Five ways to use social media to promote your blog today

Along with providing good customer service, my day job is spent consulting on ways to use social media marketing to promote their brick and mortar (and sometimes online-only) business.

Since blogs are basically a business, I took some of my best tips for business owners and made them work for bloggers.  Get ready for a quick refresh on some best practices to promote your blog online!

Be consistent

Consistency is key.  I’m pretty sure it’s my mantra at work.  This is especially true of Facebook (they’ll penalize you if you do anything they don’t like pretty much) but also on other platforms as well.

There’s nothing like going to someone’s Facebook page only to see they haven’t posted anything since March 2013.  That isn’t going to make you want to follow them, right?  Right.  So find a content calendar that works for you and schedule away.

I’ve bee enjoying CoSchedule, despite some early skepticism.  When you’re publishing your post, it’s so simple to schedule and promote that post today, next week, or next month.  You can also schedule social media updates that aren’t connected to your latest post.

Focus your attention where you enjoy it the most

If you haaaaate Facebook but are only on there because you think you should be, stop following the pack!  Same goes for Tumblr, Google+, or whatever isn’t serving you anymore.  If you half-heartedly throw something at the wall hoping it sticks but not really having any oomph behind it, it won’t do you any favors.

Your followers can tell.  And they will not care either, I promise you.

But, if you love being on Instagram and pinning your little heart away, your excitement will come through those networks.

You have better things to do than feel guilty for not updating Facebook, especially if blogging isn’t your full time job.  You have better things to do with your time.

Don’t ignore where your traffic is coming from

A caveat to focusing your attention where you enjoy it is to watch where your traffic is coming from and nurture that network.  Install Google Analytics and watch your numbers.  If you’re getting the most clicks from Twitter, spend a little more time there nurturing those connections.

There are free tools to help you maintain those networks.  Play around with what works for you.  As I mentioned, CoSchedule does post to other networks, but it doesn’t monitor the chatter.  I for that, I use HootSuite and Tweetdeck (I talk about them a bit here).  Buffer is also a great tool.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew

It’s impossible to stay on top of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Blog Lovin’, Stumble Upon, Digg, etc AND still write good quality posts (y’know, the whole point of blogging so you can get traffic through those social networks).

Like I tell my accounts at work, don’t add more when you can’t handle what you’ve already got.  So cut something loose.  It’s okay.  You can always add to it later.

It’s smarter (and easier) to introduce a new platform to a mix that’s already performing well than just spinning plates haphazardly.

Be social

Social media connections are just as valuable as a face-to-face interaction.  The beauty of blogging and social media is that you can make connections and learn new things from anywhere.  Be sure to post valuable content on social just as you would on your blog.

Facebook especially is going to reward you for that.  The goal is to inspire, educate, and entertain, not just self-promote.

Ask questions, post content that relates to your blog/industry, make yourself a hub of information.  Things that are “share-worthy” will be shared and you’ll get in front of a fresh set of eyes.  Go out and say hi!

What strategies do you use to promote your blog/business online?

Disclaimer: the CoSchedule link is a referral link.  If you try it out, I get a little help on the price of my subscription.  I wouldn’t be recommending it if I didn’t use it and love it!