Author: Franz Malten Buemann

As a writer for HubSpot, the most I thought I would use our product was creating marketing blog posts and measuring their performance over time. I never envisioned myself actually using a CMS to, well, you know, build a website.
But, that quickly changed in the Fall of 2022 when I created a blog that cataloged my journey down the Great Divide, a mountain bike trail that stretches from Canada to Mexico.
Before I knew it, I was managing Pedaling4Pups.com and producing a handful of blog posts each week all while biking the 2700-mile trail. Even as a seasoned blogger, I was amazed at how much I learned about creating content — mostly when doing it on the go.
Here’s what publishing a blog post looks like when you’re 12K feet above sea level:

In this post, I wanted to share the lessons that I learned about content creation from my trip. Below are five tips you can use to create awesome content from the top of a mountain, on a sandy beach, or wherever inspiration hits you.

How to Start Creating Content On the Go
If you’re just here for the tips, scroll on down to the next section for the good stuff — I promise I won’t hold it against you.
If you’re curious about the blog that I created and are wondering how I managed to publish 2 posts per week all while biking through thousands of miles of remote wilderness, you’re in the right place.
I had two goals when creating my blog. First, I wanted a way to easily share updates with friends and family. What better way to do that than with weekly blog posts accompanied by a recurring newsletter that readers could sign up for?
The other goal was more personal. I wanted to use my platform to generate donations for a charity. Readers could follow my journey while simultaneously having the opportunity to donate to a cause that I was passionate about.
This led to me to create Pedaling4Pups.com, a dog-centric blog that would not only follow my journey on the Great Divide but would also support an animal shelter in Ukraine. While on the trail, I wrote two posts per week all by writing and uploading content via my smartphone.
When I was at my campsite, I would type up content in my Notes app, then upload it to the blog whenever I had the luxury of cell service.

It was an awesome way to pass the time and I was shocked at how easy it was to pull off. With pre-made templates and themes, creating a website took no time at all, and writing and uploading posts on a phone is more efficient than you may think.
Skeptical? I would be, too. It wasn’t always a downhill ride (bike pun intended) and I had to adapt my content creation skills to fit each situation I found myself in. Read on to learn about how I did it and what you can do for your website if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
5 Tips for Producing Content On the Go
1. You can produce content literally anywhere.
Creating content on the go is easier than you think. If you have a smartphone or a tablet, you’re already halfway there. I used HubSpot on my phone, but you can use any blogging tool that offers a mobile CMS.
Even if you just have a pen and paper, sitting in a tent in the middle of the woods, you can still come up with stories, lessons, or other pieces of interesting content that your audience will want to read. Just jot it down while it’s fresh in your mind then transfer it to your phone or laptop as soon as you get the chance.
As for the actual creation part, you will still need a platform to post your content on as well as internet access so you can share it with the world. Some platforms to consider using while on the go:

Your Website: Don’t have one? If I can create one, then I’d argue most land mammals can, too (sorry whales). Just grab any free website builder and you’re off to the races.
Social Media: Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Club Penguin — take your pick. There are plenty of social media sites to choose from and they all have their own features that make them unique.
Community Forums: These days, it’s tough to be original on the Internet. But, that’s okay. There’s strength in numbers which means there’s likely a community forum or chatroom that would be interested in your content.
News/Media Outlets: While I didn’t do this personally, I do know two content creators who did get some media attention for their perilous canoe trip down the Mississippi River.

When it comes to uploading content, you might have to get a little creative as to when and where you’ll have internet access. Here are a few places to keep an eye out for if you’re in need of internet or cell phone charging while on the go:

Libraries: Libraries always have free wifi and usually don’t care if you hang out for a while. They may even have computers you can use if you’re tired of uploading content via cell phone.
Gas Stations: Gas stations are great places to upload content. Many offer free wifi and there are often charging ports scattered around the building.
Rest Areas: Rest areas are a no-brainer if you’re traveling via a busy road. Along with bathrooms and snacks, these places are pretty reliable for free wifi and charging stations.
Public Parks: While wifi may vary from park to park, keep an eye out for charging ports as well. I found parks were one of my favorite places to stop and steal a charge for a while.
Restaurants + Coffee Shops: So long as you’re a paying customer, most businesses won’t mind you plugging your phone into their wall outlets. Some will even have free wifi you can use to upload your content.

