Why Blogging Should Be Part of Your Social Media Strategy

It's no secret that social media is one of the biggest ways to bring traffic to your blog. Blogging has a social aspect to it, as it can be used to connect with people and encourage them to share. Because your blog is dependent on social media, a well-made social media marketing plan goes hand-in-hand with a good content strategy. Use this quick guide to learn how you can start including social media into your blog to boost your visibility and authority.

Start with Social Media Sharing Buttons

Before you worry about creating a profile on the top social networks, you need to cater to those who are already visiting you. Adding social media sharing buttons to every blog post will allow visitors to share your link with their contacts, expanding your reach on networks.

Incorporating sharing buttons can be done in a number of ways. Usually, this means putting social media network icons in two places: at the top of each page and at the bottom of each blog post. The ones at the top of the page will link to your future profiles so people can easily subscribe to you, while the ones at the bottom of each post make it easy for users to share your work. This is much easier to do than it sounds. If you are using WordPress, for example, simple plug-ins can be installed to help you do this in minutes.

Once these features are in place, you won't have to change them unless you create a new social media profile. If you are concerned that the buttons take away from your blogging, try experimenting with different designs. Small and more concise designs can blend into your website seamlessly without being too distracting to the reader.

Encourage Your Readers to Share

People love sharing high-quality content online, especially if they have an existing relationship with the blogger. If you have already connected with your reader in some way, they are more likely to share your content, but you might have to remind them. Try ending a blog post with a prompt to share on social media.

You can also offer incentives to readers who follow or subscribe to you using social media. Try making exclusive posts or placing pictures on social media. This encourages them to visit your social profile for additional information or features. If they can see a clear benefit in following you, they will be more apt to hit the button.

Developing an Online Presence through Social Media

After you have prepped your site and made it more social media-friendly, you can start getting more involved. Having a presence on social media is important for any blogger, and the more active you are, the more traffic you can get.

Getting started with social media is very easy, even for niche industries hoping to target a very specific audience. There are hundreds of social networks available to help you connect with users and promote your blog. For beginners, it is easier to start with the network you are most familiar with and then branch out.

Create a profile on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn for your blog. Don't substitute your personal profile for your blogging one, although you should still feel free to share your links on both. Having a professional profile for your blog helps turn it into an authority and makes it easier to target new followers.

If you have the time to create a profile or page on all three networks right away, you should do it. While you don't have to create a stellar marketing campaign for each one just yet, this can help prevent copycat accounts from popping up. You'll also have a head start if you want to branch out later.

Automatically Share Your Content

There are several ways to automatically share your blog posts on social media. This can help you save time and make placing fresh updates on your social accounts much easier. For most networks, you won't even have to sign in to share your latest link.

If you choose to invest in a paid social media automation service, you should take this time to write a few posts or tweets in advance and schedule them. Having a consistent presence on social media can help boost your overall traffic and engagement levels, even if you aren't boosting your links with paid advertising.

Advanced Social Media Marketing Techniques for Bloggers

After you are all set up, you can start experimenting with advanced social media strategy. These techniques help you further improve traffic and engagement levels.

Here are just a few things you can try:

• Use Facebook or Twitter Ads – Both Facebook and Twitter have very straightforward pay-per-click advertising programs. You can sign up and start getting direct traffic to a finely-targeted audience within minutes.
• Joining groups – While you can't just spam your links to groups, you should participate in discussions that mean a lot to your industry. This helps show that you care about the community and gives you an extra opportunity to make a connection.
• Check out your competition – When looking to further your social media presence as a blogger, one of the best things you can do is study your competition and mimic what works.

Remember, your blog gives people a reason to follow you. It allows you to post interesting content in more than one place, helping you gain followers and get traffic to your website. To learn more advanced marketing techniques that can boost your SEO and help you build your online brand, please contact us today.