Have you ever struggled to maintain a blog? I certainly do !

Keeping a blog updated with fresh content and regular posts is often a difficult task. In fact, it can end up feeling like tedious every-day “labor”.

With thousands of abandoned blogs found all over the Internet, you’re not alone. Even those with the very best intentions of setting up an active blog community have quickly discovered just how much work really goes into consistently creating new content.

On top of these required tasks, blogging has become increasingly complicated and extensive. As a blogger you must reply to comments, remove spam, update plugins, upgrade versions and the list goes on.

Thankfully, there is a way of developing a following without having to focus exclusively on your blog. This is also one of the fastest, easiest and popular methods used by thousands of Internet Marketers online. It is know as microblogging.

Microblogging :How to get started

Microblogging enables you to write short text based updates about your business, your personal life or just about anything else you feel up to writing about. What you are doing throughout the day, your schedule, events, or just cool sites that you have stumbled onto and wish to share with your network.

And of course, you can also microblog about your websites, product launches and special offers.

Each time you post a microblogging update, it can be instantly sent to your contacts via text messaging, instant messaging, and email.

In other words, Microblogging is a simpler, faster and shorter method of getting your message across, without the requirement of lengthy blog posts or constant updates.

You can simply microblog whenever you have a few seconds to spare, and with microblogging updates being relatively short (a maximum of 140 characters), you are able to blog in spurts, throughout the day, or every other day.

It is not just blogs that are a hive of activity these days but social networking sites as well. Microblogging with Twitter has suddenly become huge.

There are many things that you can do to set yourself apart from all of the other Internet Marketers attempting to use Twitter to grow their lists or attract new customers.

Aside from ensuring that you remain active within the Twitter community, you should spend some time developing a reputation amongst those that are following you.

Instead of posting links to your website or blog only to send them to a landing page for a new product, write a few articles on current news topics, gossip, controversial or comedic subjects and entertain your followers so that they begin paying more attention to your tweets.

Some of the most successful Twitter based marketers are savvy enough to know that if they post tweets that consist of current hot topics, people will notice them and essentially check out their profile to find out more about them.

The objective is to passively but consistently advertise your websites via the Twitter community but take a different approach by prompting your followers to follow your links by enticing them with interesting information.

Once they are there, they are bound to take a look around and you will most likely generate a ton of repeat visitors this way.

Using Twitter to grow a list of responsive and targeted subscribers is also exceptionally simple, If done correctly. First, create a squeeze page exclusively for Twitter followers and be sure to thoroughly explain exactly what they will receive in exchange for subscribing.

Offer them a free report or product to warm them up, and promote it via your tweets by emphasizing that your offer is available only to fellow Twitter members.

Be sure that your product is either extremely focused on your niche market, or on the contrary, extremely generic where it would appeal to a broad range of visitors.

Either way, offering something exclusive to Twitter members will yield a better response and show that you are interested in offering something back to the community.

Just like with every other social community, your marketing campaign needs to be tweaked and offered in a very different format that caters to their desire to network with other like-minded individuals.

This is why people join social communities, to make friends and from a business perspective, to meet other people to possibly joint venture or network with. They do not join social communities to be sold to, and you need to remember this so you can approach it from a different, less aggressive angle.

If you have ever heard of link bait before, you know that these are pages set up to draw attention based on current events.

Setting Up Your Twitter Account

In order to begin using Twitter to broadcast your messages, attract new website visitors and potential customers, you will need to create a free Twitter account.

Here’s how to set it up:

Visit http://www.Twitter.com

Click on the “Join For Free” link to get started.

I do suggest using your real name on Twitter if you are comfortable with doing that, or another name that represents your brand, website or blog.

Once you have created your account you will be able to log in immediately.

The first thing you should do is create your Twitter profile.
To begin, click on the “Settings” link in the navigation bar on the top right corner of your Twitter account.

On the profile page you see various options including “Account, Password, Devices, Notices, Picture and Design”.

To begin, click on the Account tab. You should take a few minutes go o over the various options and fill out your account information.

This includes:

Name: Once again, I suggest entering in your real name so that people can easily recognize who you are.

Username: Whatever you choose here will become part of your unique Twitter link that directs people to your front page so they can choose to follow you or read your current updates.

Example: http://www.Twitter.com/YOUR-USERNAME

Since your username is part of your twitter link, choose carefully!

