Do I Need Facebook AND Twitter?

04.05.11

Questions from Women

Natalie, Do I really need a Twitter Account? I have a blog and Facebook page for my blog. I don’t know if I have time for Twitter as well but everyone tells me it will help boost my subscriber base! -Natasha Mogilin, TheBlogWithBling.com

Hi Natasha,

I think bloggers should have a Facebook page and yes, a Twitter account. They are different platforms and by having a different strategy for each one you can greatly increase your subscriber base.

I see Facebook as the “having coffee with a friend” platform. You can have longer conversations and engage with people on a deeper level and really get to know them. I view Twitter as a “catching up and keeping in touch” platform, like when you see someone at the grocery store and say hello. You keep the conversation short and sweet which doesn’t take a lot of your time but it keeps you relevant and in people’s minds. I have connected with far more people in my niche on Twitter than I have with Facebook. On Twitter you can find and follow people in your niche whereas on Facebook people have to come to you unless you pay for Facebook ads. Twitter is my second largest source of traffic after Google and it doesn’t cost a penny!

I hope to see you on Twitter soon! Don’t forget to follow me @nataliemacneil ;)

What do you think?

Are you on Facebook and Twitter? Which do you prefer and what’s your strategy for each one?

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Natalie MacNeil

Natalie MacNeil is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of She Takes on the World. She is also the Co-founder of award-winning digital media firm, Imaginarius. For more information about Natalie, visit NatalieMacNeil.com.

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  • http://www.darleen.com Darleen

    I agree that should be on both. I am observing that depending on type of business one does better than the other. Example: jewelry sales are much higher on FB with little messaging happening on Twitter – and Etsy seems to be dying out with FB taking over. Other observations and discussions I have had with small businesses is that they use only FB as are already overwhelmed with business, if do too much on Twitter they could not possibly keep up and same in reverse. Local fresh food store – Herrle’s Market is engaging totally on Twitter and would be overwhelmed if expanded to FB. Therefore the answer is the usual ‘it depends’ – do you have the bandwidth for all? What are the goals? What are you selling? Quick messages about corn is now ready are terrific for Twitter, but if displaying photos and building a community FB would be first choice with possible Twitter to follow.

  • http://twitter.com/athenanetwork Zsa Zsa

    If you really want to maximize your online presence, I say you have to both in Twitter and Facebook. Each platform has its own strengths, and have been proven to be great, FREE marketing tools. It’s amazing what you can do with them, and what they can give your business in return! :)