So, there you go. If I can find a way to upload a blog post here:
Then I have the utmost confidence that you can upload your content anywhere, too.
2. People still read personal blogs.
That’s right. Social media hasn’t stolen all of blogging’s thunder. Sure, you can post like-grabbing pics on Instagram, or shoot viral videos on Tik Tok, but you can’t replace the storytelling ability that a blog platform offers.
Blogs are excellent spaces to share personal experiences, and you don’t have to be sponsored by a business to be a popular blogger, either.
In fact, our research shows that nearly a quarter of all creator businesses do not yet generate income (mine for sure didn’t). That means you don’t need to be a business to drum up an audience for your website, you just need to create compelling content.
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Here are some tips for creating awesome content on the go:

Be transparent: If you’re posting about personal experiences, make them real. People want genuine content and most are good at sniffing out when something is fake. And, as soon as they think you’re ingenuine, it’ll be hard to win them back.
Be optimistic: Don’t drown in your sorrows or seek empathy too often from your readers. While this may gain you some attention in the short term, people will grow tired of hearing about the negatives if they aren’t ever followed by a few positives.
Don’t shy away from conflict: Now don’t get me wrong. This is not me saying go out and stir up trouble. This is me saying that my two top-performing posts were the ones where I faced the biggest challenges on my journey. People want to hear about your struggles and how you overcome them so don’t be afraid to play up the dramatics when it calls for it.
Break the 4th wall: Don’t be afraid to talk directly to your reader. This makes the experience feel more personal like they’re on the journey with you.

3. Anyone can be a content creator.
Before this trip, the most website-building experience I had was creating my bio on AOL Instant Messenger. I do know some coding, enough to know I know nothing about coding — certainly not enough to build a full-scale website.
Fortunately, I had one thing going for me. I worked for a company that sells this website-building tool you might be familiar with. It’s called HubSpot, and like Squarespace or WordPress, one of its tools is a drag-and-drop website builder that makes blogging simple for non-technical people like me.
Is this a plug for HubSpot? Yes, but that’s not my point. My point is, anyone can build a website if they have access to a drag-and-drop page builder.
Mine took me about a week or so to design, and from there I was posting content in no time. I used a pre-built template for my web pages so none of my design involved hard coding and I was thrilled with how much customization I had access to with each of the modules that were already included on the page.

The hard part was getting into the mindset of a content creator. You have to be a little vulnerable and willing to accept that some content won’t perform as well as others. In time, you’ll get the hang of it, but learning what works and what doesn’t can certainly pose an intimidating challenge for new content creators.
4.  Content creators are everywhere.
One of the coolest things about my journey was how many other content creators I ran into. My hands-down favorites were Jesse and Fien who manage the website “Two Tired Belgians.” These two adventurers are biking from Alaska to Argentina all in one, two-year trip — putting my measly little ride through the Rockies to shame.
The good news is that you don’t have to travel 20K miles by bike to become a content creator. There are plenty of reasons to get into content creation and bikepacking is only one of many.
Below, are a few other reasons why content creators do what they do.

5. Remember, it’s just a blog.
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that your blog is just a blog. Don’t overthink it, just enjoy it as an outlet to share your experiences with others.
After all, if you’re not making money from it, you should be having fun with it and testing what works with your audience and what doesn’t. If you aren’t having fun creating your content, your audience is not going to have fun interacting with it.
I learned this lesson when I wrote about my tent getting sprayed by a sprinkler system in the middle of a frigid night. Trying to find some humor in the situation, I wrote about the experience as if I were at war with the sprinkler system and used military terms to describe how I moved my tent to safety or “engaged in defensive maneuvers.”
I was soaking wet, cold, and sitting in the dark waiting for a sprinkler to stop spraying my tent. The last thing I wanted to do was write about it. So, I had some fun with it.
I poked fun at myself for pitching my tent in such a ridiculous spot and sarcastically applauded my efforts to salvage the night of sleep. It was quirky and probably not all that funny, but it was what I needed to do to get a post out that day.
To my surprise, this was one of my best-performing blog posts. Friends and family reached out to tell me how much they enjoyed the lighthearted storytelling and how they thought the whole situation was hilarious and was glad I shared it.
While it wasn’t my shining moment as a bikepacker, it was memorable and by putting my own humorous spin on the situation, I shared a genuine experience that my audience wanted to hear more about — isn’t that the mark of a good piece of content? 
Bonus: Dog content always sells.

