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<\/p>\nDoes it ever feel like the tumbleweed is blowing around your blog? Perhaps your posts rarely get comments, and only one or two Tweets or Likes. Maybe you email bloggers to ask for support, but they rarely respond.<\/p>\n
Bloggers who might be too busy to reply to your emails may well have time to send a quick reply to a tweet \u2013 and this can be a great way to make contact and to build a relationship.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Image from Flickr by\u00a0west.m<\/a><\/p>\n Here are seven dos and don\u2019ts to help you on the way:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong>That could mean you:<\/p>\n Asking a quick question, or simply saying \u201cHi, Joe Blogger, I really love your work\u201d is a great way to start. You might feel a little shy at first \u2013 but it\u2019s a lot less nerve-wracking than going up to a major blogging name in person.<\/p>\n <\/center><\/p>\n If someone doesn\u2019t respond to your tweets, don\u2019t bombard them with more. And definitely don\u2019t whine on Twitter about how Mister Big Blogger is a jerk who doesn\u2019t respond to tweets \u2013 that\u2019s not<\/em> a good way to make an impression.<\/p>\n You never know who might be the next up-and-coming big name in your field … so reach out to lesser-known people too. If someone makes contact on Twitter, do your best to reply.<\/p>\n <\/strong>We all judge on appearances … and basic mistakes create a poor first impression. If you\u2019re struggling to type on your smartphone, use your computer or tablet to tweet instead.<\/p>\n Image from Flickr by MDGovpics<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n <\/strong>Building relationships takes time and commitment. It might take repeated interactions with a blogger before they follow you, or even respond directly to you. Keep \u201cgiving\u201d through retweets or friendly replies.<\/p>\n What does your profile say about you? Make sure you\u2019ve got a good, clear bio in place, and a link to your website \u2013 and avoid tweeting anything that you wouldn\u2019t want a big-name blogger to read.<\/p>\n Did you learn something new from this post, or do you have a great tip to add? Let us know in the comments!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Ali Luke will be running social media courses<\/a> in London from September 2012. If you want to use Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn to grow your business, then book your place now. All courses are one-day, with hands-on exercises and one-to-one support as part of a small group.<\/em><\/p>\nDO: Give first.<\/h3>\n
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DON\u2019T: Be afraid to step up and make contact.<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7026\/6756420231_7d45a5abdf.jpg\")
<\/div>\nImage from Flickr by MDGovpics<\/a><\/em><\/div>\nDO: Be polite and considerate.<\/h3>\n
DON\u2019T: Ignore smaller bloggers.<\/h3>\n
DO: Pay attention to spelling and grammar.<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nDON\u2019T: Expect instant results.<\/h3>\n
DO: Consider the overall impression your Twitter account creates<\/h3>\n
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Use Twitter to connect with other bloggers? Download Shareaholic for your browser<\/a> to easily share your favorite content with your followers.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"