Nobody throws a party without inviting people to come. Your blog is an event like any other. You have to create buzz, invite the right people and have good things ready for them when they arrive. Since this particular party is ongoing, you must also nurture it. A vibrant digital marketing plan will energize and sustain your blog. Let’s look at seven tips that reveal how to market your blog on social media.
If you promote your site wisely, you’ll increase traffic, build an audience and enjoy an exciting interactive experience.
- Social Media Is A Great Way To Promote A Blog
- Content Makes The Difference When You Start Your Marketing Campaign
- Cross Promote Your Blog With Established Sites
- Use Social Media Tools To Integrate Your Blog Activity
Post Compelling Content
This may sound like a no brainer, but in the age of deal making and viral promotions don’t forget your most vital asset. A blog might survive bad marketing, but it will not survive bad content. Make sure your writing, images and sound media are the best you could ever offer. Put forth your best ideas, and write them like your life depended on it. If you use photos, make every picture count. Use stunning graphics to catch people’s attention with provocative, beautiful imagery. Every aspect of your blog should try for award winning status. You want people to be impressed when they visit you. Put your best foot forward, and visitors will reward you with their patronage.
Use Social Media
The idea of using social media may be obvious, but it may not be clear how to go about it. If you haven’t already, get your blog on Twitter and add the tweet button to your blog. The platform has more then two hundred million users daily and is an indispensable part of your digital marketing campaign. This action goes double for Facebook, which has nearly two billion daily users. Start a page for your blog and think about giving it a subscription option. You’ll drive traffic and jump start a user database that helps fuel the growth of your blog.
Integrate your social media presence with your blog. Reach out to popular social media spots and encourage people to share and comment on your blog and its content. Use buttons to take advantage of likes and follows on Facebook and Twitter. Link these buttons to blog content and to login points on your social media pages. Encourage visitors to commit to you in a variety of ways, but keep your pitch at the level of a ‘soft sell’. Don’t get too pushy, or over saturate with buttons and graphics. The point is to make the connections seem natural and prompt people to engage your content smoothly.
Cross Promote With Other Bloggers
Get other bloggers to promote your site. Find people with complementary interests and encourage them to send traffic to you. Don’t be intimidated by another site’s popularity or following. If they see value in your content, they’ll probably want to connect. If a popular site increases your traffic, it will probably increase theirs in return. Most successful sites understand this metric and look forward to linking with other blogs that have common interests.
A counter intuitive way to introduce yourself to other bloggers is to offer to promote their blog site first. Even though you may not have much traffic to offer them, people appreciate the genuine interest. A suggestion would be for both sites to create a joint promotional offer that can become the center of a campaign.
Connect With Influencers
Find the social media icons and other influencers whose persona complement your blog. Follow them immediately and begin a dialogue with them. If they are experts, highlight their opinions on your blog.
Invite them to guest-blog, and use your best content to intrigue them. Before you even establish personal relationships with them, pay attention to their actions. Their habits may be something you can emulate and use to your advantage. It’s likely they have practices and methodologies that have led to their success and status.
Social Bookmark Your Blog
Index your blogs on popular sites. Places like Reddit, Delicious and Digg are good places to begin. Use hashtags and other markers as you comment and post information to make your presence felt. Just as with buttons and links, remember to be sparse with this strategy and keep it natural. Don’t overuse the technique or come across as a spammer or troll. Get other people to bookmark for you. Be careful, since many sites penalize you for multiple submissions.
Ask For What You Want
Always ask for the things you really need. It’s good to be subtle and polite, but not if it creates misunderstandings. People can’t read your mind, and they don’t know what’s important to you. Sometimes you have to be direct and make an overt request to get the support or recognition you want. Don’t confuse being direct with being discourteous. There’s a proper way to ask for things that’s entirely appropriate. Take your time and be clear when you ask for things like shares, links and partnerships. Most people appreciate the upfront approach, and it benefits you to get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer quickly.
Be Prompt And Engage
Always answer people who engage or start a dialogue on your blog. Interact with them, even if you disagree or object. Answer questions promptly and give information consistently and honestly. Build a reputation for integrity and fairness that’s every bit as solid as your reputation for good content.