Email Address: Enter in a valid email address. This will not be visible to your followers.

Time Zone: Select the time zone applicable to your location. This is important if you want to read notices according to your actual time.

More Info URL: This link will appear on your profile page so be sure to choose a valid URL that will direct people to your website or blog. It will count as a back-link to your website.

Online Bio: Write a few lines that describe who you are and what you do. Your bio page is limited to only 160 characters.

Location: You can choose to leave this blank or enter in your country or city.

Language: Choose your preferred language.

If you select to keep your updates private, only people that you have manually approved will be able to follow your updates.

If you plan to use Twitter to promote your websites, blog and general activity, you will want to leave this box un-checked.

The next tab on the top is marked “Password”. If you ever wish to update your password for security purposes, this Is where you would do it.

Twitter devices

Twitter offers the ability to receive updates via your cell phone or through Instant Messenger such as gTalk.

You can use Twitter mobile regardless where you live, but you need to ensure that you add your country code with your direct number.

You can visit the following site for help locating your country code:

http://www.consumer.att.com/global/english/country_codes.html

Once you have entered in your mobile number, you will need to confirm it before you can receive mobile updates.

The verification code will be sent to your phone number, and you will need to enter it into the site before your phone is activated.You should also check with your service provider to determine ifany charges will be applied.

For more blogging success tips on twitter and microblogs, visit
BlogSuccessmachine

The most popular microblogging service currently online can be found at http://www.twitter.com

Twitter is also considered to be the pioneer of microblogging, as it was one of the first to receive attention from thousands of bloggers and online businesses when it first started.

Twitter is an online social community that allows you to broadcast short messages and updates to those on your list. The people who are able to see these updates are called “Followers”. Just the same you can also choose the people you wish to follow and be added to their list as well.

Twitter is a very simple program to use, in comparison with the never-ending options available on social sites like Facebook or MySpace. It is also one of the fastest ways to get your message across by simply typing in a line or two of your current activity, launch or project and having it shown across your network of followers and friends.

If you are limited on time and are interested in joining only one microblogging network, I highly suggest choosing Twitter simply due to its popularity and global outreach.

As a member of the Twitter community, you should spend some time learning the lingo and the controls, so you can take advantage of the many features that Twitter offers.

Here is a quick overview of some of the things you should know:

With Twitter, whenever you post an update or send a message out, it’s called a “tweet”.

Twitter features an instant URL shortener, so each time you include a URL within your tweet, it will be converted into a Posting links within your tweets will automatically convert them to clickable hyperlinks, however these are no-follow meaning that you cannot get back links from posting URL’s in your tweets.

http://www.TinyURL.com/is the service they use.

Twitter’s traffic comes from SMS, Instant Message, Mobile Web, and all those wonderful API projects out there. About 60% of Twitters’ web traffic comes from outside the United States.

A popular term within microblogging communities is what is referred to as “lifestreams”. Lifestreaming is simply a collection of information about you, compiled from various microblogging networks and social communities that you are a part of.

The difference between microblogging and lifestreaming is in the way the content is delivered. With Microblogging, you are posting direct messages to your subscribers, followers and readers, while lifestreaming compiles the updates and other media that you have developed and links them together into a single, ongoing stream of current information.

And with over 250 microblogging services available, there are no shortage of options in which you can connect with friends, family, co-workers, employees, and customers.

Here are a few ways that marketers are using to take advantage of the global popularity of microblogging and apply it to their business:

Instantly generate interest in your products and services at absolutely no cost.

Maximize your income by expanding your outreach through the use of micro-blogging communities.

Build a list of active subscribers and increase retention by allowing your followers and community members to get to know you on a more personal basis. It’s the perfect branding tool.

Instantly announce the launch of new projects and generate feedback, or develop a team of beta testers easily. Limit exposure to specific microblogging communities as test promotions to determine how well they do, before expanding your marketing, or purchasing advertising.

Build a brand for yourself and your business effortlessly by repeatedly placing yourself in front of a crowd of potential customers.

Establish or build relationships with potential Joint Venture partners, and other like-minded individuals for possible partnership and mutual promotion.

You can poll and survey a large network of users by posting questions relating to product ideas currently in development, or generate new ideas from posts, questions and messages from others in your industry.

The more contacts that decide to follow your updates, the greater your outreach will be. This is why it’s so important that you do your best to allow your personality to shine through.