Many moons ago I asked this very question, why do people use Facebook and Twitter to get traffic?  I had the problem because I was wondering how in the world people would/could use these platforms successfully to get a steady flow of traffic to their blogs while maintaining friendships and professional relationships.

This question was answered on a personal level as I began to see how it affected my blog traffic, giving me a steady flow of new and return visitors to my site (stats to follow).

But first, I want to differentiate the two.  Or, even better, you can go to this article at Twitip to get a great run down on the differences between the two, and as they explain in much better detail and more thoroughly than I ever could or would, you should go there and skim it real quick to get a good grasp on the differences.

So, why do I use Facebook and Twitter so much to get traffic?  This is the down low, the bottom line, the proverbial nitty gritty – I get nearly 20% (19.16% to be exact) of my blog traffic from Facebook and 13% (13.08% exactly) of my blog traffic from Twitter.  That’s why I use these tools, because nearly one-third (1/3) of my traffic comes from these sources.

Not only do they allow me to more effectively network with my friends, colleagues and even MCHammer (both MCHammer and I will follow you if you follow us, find MC Hammer here and follow me here), but it allows me to easily update my status wherever I am.

Fortunately for me, I’ve figured out from smarter people how to use the tools effectively and efficiently.  As an internet marketer and business owner, you have to leverage your time and use it wisely.

This is what I did to ensure that my accounts were working together:

First, I actually signed up for a Twitter account.  I’ve had my Facebook account for years, but only under a year ago did I sign up for Twitter.

Second, I began following people I knew and commenting here and there on my status as well as commented on others’ statuses (was that an awkward sentence?).

Third, I had to learn and educate myself on what all the Twitter lingo meant.  It took me a while to figure out how to respond to people (using the @ tool), send direct messages (DM), and it took me a long time to figure out what a ReTweet (RT) was and why it was so important.

Fourth, I integrated my Twitter account with my blog and Facebook.  So, now every time I create a blog post a notice goes to my Twitter account and automatically updates my Twitter status (you can do the same thing by checking out this tool, TweetMyBlog).  Then, since I use the Twitter application on Facebook (go here to use it yourself), every time I update my Twitter account, my Facebook profile automatically picks up the update and applies it to my Facebook status (this stuff has added a lot of traffic to my site.

Considering I have nearly 500 friends on Facebook and over 500 followers on Twitter (as of 02/05/09 @ 11:15 a.m. CST), in an instant, over 1,000 people are informed of a new blog post or any new updates on what’s going on in my life.  THAT’S THE POWER OF FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.

Why I use Facebook and Twitter to get traffic is very simple, it’s incredibly easy to integrate into my blog and social media outlets as well as it provides me the opportunity to be in contact with thousands of people in almost an instant.  Pretty sweet, huh?  You should try this!

God bless,

Travis Fitzwater
Follow Travis on Twitter

“Whatever the mind can CONCEIVE and BELIEVE, it can ACHIEVE.” -Alexander Graham Bell