Social media is undoubtedly one of the best ways to get your blog noticed. Whether you're blogging with the intention of monetizing or just for personal gain you want someone to see your work. And just like any business you have to advertise otherwise no ones going to know you and your lovely blog exist!
Recently I've been focusing on setting blog goals for myself and I've seen a huge increase in my social media following as a result so thought I'd share some tips with you all!
I'm sure there are mixed views on this but in my mind Twitter is one of the number one social media platforms you should be focusing your attention on. If you don't have it I strongly recommend you get it, and if you already have it do you think you're using it to it's maximum potential?
Hashtags are Your Friend
During an internship last summer I stumbled across the #bbloggers (beauty bloggers) hashtag. At the time I had very little clue about blogging and didn't even have my own blog yet, it was just a little seed waiting to grow in my mind.
I soon realised that that hashtag lead to a huge network of posts and spent the next few days glued to my computer screen exploring them. By incorporating hashtags into your tweets you one - ensure that they reach your target market and two - get your posts out there.
Hashtags I've seen people use include #bbloggers (beauty bloggers), #fbloggers (fashion bloggers), #lbloggers (lifestyle bloggers), #psbloggers (plus sized bloggers), #brownbeauty (dark skinned beauty bloggers), #wbloggers (wedding bloggers). Then there's #teenbloggers, #travelbloggers, #foodbloggers and #scottishbloggers which are all pretty self explanatory.
Use the ones which are appropriate to your post and remember if you're talking about something like a popular TV programme to hashtag that too! Don't go overboard though, I'd say 4 hashtags maximum.
Join the Conversation
In addition to the hashtags there are also corresponding chats that take place. Theses chats range from general topics to topics which are voted on.
If you want to get involved here are when some chats take place - #bbloggers Sundays and Wednesdays from 8-9pm, #fbloggers Mondays and Thursdays 8-9pm, #fblchat (fashion, beauty, lifestyle) Tuesday 8-9pm and lastly #lbloggers Sunday 7-8pm. (Thanks to Becky for helping me out with the times!)
I'm sure there are loads more but these are just the ones I know about. Obviously that's a lot of time to commit to them all, but try joining in at least once a week as they're a great way to discover new blogs, get advice and to share your links!
Tweet Often
There is such thing as going overboard on social media, especially if you're constantly tweeting 'Here I am!' or 'Look at my blog!' It gets annoying very quickly and people will just unfollow/ignore you, especially if you have combined your blog and personal Twitter account.
As a general rule tweet links to your blog three to five times a day and to space these out bearing in mind different time zones and working hours. If you're involved in a chat it's perfectly acceptable to share your link a few extra times.
What I try to do is divide my tweets between new and old posts so that there's a nice mix in there. By doing this people are less likely to get annoyed and if they've already read your new posts the old posts come as a nice change.
Plan Ahead to Suit Your Schedule
Few people have the time to individually write each Tweet at the time you want it to go out. This dear reader is where scheduling tools come in handy. While there's a wealth of tools you can use the one I like most is Tweetdeck.
It's incredibly easy to use and you can set aside some time to schedule your week's tweets and not have to worry while you're at work/getting on with life about promoting your blog. Try to vary the way you describe your posts to avoid them sounding repetitive and don't forget to include relevant hashtags!
And lastly...
Track Your Blog Tweets
This actually goes for all social media, but as I'm just talking about Twitter at the moment I'll focus on that! If you don't already have Google Analytics go get it. Now. Right this second. Okay not right this second but after you've finished reading... I'll be watching!
Though Blogger has it's own built in tracking system, it really isn't the most effective way to keep on top of your views. Google Analytics can be a bit confusing to begin with but this tutorial will make your life a lot easier!
Once you have Google Analytics installed you will be able to see which websites give you the highest traffic volumes. Which means 1 -you'll be able to work on your least effective social media and 2 - continue doing what you do for those ranking highly.
Tinyurl is another really great tool for tracking your blog Tweets. Basically what it does is condenses your links to make them smaller and more attractive looking for example: tinyurl.com/confidenceiskey as opposed to http://effytalkslife.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/quote-of-week-7-confidence-is-key.html.Then when you look at your blog statistics you will be able to see which unique link gained you the most hits!
Sorry this post turned out to be way longer than I anticipated but I didn't want to miss anything out!
Did you find this helpful? Do you think there's anything I've missed out? Let me know!