If there’s one fundamental truth that I can speak to about bikeblogging, it’s that dog content always sells. It might not make sense, it might be irrelevant, but sprinkle in a few pics of pups if you can and you might just see your engagement go up a little bit.
Definitely not a science, but it’s a wagon I’m willing to hitch my horse to.

Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success.
Aspiring Native entrepreneurs face many challenges in growing small businesses. Complex land lease laws, strained infrastructure, and a chronic lack of credit access all inhibit Indigenous success. However, thanks to growing federal, organizational, and tribal support, potential business owners have more resources available than ever.
Navigating new financial mechanisms, tribal incubators, and government programs can still present a challenge. By appraising available resources, and when to leverage them, Native entrepreneurs gain a great head start in launching new ventures. Starting on the right foot, with the right tools, can make all the difference – especially when climbing over systemic barriers.
Native Community Development Financial Institutions
Native access to capital can prove a complex and frustrating obstacle for up-and-coming business owners. Chronic systemic discrimination, along with general confusion around complicated land laws, can stymie new businesses before they ever get started. Generational poverty often means that Natives don’t have alternative means of obtaining start-up capital, either.
A May 2021 report by the National Indian Council On Aging states that 16.3 percent of Native households don’t use banks.  The same report notes that high poverty rates, systemic racism, and a lack of brick-and-mortar institutions on Native reservations leave many Indigenous people without good financial standing.
Natives also can’t use lands held in trust with the Bureau of Indian Affairs – meaning reservation lands – as collateral. As a result, traditional banking and the consequent access to business loans remain out of reach.
In response, many tribes or non-profit organizations have established Native Community Development Financial Institutions or Native CDFIs. These institutions use non-traditional methods, often backed by tribal or federal funding, to lend to otherwise ineligible borrowers.
There are over 70 Native CDFIs across the United States. Some are tribally owned, such as the Lummi CDFI in Bellingham, Washington. Others are established as regional organizations, such as Native Community Capital in New Laguna, New Mexico. Many are part of an overarching organization called the Native CDFI Network, whose website hosts a list of member institutions.
As Native-led or Native-serving organizations, these institutions understand land law, tribal sovereignty, and the issues facing Indigenous entrepreneurs. Loan officers at Native CDFIs often use metrics other than credit scores or collateral to support their lending or offer financial literacy and credit-building programs to improve clients’ standing.
These groups also share many of the perspectives and experiences of their surrounding constituents, which means a wider array of business models can be encouraged and supported. An October 2022 report from banking giant Wells Fargo notes that traditional, national banks frequently lend more often to tribal enterprises with established presences, while CDFIs help cover the gap for smaller loans and riskier businesses.
Potential Indigenous entrepreneurs who have access to a Native CDFI should make reaching out and establishing a relationship their first step in drumming up business capital. In addition to establishing credit, working with a CDFI to build financial literacy and refine a business model can get things started on a high note.
Business Incubators for Indigenous Entrepreneurs
Good products and services may form the cornerstone of successful business ventures, but they’re just a part of the overall operation. Entrepreneurs need a good understanding of cash flow, marketing, scale, and a wide array of other subjects to maintain that success.
Indigenous-led business incubators serve an important niche, combining traditional business sense with a deep understanding of a community’s traditions, needs, and issues. Where non-Native incubators might falter in addressing challenges specific to Native entrepreneurs, Indigenous incubators work from a Native perspective, tailoring their programs to fit their communities.
For Tuba City, Arizona-based Change Labs, an incubator serving the Navajo (Dine) and Hopi peoples, that means initiatives such as providing storefront space and no-credit-needed micro-loans, according to their Theory of Change report. These tailor programs address the limited availability of workable retail space on Navajo and Hopi lands, as well as a widespread lack of credit.
Incubator cohorts typically include dedicated programs packed with classes, projects, and networking. These cohorts often pair participants with experienced mentors in their chosen industries, building relationships and connections for striking out on their own later.
Much like Native CDFIs, Indigenous incubators form for both tribes and regional organizations. While Change Labs targets the Hopi and Navajo tribes specifically, Traverse City, Mich.-based Arrowhead Incubator aids entrepreneurs across that area. While there aren’t many incubators fully off the ground, the passage of 2020’s Native American Business Incubator Act aims to grow that number considerably. Where there isn’t a resource now, one may exist soon.
