 9 ways to Engage on Twitter:

• Post frequently:  at least 3x daily
• Experiment with times:  I've found my best engagement in the AM, but that may not be the same for everyone.
• Schedule:  I am currently using Hootsuit to schedule various accounts and plan ahead.
• Thank you's/shout outs:  I mention new followers at least 1x/day and shout out to people who favorite my tweets or mention me.
• #Hashtags:  Hashtags have been huge, not only for people finding my content, but for helping me find people and groups that I want to intentionally interact with.
• Post old content:  If it's still relevant, it should still be in rotation.
• Post same link multiple times and ways:  I try to post new content at different times through the day but say something different.  "Looking for a delicious salad recipe?" " Check out this salad I just made!"  "How to use up all those extra walnuts after baking."  "How to make the Ultimate Waldorf salad."
• Retweet:  NOT by hitting the retweet button.  Expand the tweet, type RT @______ then copy and paste the tweet.  It gets way more interaction!
• Follow:  Use hashtags to search for topics and then follow people that share your interest and/or industry.  

Do you have any other tips for us?

     

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How To Dry Nail Polish Quickly

As a busy mom, I often forgo the simple luxuries that I once took for granted.  This includes nice looking nails.  I love to get manicures and pedicures, but I can't bring myself to pay for them.  And scheduling the time to do it is even worse -  I just don't go.

Doing my nails at home is the only way they get done at all, but then I have to find the time to let them dry and that means that I can't be doing anything else so I don't mess them up.  That doesn't happen either.

What's my trick?

Drying my nails in the the shower (or washing dishes)!

Sounds counter intuitive, right?

I didn't believe in it at first either.

My aunt once told me that she noticed if she did the dishes after painting her nails, they seemed to be dry faster.  She hypothesized that it had something to do with the dish soap.  I considered it, but I was a teenager with loads of time on her hands.

Fast forward to now - three kids, no privacy or time to myself unless I'm in the bathroom (and that is only about 40% of the time...)


 

1.  Swipe nail polish remover over the old polish, not necessarily removing all of it, because this allows some cleanliness and texture for the new polish to adhere to.
 

2.  Apply 1-2 coats of polish (depending on your brand).
 

3.  Wait 1-2 minutes to let it set.
 

4.  Hop in the shower.  DONE!

I take about 10-15 minutes in the shower and by the time I am done, my nails are dent proof :)

This same technique can be applied to your manicure if you choose to wash dishes or simply soak your hands in a bowl of ice water and apply dish soap.

I do this for my daughter, too, because she's four, loves her nails painted and can't sit still very long.

And no, this doesn't seem to affect the integrity of the polish.  Mine chips much sooner using one of those quick dry top coats.

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