The use of social media in today’s online-driven world is an absolute revolution in the most literal sense of the world. While the internet in general provided ways for people from all over the world to connect with one another and share ideas, social media has taken communication to the next level. We are now able to read each other’s thoughts and insights in real time, and can watch as new trends and thoughts are born among the masses. In order to promote your content effectively and in ways that are not related to long-term SEO credibility, social media is a must. Twitter has proven to be a vibrant method for reaching new audiences – we’ll explain below how you can boost Twitter mentions for your blog content.

Implement Highlight and Tweet Functionality

Despite the clear and apparent benefits to the approach, relatively few websites offer this feature as of late. Individuals who read your content from desktop devices have an inherent tendency to “doodle”, or distract themselves, while reading through your content. This includes the highlighting of content with their mouse/cursors as they peruse at their leisure. Highlight and tweet functionality implies exactly what it describes: after highlighting a portion of text, a box automatically pops up asking the user if they would like to share the highlighted portion of the post with their followers. This is great, in that it allows users to share specific and intriguing blurbs from your blog posts – as well as a link – instead of merely the link itself.

Multiply the Tweet Options

If your blog post only has one set of social media sharing options on the page, then you are doing it wrong! Pinging your website with as much social media functionality as possible is vital if you want to remind users at every turn to the “do the right thing”. Not only is the inclusion of tweet buttons at the bottom of each post recommended, but including them at the top, along the side and as part of a dynamic module that moves with the user as he/she scrolls will ensure optimal awareness is reached. This essentially guarantees that if the content resonates with the user and they are active on Twitter, then they will share it with their followers whenever applicable.

Never Fear the Pop-Up

While the traditional pop-up (in a separate window) is effectively dead due to pop-up blockers, you can still reach audiences with the in-browser pop-up notification feature. These elements work by alerting users after a specific amount of time has passed that they have the ability to share the content or engage with it in some other capacity. Some bloggers use this as a way to solicit email subscribers or promote a product, but the use of the in-browser pop-up is a great way to remind users that they can tweet (or share through other social media platforms) the content that they are enjoying at the moment. We recommend implementing a delay in between the reader landing on your page and the appearance of the pop-up, as a reminder too soon into the post will only be ignored by the user pinging your website.