As a blogger, your main objectives may be to increase your readership, drive more traffic to your blog and gain exposure. A social media presence can help you establish yourself in the blogosphere and help to get the word out there about your blog. While you may have already created a Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus page for your blog and may have ventured into the world of Pinterest, are you reaping all of the benefits? Here are a few ways in which you can increase your online presence and gain maximum exposure.
You may have your own personal social media accounts but setting up an online profile for your blog is a different matter entirely. Thinking of your blog as a business will help you to create a suitable profile that looks professional. Remember as a blogger, you may hope to collaborate with brands and PR’s in the future and an unprofessional looking profile may put some people off from contacting you with opportunities.
While having a Facebook profile and a Twitter account is separate from your blog, it is important to be consistent in terms of design. This is all part and parcel of creating a successful blog and while you are creating your social platforms don’t forget to link to your blog at every opportunity. Include a link to your blog in your Facebook and Twitter bio as this can help to drive more visitors to your blog daily.
You could be writing the most interesting blog based content on the web but no one will know that your content exists if you don’t spread the word. Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook pages provide you with the perfect promotional tool in which to put your content on the map but be wary of bombarding your followers with link after link to your blog.
If you really want to have more people visit your blog and share your content, you must remember that interacting on social media platforms is a two way street. Interact with bloggers that write about similar topics and create a relationship via Twitter and Facebook. Mention them in your tweets and reward your followers with interesting information that they will find useful.
Twitter is a great place to meet like minded bloggers and many of them take part in relevant chats using hashtags that you can join and share your thoughts. Leaving comments on other blogs will also encourage more people to visit your blog and it only takes a few minutes to leave feedback.
Also Read :
How to Optimize Your Twitter Profile and Tweets for Your Blog
Sharing your content on social media sites is a huge part of blogging but it is not something that you have to do alone. Make it easy for your readers to share your posts by adding social sharing buttons to your blog beneath each post. Including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest buttons in your sidebar is also a great way to encourage readers to join your social community.
However, while it is essential to make these connections between your social network and your blog, it is not wise to connect your social networks to be updated simultaneously. For example, many bloggers think that connecting their Twitter and Facebook is a convenient way to keep both sites updated but this is not the case.
It is quite common to tweet up to 30 or 40 times a day but updating your status on Facebook over 30 times a day would be seen as a social faux pas. The use of hashtags in tweets is all part and parcel of running a Twitter account whereas they are never used on Facebook. For these reasons and many more, it is advisable to keep your accounts separate.
Compared to Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest is the new kid on the social networking block. There is a common misconception when it comes to Pinterest that only food or fashion blogs should have an account. The truth is, it is a great place to share your photos and even if you are not a photographer, it is a great place to gain exposure and connect with other bloggers.
Also Read :
Pinterest 101: Tips on How to be Pinworthy
How to Boost Your SEO and Blog Traffic with Pinterest
Pinterest isn’t just a platform on which you can pin your photos; you can create beautiful boards featuring the brands and products you love. Include a Pin It button on your blog with every post to give your readers the opportunity to share your images. This is just a few ways to make social media platforms work for your blog in your favour.
How to Use Social Media for Blogging Success
Be Savvy
You may have your own personal social media accounts but setting up an online profile for your blog is a different matter entirely. Thinking of your blog as a business will help you to create a suitable profile that looks professional. Remember as a blogger, you may hope to collaborate with brands and PR’s in the future and an unprofessional looking profile may put some people off from contacting you with opportunities.
While having a Facebook profile and a Twitter account is separate from your blog, it is important to be consistent in terms of design. This is all part and parcel of creating a successful blog and while you are creating your social platforms don’t forget to link to your blog at every opportunity. Include a link to your blog in your Facebook and Twitter bio as this can help to drive more visitors to your blog daily.
Network with Fellow Bloggers and Readers
You could be writing the most interesting blog based content on the web but no one will know that your content exists if you don’t spread the word. Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook pages provide you with the perfect promotional tool in which to put your content on the map but be wary of bombarding your followers with link after link to your blog.
If you really want to have more people visit your blog and share your content, you must remember that interacting on social media platforms is a two way street. Interact with bloggers that write about similar topics and create a relationship via Twitter and Facebook. Mention them in your tweets and reward your followers with interesting information that they will find useful.
Twitter is a great place to meet like minded bloggers and many of them take part in relevant chats using hashtags that you can join and share your thoughts. Leaving comments on other blogs will also encourage more people to visit your blog and it only takes a few minutes to leave feedback.
Also Read :
How to Optimize Your Twitter Profile and Tweets for Your Blog
Make the Connection between Your Blog and Social Media Profiles
Sharing your content on social media sites is a huge part of blogging but it is not something that you have to do alone. Make it easy for your readers to share your posts by adding social sharing buttons to your blog beneath each post. Including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest buttons in your sidebar is also a great way to encourage readers to join your social community.
However, while it is essential to make these connections between your social network and your blog, it is not wise to connect your social networks to be updated simultaneously. For example, many bloggers think that connecting their Twitter and Facebook is a convenient way to keep both sites updated but this is not the case.
It is quite common to tweet up to 30 or 40 times a day but updating your status on Facebook over 30 times a day would be seen as a social faux pas. The use of hashtags in tweets is all part and parcel of running a Twitter account whereas they are never used on Facebook. For these reasons and many more, it is advisable to keep your accounts separate.
Is Pinterest Only for Food and Fashion Bloggers?
Compared to Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest is the new kid on the social networking block. There is a common misconception when it comes to Pinterest that only food or fashion blogs should have an account. The truth is, it is a great place to share your photos and even if you are not a photographer, it is a great place to gain exposure and connect with other bloggers.
Also Read :
Pinterest 101: Tips on How to be Pinworthy
How to Boost Your SEO and Blog Traffic with Pinterest
Pinterest isn’t just a platform on which you can pin your photos; you can create beautiful boards featuring the brands and products you love. Include a Pin It button on your blog with every post to give your readers the opportunity to share your images. This is just a few ways to make social media platforms work for your blog in your favour.