Hiya! Here I am today with Easy Social Media Tips for Bloggers!
I had actually planned to write about SEO or Search Engine Optimization tips, but felt that social media tips might be more useful at this point, as most of us are on the major social media networks and rely on a major part of our blog traffic from there. With zero further ado, here are some tips you can take action on, right away. Easy stuff. If I can do it, you can, yes? Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, StumbleUpon are all major traffic drivers. So go forth and conquer.
Easy Social Media Tips for Bloggers
1. Display your social media icons on your blog
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it countless times. Display your social media icons in your sidebar or at the top of your blog, inviting your readers to connect with you on those sites. Your blog readers should find it easy to connect with you and share your awesome posts without having to hunt all over your blog and leave, annoyed. Your twitter handle must be easy to find and must lead your readers to your profile. Got custom social media icons? Great! And while you are at it, organize your sidebar so everyone can navigate easily without getting confused.
2. Create a Facebook page for your blog
If you are serious about blogging, create a Facebook page for your blog. It is easy, takes three minutes and is worth it. Facebook has 1.23 billion users (and counting). Build your readership by adding the Facebook Page Like box on your blog, making it easy for visitors to “like” your page without leaving your blog. Did you know some readers remember the blog name rather than the blogger’s name?
3. Use LinkedIn To Share Posts
Leverage your LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have one, create your profile right now. Then, show off your blog posts there.
4. Use Pinterest
Pinterest is a social bookmarking site where users collect and share photos of their favorite events, interests and hobbies. Currently it is one of the hottest social media sites. If you haven’t already, create your profile there and create themed boards where you can “pin” all your favorite stuff – including your blog posts, videos, and what have you.
5. Use your Blog Name/ Link Often
Use your blog name wherever possible. Add your blog name to your email signatures. I use an email app called “Wise Stamp” that lets me add my social media icons, latest tweet and latest blog posts – it pulls the feed from my blogs automatically.
6. Join Facebook Groups
Presuming you are on Facebook, find groups to join. There’s nothing like community to grow your blog and grow yourself. Be active in the group and build your following.
7. Share Other Blogger’s Content
Be generous about sharing other bloggers’ content. Just putting out great stuff is not enough. Blogging is give and take. More give than take, but eventually it all balances out. Go ahead, visit other blogs. Comment. Share their posts on your social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and other sites where you have a following. Retweet others’ tweets. Re-pin others’ pins on Facebook. Remember – if you have the intent, it is easy.
On the topic of sharing, make sure you have your sharing buttons at the top/bottom of your posts on your blogs so your readers can share your posts. Ideally, you should add the following buttons: Facebook Like, Google Plus, Tweet (customized with your Twitter handle), Pin it. You get these sharing buttons as a set or as options to choose from, based on which blogging platform you use. Don’t you feel happy when you can read someone’s blog and have easy sharing buttons to do your thing?
8. Be Active on Social Media
Be active in social media. I am not saying you should hang around Twitter or Facebook all day. Manage your time in such a way that you spend about half an hour every day, interacting, engaging with your fans and friends and establish your presence. (Did I hear someone shout “half an hour on Facebook? dream on!”? It is possible. If I can do it, you can, too.
10. Enjoy the interaction
Enjoy the interaction – and have fun.
That’s it for today. I know it is basic, but it is an excellent start.
Got tips to share? Let us know in the comments!
This post was written for Write Tribe by Vidya Sury.
Vidya Sury is a happy work-at-home Mom,writer, editor and business blogger, and social media explorer who takes one day at a time. She enjoys sharing what she learns and showing her diabetes who’s boss!. She loves coffee, books, music, cooking, DIY, people and life. Her hobbies are collecting smiles and inspiring happiness. She thrives on information overload. She blogs at Vidya Sury, Coffee With Mi and Your Medical Guide and tweets as @vidyasury
All very helpful tips, Vidya. But for now I am keeping myself away from twitter and other things, am only using G+ and Facebook. I may reconsider but at present I feel this is all I can handle…. And as for the prompt, just linked up my post. I have taken some liberty to re-interpret the prompt a bit differently, hope that is acceptable 🙂
Great tips Vidya…and thanks for the prompt 🙂
Helpful for all bloggers! Thanks Vidya mam! I would like to add reddit to this list too! Its a good site and the posts you like the most can be shared there too! Half an hour sounds quite reasonable and workable as a routine!
Thanks Corinne for these tips. When I think of a fellow blogger who know her stuff, it’s you! I need some general tips on getting into Twitter. At the moment I hardly use it to promote my blog. Do you already have a post on this?
Amelia – this post came from Vidya Sury who is a blogging ace! I’ll pass on her request for Twitter tips although she has done one before here: http://writetribe.com/thursday-tips-ten-twitter-tips/
Thanks 🙂
Awesome social media tips, Vidya. Sharing is caring and the more we give, the more we receive. Pinterest is very visual and I like pinning posts here, Love the 100 words on Saturday prompt too.