Blogging can be a fun and creative outlet to share your talents, interests and favorite things. If you’re a blogger, chances are good that you enjoy writing, teaching and networking. Otherwise, you probably would’ve chosen another way to spend your time. But even if you truly enjoy blogging, it can be incredibly disheartening to put your energy and soul into something that few people are able to see.
In addition, you probably want to make some money for your endeavors, and we all know companies want to see an engaged audience before they start investing their dollars. Therefore, it’s important to find ways to reach the people who would enjoy your content. Check out the tips below to discover some concrete steps for how to promote your blog on social media to get more traffic.
Share Your Link
The first tip probably seems quite obvious, but it’s often overlooked. You need to make sure your blog link is posted on every social media site you use. In fact, it’s good to place it wherever you go online, including your email signature. As you begin to share on social media, your audience will likely check out your profile. Have your blog name and URL prominently displayed so folks can find you.
Take Advantage of Automation
Social media marketing is a time-consuming process. That’s not even counting the hours you spend researching and writing your posts. Save yourself some work by using automated services whenever possible.
There’s Instagram automation software available that uses AI to help you target and accumulate relevant followers in your niche. You can also put scheduling services to use that automatically send your posts out to social media channels at designated times.
Make a Plan
Each social media site is unique and should be treated as such. That means a cut and paste job just won’t cut it. It’s crucial that you invest some time to study each platform you want to use to determine what type of approach is most successful on each.
While we’re on the subject of platforms, keep in mind that you don’t have to be everywhere. In fact, this is counterproductive. Your time will best be spent becoming well-versed on just a few sites where your most relevant audience can be found.
Know the Trends
You should definitely be in the know when it comes to your chosen niche. After all, your readers are looking to you to stay informed. You also must stay on top of online trends such as hashtags and the latest features for sharing on each platform. Each social media site has its own array of offerings.
For example, Instagram gives you Instagram Stories, which allows you to highlight some of your latest and most relevant posts. Facebook Live is a popular feature for those who enjoy being on-camera and giving their audience timely updates on the latest happenings their niche. In addition, knowing the trendiest hashtags and trends gives you countless opportunities to stay fresh and fun.
Metrics Matter
Chances are, you check out your blog stats regularly to see how many visitors you’re getting and whether these numbers are increasing. There’s a lot more you can glean from these metrics, along with other analytics services to specifically help you track your social media patterns. When it comes to your own blog stats, it’s important to investigate where users are coming from.
This tells you which platforms are working best for you, so that you can focus your efforts there. Social media monitoring tools can give you the down and dirty on your social media numbers. Be aware that trial and error is a natural part of the game here. Keep tweaking until you find the platforms and approach that work best for your brand.
Make Sharing Easy
If you want more people on social media to see your blog posts, you have to make it as easy to share them as possible. Have social media share buttons at the end of each post on your blog. Be sure links are included in your Facebook updates.
Utilize features like Instagram Stories that let you share your links. You can also share those of others. Folks will appreciate your shout out and just might reciprocate. This is a great way to gain followers from new sources.
If using Twitter, you can use a growth tool. See how Tweetfull compares before you dive in to make any decisions.
Network, Network, Network
As mentioned above, sharing the content of others is one way of upping your own follower count and ensuring more people see your stuff. There are tons of other ways to network, and they’re all so important. After all, this is social media. Reaching out to others in multiple ways is what it’s all about. Find influencers in your niche. Follow and interact with them.
Then you can consider reaching out to form collaborations that are mutually beneficial. Remember, that authenticity and relationship-building go a long way toward convincing people to work with you. Your ever-growing audience of fans can even get in the game when it comes to promoting your brand. Contests, follower testimonials, shout outs and more can help you to increase engagement and encourage promotion.
Remember the Basics
By now, you understand the possibilities social media marketing can offer. You can promote your blog and get more traffic through strategic use of the sites. However, in your quest for readers, don’t forget the very basics of blogging. Content is still king.
Be sure you’re spending significant time to create informative posts that are visually appealing and give your audience what they’re seeking. Otherwise, it’s really all pointless.
Follow these tips on social media promotion, and you’re sure to see your traffic soar. Good luck, and have fun.