Native entrepreneurs growing their businesses or who are uncertain of their next steps may find it worth it to locate an Indigenous-led business incubator either through their tribe or regional support. In the absence of a nearby resource, larger incubators such as the Spokane-based Native Business Center provide a range of online classes and workshops.
Economic Development Organizations for Indigenous Entrepreneurs
Even as Indian Country struggles with building wealth, national organizations work to combat those issues and develop strategies for new Native entrepreneurs. Many of these organizations develop programs for funding and supporting Indigenous businesses. Some of these organizations include:
1.  The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development
The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development provides a wide array of programs for supporting everything from procurement for Indigenous small businesses to securing government contracts through the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program. The Center also offers Native Edge Institutes, one-day in-person events providing concentrated bursts of business training.
2. The Center for Indian Country Development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
The Center for Indian Country Development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, which offers data-driven research on industry trends, headwinds facing Indigenous businesses, and policy recommendations.
3. The National Minority Supplier Development Council
The National Minority Supplier Development Council certifies and supports businesses whose owners are majority Native American, Asian-American, African American, Asian-Pacific, or Hispanic. The council connects member businesses with over 500 corporate members,  provides seminars and training, and offers a range of capital access programs, like the Growth Initiative.
In addition to wide-net organizations like the above, many states have American Indian Chambers of Commerce, such as chapters in Oklahoma and New Mexico. These organizations provide advocacy, management, and networking services to Native-owned businesses in their given regions, making them crucial and powerful tools for accessing localized support.
Federal and Tribal Government Programs for Indigenous Entrepreneurs
New COVID-19 era legislation has poured unprecedented funding into Indian Country and prompted the development of new federal support. Some of that is leveraged toward small businesses, chiefly through offices like the Small Business Administration, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
1. The Small Business Administration
The SBA offers free technical assistance for business owners through the Office of Native American Affairs. The Administration also partners with Native-led organizations like RedWind and Sister Sky, Inc. to provide entrepreneurial workshops for Indigenous business owners. The administration also manages the 8(a) Business Development Program, which offers federal contracting preference to certified minority-owned businesses.  
2. The Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs supports Indigenous entrepreneurs through its Native American Business Development Institute, which can fund feasibility studies and market research for business plans. The agency also manages the Indian Loan Guarantee and Insurance Program, which can help provide collateral and support for first-time borrowers.
3. The U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency
Lastly, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency serves minority-owned businesses with research, market data, and a wide swathe of Native-centered business grants and projects.
It’s also worth checking in with individual tribes and their corresponding economic development institutions. While tribal gaming continues to be a juggernaut in generating tribal revenue, tribal acquisitions and diversification are on the rise – a tribal member’s small business may be the next best fit for the tribe’s economic strategy. Alternatively, tribes may have support programs and individualized help available for citizens running new ventures.
Use What’s Out There to Build Your Career
Starting a business can be hard in the best circumstances – and Native American entrepreneurs hardly ever begin in the best circumstances. As more and more institutions grapple with Indian Country’s generational trauma and how best to ease that trauma, Native business owners find themselves with more resources than ever.
Native businesses are important parts of local, tribal, and state economies, generating roughly $50 billion a year across the United States, according to an SBA report. Moreover, starting a successful business remains one of the fastest ways to pull a family out of poverty and begin creating generational wealth, combating one of the longest-running problems in Indian Country.
With the range of new opportunities available, it’s never been a better time to start a new business, whether that’s selling arts and crafts, providing IT services, construction contracting, or a large-scale farming enterprise. Aspiring Indigenous business owners should take advantage of renewed interest in Indian Country’s well-being and secure self-sufficiency and success for themselves in the future.

Which generation do you think is the hardest to reach with marketing content?
Is it Gen Z, hiding out on TikTok and exploring virtual worlds like Roblox? Or Millennials who many other generations think are busy with “quiet quitting?”
While the two generations above are incredibly unique, it’s neither. The data we recently found might just surprise you. 

