How to Effectively Promote Your Blog with Social Media

This is a guest post by Mandy Kilinskis.

For me, the most frustrating part about the entire blog writing process is after you press the publish button and your post goes live. After spending so much energy on creating a great, interesting post, you want other people to read it! And yet, your social shares aren’t going anywhere. This is when you have to take matters into your own hands, head to popular social networks, and try these tips for gaining new readers.

Facebook

What you already do: Post your blog on your personal wall and on your Facebook brand page.

What you should also do: If you have a friend that would be interested in the blog but is notorious for not looking anywhere but his own page, post it directly to his wall. If your blog mentions any other brands, tag them when you post to your personal wall or brand page.

Take it a step further: ‘Like’ Facebook pages that are either mentioned in your blog or would be interested in it. Take some time to research: Do they let users post links on their wall or do they delete them? If they allow it, post your blog on the brand’s wall. If they don’t, go into the discussion board and either add to a current discussion or start a new topic. Leave a well-constructed comment and a link to your blog.

Twitter

What you already do: Tweet out the title and link to your blog to all your followers.

What you should also do: Add in one or two relevant hashtags. Whether you toss a # in front of a keyword in your title or just place one at the end, this will bring up your post when other Twitter users search for information.

Take it a step further: Once you tweet out your blog, do a quick search to see who else is talking about your topic. If they have asked a question or you can relate with something they’ve tweeted, reply to them! People will want to see who found their conversation interesting, and they will go check out your Twitter feed. They’ll be intrigued when they find that you’ve written a relevant blog.

Google+

What you already do: Post it to your Google+ stream.

What you should also do: Google+ supports hashtags now! Just like Twitter, add in one or two relevant hashtags when you post. Make sure that your post has public visibility!

Take it a step further: If you’ve linked to other blogs, many of those authors have Google+ accounts. Put them in your circle and tag them with something like “Thanks, +Author A, for some inspiration for my latest blog post!” Also add the post to the “Recommended links” section on your profile for added traffic and a slight bump in search engine rankings.

LinkedIn

What you already do: Post your blog as an update on your LinkedIn account.

What you should also do: If you are especially proud of your blog, add it into the publication tab on your Linkedin profile. Not only will this generate another link, but prospective employers will be able to see your work.

Take it a step further: If you aren’t already in some of the many blogging groups on LinkedIn, join a few! You will be connecting with new readers – other bloggers who will be more likely to share and/or comment on your blogs – and many of the groups post weekly threads where you can share links to your blog. Also be sure to install the BlogLink application on your profile. 

Above all: Never, ever act like a spammer when you reach out to new people on social networks. You’re reaching out to them because you believe that your blog is something they will find interesting. But if you simply @ or +mention them with your link saying “plz read,” I guarantee that nobody will click on it. Take the extra minute to formulate a complete tweet or sentence and engage your potential audience. The higher the quality of your networking, the more likely it is that someone will take the time to read your blog.

About the author
Mandy Kilinskis spends her days crafting content for Quality Logo Products. In addition to making their product pages sparkle, she’s a frequent contributor to their promotional products blog.