Dear Humans,
I'm still at the very beginning of my blogging journey. Some of you have been reading me waffling on for over a year now and btw THANKS & I LOVE YOU. I've had great months and months where I've posted one blog post and the thought of even clicking on my own domain name has given me anxiety.
Recently and I mean I'm saying this cause blog numbers and feedback back do not lie, I have been on my job.
I am obsessed with blogging and despite the stress of it at times and the days where I have no motivation to pull out even one sentence I have plans to keep getting better.
Obviously social media is amazing for us bloggers because we can use it to share our content repeatedly and it is pretty much a free advertising platform. This post can pretty much relate to anyone with a blog or a business that they want to promote through social channels, here is how these networking help me grow my audience.
The rules of Twitter
Twitter, I'm starting with you because you are an absolute treat for bloggers. Twitter is so chill and unlike Instagram is quite relatively easy to grow a following on. I follow a lot of bloggers because I love seeing new posts on my feed for a good read and inspo, the great thing is other bloggers do too. A lot of bloggers are quick to follow back and engage on Twiter and it kind of feels like one big blogging family.
In terms of getting Twitter followers to actually check out my blog I share my content quite regularly throughout the day. To all of my friends who see me 'tweeting' and I haven't text you back I am not actually tweeting at that specific moment.
Tweet Deck is an amazing website by Twitter that allows you to schedule tweets for any day and anytime. If you aren't a morning person like me then scheduling some morning posts means you may get some new readers on there morning commute.
Joining Twitter chats and dropping links on 'Leave your blog posts/Insta feeds' posts mean that you are opening up your content to a world of people who may not have found your blog otherwise. I've followed a lot of blogs and bloglovin accounts through these and have also gained a good number in return. Blogger chats are also amazing for this.
For amazing PR opportunities I regularly check the 'PR request' search. If I see a great opportunity then I'll drop them a message with my blog and email, my blog link comes up with an image of myself but if yours doesn't it may be best to drop an image of your blog too to give them a reason to click. I've had some great opportunities recently through PR request so definitely give it a try. There is no embarrassment in replying to a post that says 'Looking for lifestyle bloggers' when you are a lifestyle blogger so give it a shot.
Bitly is a website that allows you to shorten a link and still have it direct users to the page perfectly. For example when posting my blog links
becomes this: http://bit.ly/2yo5C0L
which makes it look neater online and gives you space to use more characters.
The rules of Instagram
I used to love love love Instagram, now I only use it to be nosey and to promote my blog but hey things change. Instagram algorithms has definently changed the way we see posts on Instagram, I'm not a fan. Instead of posts appearing on our feed in chronological order my feed now looks something like
'Celeb, The Shade Room, Celeb, Post from The Shade Room from 2 days, Same pic of Celeb, Actual person who just posted 2 mins ago, Celeb, Same pic of Celeb I liked 6 hours ago, Mate from Uni from 2 days ago...' and it is really annoying seeing the same thing over and over again so I really don't even bother scrolling at this point.
If I didn't have a blog I definitely wouldn't post as much as I do but the key to Instagram is consistency. If you do not post anything in 2 days you'll lose about 10 followers, if you post something everyday you'll probably lose about 5 so you know you have weigh out the pros and cons.
Ok so we all know Instagram themes are becoming increasingly popular and they can be SO hard when you don't care and just want to post what you want to post. This is me, I've always tried themes and I'm so indecisive that I probably used to have a new one every 3 months but again consistency is the plug here. If you are serious about using Instagram for business then first of all connect your Facebook Page to your Instagram account and actually set up an 'Instagram for business account' this can be the Instagram you already have. You can now track engagement and insights for all of your posts.
Next you need to choose a theme and stick to it. It doesn't matter about all of the posts you want to post, this is a form of advertising so it is in your best interest to post images that promote or stick to your brand identity. As someone who posts about real life situations and tries to be as authentic as possible I post what I'm wearing, fun with my friends, travelling and anything visually pleasing.
I'll probably do a post in the near future of how to choose an Insta theme, how to take images for Instagram and etc. but that'll be a much more detailed post. For now my advice is to use one or similar filters for all images and use an app like Planoly to show you exactly how your feed will look before your post to Instagram.
Just like all platforms, use hashtags, use Instastories (people actually watch them and you can direct them to the link in your bio), respond to comments, follow people and engage.
The rules of Facebook
I use Facebook in two ways to promote my blog. I have my personal Facebook page which sees my loyal friends and family regularly commenting and clicking on my blog links. I have a lot people on Facebook and so most of my views come from there, it is an easy way to get views and of course update people who actually know me on what's new with my blog.
Secondly, my Facebook page Dear Humans With Love (please give me a like😬) is used to post additional pop culture content that relates to me and my audience. For example I post relatable bits to show a different side to the blog and to give my readers other content besides my blog posts over and over again.
I'm not saying you have to post about celebs or post memes but try and find another way to keep your audience engaged. If you have a fashion blog perhaps do Fashion Fridays or best looks of the week. If you have a mental health blog you could focus on true stories, if you have a beauty blog you could re-create some celebrity looks each week or give people a make-over. I have a lot more plans for my Facebook page but for now I am doing what I can.
Video and images have the best results on Facebook so you should always take advantage of that and as always use hashtags and engage with your audience as much as possible.
The rules of the blog
Wow, this has been a lengthy post, it has been a while. Lastly your actual blog can self-promote. Commenting on other blogs means that not only are you reading great content and leaving the blogger feedback but you can also drop a bit of cheeky promotion and leave your blog link, maybe the blogger and there readers will check your blog out next.
Be sure to have correct linking social links on your blog and to include share links on the posts themselves to make it easy for people to like and share your content thus widening your reach.
To conclude, A GREAT BLOG AND GREAT CONTENT WILL PROMOTE ITSELF. My blog is not even close to where I want to be, I have about 30 things off the top of my head that I want to work on and that rebrand is still in the works (more details here). Make sure your visuals and written content is as on-point as it can be and remember, quality over quantity always.
Remember it isn't all about views and followers but views and followers will help you to get your content to more people and my personal goal is to spread my word to as many people as I can.
I hope this helped loves. Do you already do any of these things or do you have any additional advice that I should add? Drop me a comment below and we'll catch up soon.
With Love,
Shay RS x
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