According to our most recent survey of 1,200+ marketers, it turns out Baby Boomers (age 55+) are the hardest to reach: 

Because Boomers are the oldest generation, and might even have more purchasing power than others, you’d think we’d know them — and where to market to them — pretty well by now. Right?
The truth is, while marketers find it challenging to understand and engage younger ever-evolving generations, Boomers are the clear outlier.
Why? It all goes back to how Boomers like to discover and purchase products, which stands out like a sore thumb compared to other generations.
How Boomers’ Shopping Habits are Different
You might think Boomers are the hardest to reach because they’re not always on the internet, but our survey of over 1,000 consumers shows that more than two-thirds of Boomers use social media. On top of that, searching online is one of the most common ways they discover new products.
So what exactly is it that makes the 65+ audience so hard to reach? In a nutshell, most marketing efforts targeting either Gen Z, Millennials, or Gen X will likely reach all three generations to some extent – while leaving boomers in the dark.
For example, marketers can effectively reach the three younger generations by advertising on social media, streaming services, and on YouTube — but this would do a terrible job of reaching Boomers, shown in yellow below.

Just 17% of Boomers have discovered a product on social media in the past 3 months. This drops to 13% for streaming services like Netflix, and goes down to 8% for YouTube ads. In comparison, these are among the best channels for reaching Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X.
So where can you actually reach the elusive Baby Boomers?
 
The Top 3 Marketing Channels to Reach Boomers
Television Ads Drive Boomer Product Discovery
More than any other generation, Boomers prefer to discover new products through television ads, which is also where they discover new products most often
Online Search is Second Best, but Boomers Do It Differently
Online search is second-best for reaching Baby Boomers. While this channel is also a top product discovery channel across generations, Boomers are searching differently.
All other generations heavily favor their phones for online shopping, while most Boomers are using their computers.

Boomers Prefer Retail Shopping More Than Any Other Generation
Another common and highly preferred product discovery channel for Boomers is in retail stores. 44% of Boomers have found new products in stores in the past 3 months, and 37% of them say it is their preferred method. Both numbers are the highest of any other generation.
Keeping Up With Consumer Trends
Boomers might be the most unique, but each generation has its own way of engaging with brands and their content.
To keep you updated on how each generation’s shopping habits change over time, we’ll be running our consumer trends survey twice a year. For a more detailed breakdown of Boomers’ shopping habits, along with every other generation, check out our full Consumer Trends Report.

As a business, you likely run marketing campaigns all year round.
There are specific occasions, though, where you might spend more time and money on your efforts to maximize exposure and inspire the most sales. Holidays are a great example of this, where events like Black Friday can bring in significant sales and revenue compared to other days of the year.
In this post, we’ll go over insights from marketers on the holidays and annual events that they spend the most money on and why.

What holidays and annual events do marketers build strategies for?
We asked marketers and advertisers about the holidays/annual events they plan to build marketing strategies for in the next 12 months. They were asked to select up to three options, and the top three responses were:

Winter/End of Year Holidays (ex. New Years Day)
Black Friday
Halloween

What holidays and annual events do marketers spend the most money on?
We asked marketers and advertisers about the holidays/annual events they spend the most time and money on marketing. The top holidays were winter/end of year holidays, Black Friday, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day.

We also asked marketers why they spend the most money on the events they selected and the most common responses were that their selected annual holidays and events drive the most sales and bring in the most revenue.
For example, some marketers said they spend the most money on marketing for Black Friday because people begin their holiday shopping during this time and are more excited and willing to spend money, so reaching them with effective and personalized campaigns is essential. Marketers can spend more time and effort creating marketing campaigns for Black Friday because it pays off.
Holidays and Annual Events Provide Opportunity for All Businesses
Every business is different, but holidays and annual events are great for sales. How do your marketing campaigns, marketing spending, and high-traffic events align with other marketers?

