Remember when Pinterest was that thing that you had to get an invitation to join? We were all hearing things about this new platform to find recipes and DIY crafts. It sounded pretty fun. Then one day, like most other social media platforms, it became so much more. Now it is widely recognized as one of the best blogging resources on the web.
So what's all the buzz about using social media to grow your blog? You may have read posts about how you can "double your traffic by doing x" or why you "should be using y". But are you really getting the most of your social media accounts?
Here are some ways you could be more effective in using social media to grow your blog:
Hootsuite
A while back I read a post about scheduling Tweets, and why you should be doing it on on Life Could Be a Dream. It's useful, because you can still have a social media presence without being glued to your phone. We have busy lives! So must of us can't be sharing posts or quotes all day long. When I heard about Hootsuite, I realized that I could connect it to more than just Twitter. I linked mine with my Twitter, my personal Facebook, and the Facebook page for my blog. That way I don't have to be by my computer once my post goes live--Hootsuite will share it for me. It's also helpful for those times that you find something that you want to share right after you just Tweeted. Instead of wondering if it's socially acceptable to share two things in a row, use Hootsuite and schedule the second thing for later on!
Related: Blogging With Purpose
Up until about a year ago, I was definitely underutilizing Pinterest. I had no idea how powerful Pinterest was, and I never imagined how much it would help grow my blog. Last year I found out you could create "Pin-it" icons to help users Pin posts directly from your blog. It makes it a lot more likely that people will pin your content, rather than just re-pinning it if they come across it on Pinterest. In November I wrote a post that got more attention Pinterest than I had ever experienced before. My post "7 Things I Never Want My Little Sister to Feel" has received around 15,000 views to date, and Pinterest seems to be the primary way that readers find it. Do not underestimate the power of Pinterest!
TIP: I recently learned from The Nectar Collective that Pinterest uses a "Smart Feed" which means pins are not shared chronologically, but rather "best pins" are shared first. One of the things that Pinterest looks at is the quality of the user, so if you go through and delete pins that have not been re-pinned, you will improve your user quality!
I don't know about you, but I love Twitter. I would even go as far as to say that I love Twitter more than Facebook. Twitter is a great way to connect with other bloggers. If I come across a blogger that I like, the first thing that I do is follow them on Twitter, because it is a great way to get your content out there. It's also a way that I have gotten to know some of the bloggers I follow better. I have engaged in Twitter conversations and Twitter chats, shared other bloggers' posts, and increased my blog following through Twitter. Many people spend a great deal of time on Twitter, especially since it is so easily accessible to scroll through on your phone. So take advantage of that!
TIP: Schedule to share content around lunch time, because a lot of people are looking through social media while they are eating or waiting for lunch!
For a while I questioned whether or not Facebook was really helping me increase my views. But when I looked into where my traffic was coming from, I realized a good portion of it is still coming from Facebook. It also came as a surprise to me how many people that I knew in real life were actually reading my blog. I have had people Facebook message me or come up to me and tell me how much they enjoy reading my blog (some of these people I haven't seen or talked to in years). And you have no idea how much that means to me! Seriously, this thing is my baby, and it still shocks me when people tell me that they are actually reading it. I actually had someone message me THANKING ME for inviting them to like the Facebook page that I created for my blog. Can you believe that?! That was back when I was just figuring out what the heck I was actually doing in the blogosphere, and it was one of the best compliments I have ever received. Thank YOU for reading my blog! So if you have questioned whether or not Facebook is really worth your time, I urge you to keep posting. You never know who is actually reading and who you could be having an impact on through your words.
TIP: Share other relevant articles, pictures or quotes on the page for your blog. It will help you keep an active social media presence even when you don't have a post to share.
Bloglovin'
Here's what I like about Bloglovin': you can have all of the blogs you follow right in front of you. Most serious bloggers have a Bloglovin' account, so it's likely you can follow them this way. It is a feed of all of the recently published content of the bloggers you follow. Additionally, you can go to anyone's account and scroll through their posts. It is a quick and easy way to find content that you are interested in! You can also save posts to refer back to later, and now you can even put them in certain categories--kind of like Pinterest. Also, once you connect your blog with Bloglovin', it automatically publishes your new posts to your account. So it saves you that extra step of having to post it yourself!
I love Instagram almost as much as I love Twitter. I am in no way an insta-expert. But I highly envy those who are, and if you could share your ways (or maybe just take pictures for me), that would be stellar. Regardless, it is such a fun way to share photos and even promote your blog! I have noticed a lot of my favorite bloggers rock at Instagram, which is no surprise, because they already have amazing photos on their blogs. I like to think of it this way: what does my Instagram say about me? Since I have a public profile with a link to it on my blog, I want everything I post to fit with my brand and best represent me. (P.S. Whitney Blake, if you ever see this, you are an Instagram Goddess, and I love all of your Instas!)
TIP: Use the Location feature to share the URL to your blog if the pic is related to content you are sharing that day!
Notes about other social media
A lot of bloggers have a Google+, but honestly I don't use mine that much. I feel like my time is best spent on the aforementioned social media. Also, I have noticed that bloggers like, Helene from Helene In Between, are now using Snapchat to promote their blogs as well! And I think that is a really neat idea. Snapchat has definitely evolved in the last few years, and a lot of celebrities are even beginning to use it as a way to share more intimate moments with fans. However, you probably won't see me making my Snapchat public anytime soon. It was a little difficult for me to make Twitter into a space to promote my blog at first, because it was originally just a fun place to share my thoughts with friends. So for now I plan to keep Snapchat as something fun I do with friends, but who knows, maybe one day I will join the Snapchat-Promotion bandwagon, too.
Happy Fourth of July weekend! I can't wait to see what you are all up to via social media! Do you have big plans for the weekend?
Related: On Being That Blogger Friend (Can't believe this was a year ago!)
I LOVE this post! Social media is so important as a blogger and you have gone through all of them! I never thought about deleting pins that don't get re-pinned. But I guess that would help with the smart feeds! So interesting! Thanks so much for sharing all this, Taylor!
ReplyDeletethis post is so awesome! I have never heard of hootsuite but I'm definitely going to look into it! thanks so much for this helpful post! xx, kenz
ReplyDeletehttp://sincerelykenz.com
Thanks, Gina! I'm glad you found it helpful. I feel like I am constantly learning new tips and tricks. I have to share them!
ReplyDeleteThank you! You really should! I really recommend it. It has been really helpful for me.
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