This four-part series explores new ways to drive readers to your blog. Today we’re talking about the magic of Twitter trends.
Any blogging-for-business expert worth their salt will surely tell you the power of using Twitter to promote your blog. In fact, we’ve talked about doing just that in these pages many times. The practice is a simple one and effective if done with creativity and regularity. But instead of taking your blog to Twitter, why not turn to Twitter for inspiration for your next blog?
Twitter Trends is an excellent place to start. Twitter Trends — you know, that little box on the left-hand side of your Twitter page — is a hotbed of topics that everyone is buzzing about. For example, today all of Twitterland is buzzing about the Super Bowl, so the Trends all day long are sure to include the game, the ads, Madonna, Nikki Minaj, Volkswagen and a host of others. Some trends, especially ones based around news stories, are no-brainers for blog writing as long as they relate to your industry. Others, like celebrity stories, can be slyly mentioned within your blog to fit your kind of conversation.
Of course, the majority of hashtag Trends are barely good hashtags and would make unreadable blogs. That said, they stick out like a sore thumb. If, for instance, a hashtag like #BestSpongeBobQuotes pops up in your Trends, go ahead and enjoy reading that thread but don’t worry too much about blogging about it. The trickiest part of blogging about Trends is picking topics that will still be hot once you’ve posted your blog. An easy way to find hot Trends is by checking both the national Trends and those Trends which are hot in your area. After surveying the most-talked-about trends, try to lean toward new stories that are just developing.
Also, Twitter’s new #Discover feature is great for finding out what the most read stories on Twitter are. Once you’ve picked out a story relevant to your business-yet-newsworthy blog topic, written the darn thing and posted it, go back to Twitter. Why, you ask? So your followers and readers in search of your take on today’s most-talked-about tales can follow a tweeted link back to your blog. Also, by tweeting about your very Trendy blog, your words end up in Trend searches, driving more readers back to your blog.
Sounds easy, right? Well, get to reading and tweeting! Tomorrow it’s all about how Facebook should be your blog’s No. 1 fan.
Leave a Reply