For today’s Ask Buffer, we’re covering a great question we received from one of our followers about growing on Twitter. At Buffer, we’ve found our largest audience on Twitter and love that the platform makes interacting with all of our followers so easy. And that’s the very reason why Twitter is an ideal site for marketing – it’s the perfect place for brands and content creators to engage and converse with their consumers.#AskBuffer what is the best way to grow on Twitter? @buffer— Nata (@natagoldberg) October 19, 2022

Twitter has close to 450 million monthly active users, making it a great platform for anyone who wants to spread the word about their small business or passions. If you’re hoping to do exactly that but aren’t sure how to run a successful Twitter account, this blog is for you. We’ll cover the main thing you’ll want to do to gain more followers on the platform and provide some tips on the best kind of tweets to share.Consistency is key to growing your TwitterThe more you tweet, the more likely you’ll thrive on Twitter. In fact, RivalIQ looked at various industries on Twitter and found that the median rate of posting was five times a week. But sports brands, who posted an average of 41 tweets a week, received the highest twitter engagement of any other industry. While you don’t need to be posting that frequently, this data suggests that Twitter accounts that are posting consistently throughout the week are likely to receive higher engagement rates.To grow your Twitter account, we recommend keeping a consistent schedule for your tweets and posting content regularly because it establishes expertise and credibility, works with the algorithm, and helps you build your brand voice. Here’s more on each of these:Position yourself as an expertThe simplest way to grow your account is to gain more followers, and the only way to do that is to contribute to Twitter’s ecosystem. Twitter is unlike other social media sites because, at its very core, the site is made up of exchanges of information in real-time. The more you post about your business or field of expertise, the more likely it is that users will find your Twitter account and follow you.Your Buffer tip of the week 😃:Instead of writing your ideas for social posts down all over the place, add them to Buffer and then turn them into social posts with our newest feature, Ideas 💡Now you might be wondering, “Can you help me come up with ideas too?”Our answer: pic.twitter.com/EZawhwi2XN— Buffer (@buffer) December 2, 2022

Over the years, our Twitter account has been a hub of information for our followers. It’s where we communicate about Buffer’s culture, provide our latest product updates, share resources from our blog, and connect with other small businesses. We’ve amassed nearly one million followers by consistently tweeting about social media marketing, small businesses, and remote work since 2010.By posting more consistently on your Twitter account, you too can position yourself as an expert and grow your following.Establish credibility through consistencyThink about the favorite accounts you follow on Twitter or any other social media platform. You probably look forward to their content on a daily or weekly basis. Similarly, you’ll find that Twitter users will only take notice of your account if you’re routinely offering them worthwhile content. As you continue sharing content online, you’ll begin to gain traction and establish trust with your followers.We also recommend finding your best time to post on Twitter so you can effectively reach more of your audience when you do post.Work with the algorithmIt’s no secret that pretty much all social media algorithms take into account consistency when calculating which content to promote, meaning the more you share, the more likely your account will be shown in your followers’ feeds.A Twitter blog post stated that the platform is more likely to show certain tweets to a user if said user has interacted with the author’s tweets in the past. So, your goal should be to consistently publish content that is engaging to your followers. As they begin to like, comment, and retweet your posts, the more likely it is that your tweets will be prioritized on their Twitter timeline.Build out your brand voiceAs you continue tweeting on your account, you’ll begin to establish your brand’s voice and style. This is the distinct way you communicate with your followers, and by creating this specific voice, your audience can forge a stronger connection to your business.Once you tweet with your brand voice in mind, your Twitter followers should be able to recognize your tweets and may even look out for them as they scroll through Twitter. This will help give you a greater presence on the platform because your tweets will stand out amongst the crowd.Best practices for creating content for TwitterOnce you’ve committed to keeping a consistent Twitter schedule, you’ll need to figure out what exactly to tweet about. We’ll go over some suggestions and strategies that will help you create engaging content on Twitter.Share useful and relevant contentWhen it comes to posting on your Twitter account, you want to make sure whatever you’re saying will provide value and insight to your audience. There are many ways you can do so, and we’ll go over some examples from other small businesses and content creators.Lean into your expertise and strengthsAt the end of the day, people will follow your Twitter account if they feel like you are tweeting about topics that are relevant, entertaining, timely, and useful.Content writer and strategist Kaleigh Moore regularly posts about marketing on her Twitter. Below, she shares a helpful tip about maintaining a website’s about page.When’s the last time you took a hard look at your website’s About page?It’s more important than you might think. We’ve all heard the saying: “You only have one chance to make a good first impression.”Your About page is often where you make your first impression online.— Kaleigh Moore (@kaleighf) November 16, 2022

