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Tweeting Without a Blog? You're Missing Link Opportunities
July 14, 2009
In today's Twitterfied online world, more and more companies and individuals are jumping on Twitter and expecting immediate results. If you're engaging in Twitter without a well-planned strategy, then you're operating in a complete fallacy. Even worse, if your site is only pushing products and not information, you could be missing out some valuable links.
Links that are generated from your activity on Twitter are all indirectly built. Yes, you can build up some link equity to your Twitter profile, but links within Tweets and Twitter are nofollowed, so that link value is presumably being lost instead of harnessed. But let's say that a blogger sees your Tweet and is so impressed, they build a link back to your site. There's an indirect link as a direct result of your actions on Twitter. And those can be extremely value.
Many people and companies are engaging in Twitter to drive conversions and establish themselves as an expert in a particular industry. The first may be easier if your site is product-driven. But what about the second?
Twitter (and micro-blogging in general) is the new and most popular way to share information and network online. But if you don't have a blog that your Twitter stream complements, you're probably missing out on some links that will help build your industry expertise and here are a few reasons why.
140 characters can only say so much.
I have no doubt your Tweets are witty. And perhaps they've even gotten retweeted numerous times and you were a Twitter celebrity for half an hour. That's fantastic. But what did those Tweets really say about you and your expertise? Perhaps your witty Tweet also included a link to your latest blog post (which was equally witty and thought-provoking). This can have twice the impact and give people the ability to learn more about you, rather than just surfing through your Twitter stream and seeing what other random thoughts you're pumping out to your followers.
You can link to Tweets, but then what?
So let's say I find a Tweet to be phenomenal and I link to it in a blog post. One of my readers clicks on the link and goes right to the Tweet. Then what? They could click on your profile and then go to your blog (assuming that is the link on your Twitter profile). But we're talking about the people who don't have blogs. So then what does the user do? They are stuck in linkless limbo. And what if the link goes to your site that is product-driven and offers no information or no place for your visitors to join in a conversation with you and your brand, you're doing yourself (and your brand) a disservice.
Your blog will build your credibility, not your Twitter stream.
Think about this: can you really dive into your 5-Step process that you've patented in 140 characters? Or even 700 characters? (For you non-math people like myself, that's 5 Tweets with 140 characters each.) Probably not. You may hit your key points, but your blog can be your platform to divulge the details of your brainchild and also start a public conversation about it via your comments.
Since the rest of my reasons are going to sound a bit repetitive, keep the following things in mind when you're deciding if a blog is right for you:
Twitter is meant to be complementary, not a stand-alone.
Twitter lets you push out ideas, but not develop them.
Twitter is about conversation and community. Your blog is your expertise platform (and can then turn into a conversation-driven community).
And keep in mind, that a blog isn't the only answer (but it definitely is one of the best options out there). You can also use articles, guest posting on other sites, press releases and more. But your blog is the best place to push out relevant content on a regular basis. Plus it's your own voice and it gives you something to Tweet about.
All posts by Angela Moore
posted by Angela Moore at July 14, 2009 11:25 AM
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Comments
Angela, you make some very valid points here and are becoming one of my favored bloggers to visit and catch up on.
I have been talking of making my blog live for months but have been so inundated with work and distractions it is still not published or live.
You just gave me a kick in the pants. Thanks for the encouragement and direction.
Posted by: Ocala Web Design at August 11, 2009 02:41 PM
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