Here, Asian Law Caucus – a nonprofit organization focused on social justice amongst minority communities – regularly shares updates on political and social news items in the Bay Area. Note that this is a great example of the org repurposing a blog post from their website into a tweet.ICYMI: Brian shared his story as part of a series on Californians organizing to end our state’s prison-to-ICE pipeline that separates thousands of families. His story inspired many people to urge legislators to end this racist practice once and for all.https://t.co/nvrh4rWflV— Asian Law Caucus (@aaaj_alc) December 5, 2022

💡Repurposing content is one of the best ways to make your social media game more effective. Learn more about the strategy here.Leverage Twitter threadsIf you’re on Twitter, you’re most likely consuming dozens of Twitter threads throughout the day. Threads are very popular on the website and should be used whenever a single tweet isn’t enough to express your thoughts. Essentially, a thread is a series of connected tweets that tell a story, explain an opinion, or express factual information. And it’s one of the main ways Twitter users connect and share information on the website.Jack Appleby grew his impressive career as a social strategist through his Twitter account. He became known for crafting detailed threads where he analyzed a host of marketing-related topics, like this Twitter thread about how Microsoft handled a leak about Xbox.A major, major @Xbox leak was handled masterfully on social in the middle of the night.Let’s look at how Xbox made several viral moments out of a bad day thanks to some memes, quick thinking, & a big company that’s agile enough for fast approvals.Thread 🧵 // pic.twitter.com/QBbeYs3pBJ— Jack Appleby ☕️ (@jappleby) September 8, 2020

Similarly, Professor Olomi has grown his Twitter following by writing dozens and dozens of informative and entertaining Twitter threads about ancient Islamic astrology.Islamic astrology shares a lot of commonalities and influence with European medieval astrology. For example how they interpret the different signs of the zodiac, or dairat al burujA thread on the signs in Islamic astrology: pic.twitter.com/ONXchcxzmh— Ali A Olomi (@aaolomi) July 17, 2019

Want more tips for writing a great Twitter thread? You’re in luck – we wrote a blog post on just that.💡Buffer makes it easy for you to post consistently on Twitter. Get started today to schedule tweets and Twitter threads! Use popular hashtagsTwitter is constantly a buzz with trending conversations. Using popular hashtags (but limiting it to one to two hashtags per tweet) is an easy way to be a part of a larger discussion on the platform, and it lets other Twitter users find your account easily. If you’re ever in need of some inspiration on what to tweet about, checking out the explore page to see what topics are trending is a good place to start.It may not always be appropriate to engage in just any trending topic, but try and see if you can tie it back to your brand. Like here, when Jamba Juice posted about the popular show Euphoria, which was dubbed the most tweeted-about show in the decade.Smoothies we’d give the characters of Euphoria, a thread 🧵— Jamba (@JambaJuice) March 2, 2022

Engage with othersTwitter is the perfect platform for networking with like-minded businesses, customers, and other users. Building community on Twitter can help you amplify your own tweets, while also forging stronger connections with others.Show support to your partners and peersThe Lower Eastside Girls Club’s Twitter account is the perfect example of what it looks like to network effectively on the site. The nonprofit is constantly engaging with partner organizations on their timeline. Like this tweet where they tagged a local bookstore, Bronx Bound Books, and shared a picture from a recent event.The power of reading is truly infectious!⭐️👏🏽 @bronxboundbooks, the mobile bookstore on wheels — stopped by the Girls Club yesterday and we were SO excited to pick out some new reads!💖 #ReadToLead #girlsclub #purejoy pic.twitter.com/2jPOld2Lfi— The Lower Eastside Girls Club (@girlsclubny) June 2, 2022

Retweet like-minded organizationsRetweeting content from like-minded organizations allows you to diversify your Twitter timeline and include perspectives from others. It’s also a good way to build community. When you amplify others’ tweets, there’s a stronger chance that the favor will be reciprocated.Here, The Lower Eastside Girls Club retweets content from their partner organization, NYC Ferry, and highlights their food pantry program.Thank you for all your support this holiday season! We couldn’t have done it without you! #ThanksgivingGiveaway #communitypantry 💖 https://t.co/m5tc7r5zJG— The Lower Eastside Girls Club (@girlsclubny) November 28, 2022

While retweeting is a great strategy, use it in moderation. People won’t be excited to follow your account if your Twitter feed is completely filled with content from others and doesn’t include original tweets.When thinking about the content you create on your Twitter, incorporating ways you can include your peers in the conversation will not only help fill up your content calendar, but it’s a great way to network on the site.Initiate conversation with your followersAn easy and effective way to create more content on Twitter is to engage with your followers. By interacting with the Twitter users you already have, you’re building a stronger relationship with them which can in turn build more brand awareness and loyalty.Our social media manager Mitra is always engaging with our Twitter community by asking questions and getting their feedback.Small business owners: What’s one tool you can’t live without? 🛠️— Buffer (@buffer) December 4, 2022

We’ve also created a dedicated hashtag for our Twitter users to ask us social media-related questions on the site.Do you have any questions for the Buffer team about social media, marketing, or business culture? Use #AskBuffer to share and we may feature your question on our blog! 🤳— Buffer (@buffer) June 1, 2022

Allison Medina, founder of Tech Ladies, does a great job at interacting with her followers on the platform by regularly getting their feedback on what she should write about in her newsletters.OR would it be more interesting to talk to people of various backgrounds (1st or 2nd generation) about how their cultures shape how they do business?— Allison Medina | Bootstrap to Millions (@techladyallison) December 5, 2022

By directly conversing with your followers, you’re showing them you value their input and want to build community with them on Twitter.When you ask these questions, you may not always get responses from your followers, and that’s OK. The main thing is that you’re trying and opening a dialogue with your community. Keep tweaking your tweets to see what resonates most with your followers. Using Twitter Polls can be an easier way to receive input from your followersAre you using a tool for scheduling your Twitter threads?— Buffer (@buffer) December 5, 2022

And when you do hear back from your followers, try your best to respond to every comment. This will help make your followers feel like their voices are being heard. Here are some best practices for replying to social media comments.Create content specifically for TwitterTo really grow on Twitter, you need to be strategic and create content that will perform well on the platform. While it’s totally fine to repurpose posts from your other channels and cross-post them onto Twitter, ideally you’re also crafting some content exclusively for Twitter. Doing so will allow you to cater to your Twitter audience.Years ago, we started #BufferChat on Twitter and recently brought it back in honor of Buffer’s 12th birthday. Our product marketing manager Phill spent some time chatting with our Twitter community about our latest feature – ideas.Who remembers #BufferChat? 🙋‍♂️We started the popular Twitter chat 8 years ago and tomorrow — we’re bringing it back! Join us to celebrate Buffer’s 12th birthday and our latest new feature, Ideas.Tomorrow, November 30 @ 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm GMT! pic.twitter.com/IULJ9b3piz— Buffer (@buffer) November 29, 2022

We’ve found that we’ve gotten a ton of engagement by using the hashtag and it’s allowed us to build community on the site. Scheduling specific times to chat with your followers about certain topics can be a great way to grow your followers.While it’s great to tweet about your small business, we recommend taking advantage of all of Twitter’s various features and using them to create new content for your followers.Here, Twitter user @LoveofDivine shares her knowledge about astrology on Twitter Spaces with her followers. Spaces allow for a live discussion, making it a bit more interactive. It’s a great strategy for changing up your content and connecting with your followers in a new way.@Loveofdivine hosts a Twitter Space on astrology related topics💡Call out: Buffer’s Analytics can help you pinpoint which Tweets are resonating most with your audience. Get started now for free.Include visuals in your tweetsYou’ve probably noticed that most of the tweets we shared throughout this blog post included images. According to Twitter, 97 percent of people focus on visuals on the platform. While Twitter may not seem as visual of a platform compared to Pinterest and Instagram, tweets with media attached to them – including pictures, gifs, or videos – receive 3x more engagement.Here are some best practices when including pictures or illustrations.make sure your photos are properly cropped for the siteinclude image and video descriptions, also known as alt text, for any media you tweet aboutstray away from stock imageryWe hope this Ask Buffer has provided some useful information for growing your Twitter account. Remember, with Buffer, you can schedule Twitter threads and tweets! Get started today for free. If you have a social media question for us let us know on Twitter by using the hashtag #AskBuffer!

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