You've invested a lot of time and work into your content. It's not going to do you much good unless people are reading it, engaging with it on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter. Aim for getting the content shared, liked, and commented upon!
The first thing you should consider is updating your social media profiles so that each includes a link to your blog.
Include a call-to-action telling followers what benefits they can expect from reading it, and maybe even include something like "start here" or post links for more content if appropriate.
Spreading the Word
The best way to get people engaged with your content is by making sure they see it. Here are a few tips for maximizing exposure on social media, getting clicks from search engines and more.
You know that the people most likely to comment on your blog and engage with your content are email subscribers, so encourage them.
One way is through lead magnets. This is a free giveaway for only those who sign up via their emails. It doesn't cost you anything but time to create these offers.
If you have old content not being used, this would be perfect material to use to create a lead magnet. Go through your old material and make sure it is still relevant.
You could compile an eBook or resource guide for customers, offer discounts on services/products that can help with solving their problems.
Add a link or an opt-in form to give away the lead magnet and also receive blog updates. Then, when you write a new blog post on your site, you can send out a quick email with the link to it which will get people to click on through to your site.
You can set this up so that it happens automatically through an autoresponder - just load the content in advance! This is really easy once you know how.
Use Social Media
As well as your email list, you can share the news about your new blog post on all of your social media platforms.
Write a short comment that lets people know how they can benefit from checking out the article in order to make it more enticing for them to click and read!
There are some tools that help you with sharing content are:
Jetpack -Jetpack is a WordPress plugin that has other features but its social sharing alone makes it worth exploring. You can then share across all major social media platforms the instant your blog post goes live!
Hootsuite and Buffer - Hootsuite and Buffer are some of the most popular social media dashboard programs on the market with features that can help you schedule posts, monitor your content performance, as well as automate certain actions. They offer a range from free to paid plans so there is an option for everyone's needs!
Dlvr.it - If you're using WordPress, Dlvr.it will automatically share your content on social media and keep it up-to-date for all of the platforms that matter to you most.
Post Planner - Post Planner enables you to post to your Facebook and Twitter account. It has many features such as an easy-to-use interface, and suggestions for content that you should share.
EveryPost - EveryPost is a social media app that allows you to post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more with other helpful features built in.
IFTTT (If This, Then That) – You can use IFTTT to post across multiple social media platforms at once for the ultimate in automation.
Building Engagement on Your Blog
Getting people to read your content is tough. They don’t want to invest the time, and they get distracted easily with all of their other responsibilities.
So what can you do? Take a page from Hollywood: plant some seeds in hopes that one will take root!
Here are some tips for getting readers invested in your blog post or article:
- Be Consistent - It's important to be consistent with your blog posts. For example, if you post too frequently readers may get annoyed and ignore the updates or think that they're spammy. On the other hand, if you don't update often enough then people might forget about your website! Try experimenting with different frequencies until one seems to work for each of these cases (posting more = less frequent).
- Cross-link - Wherever appropriate, provide a live link to your old posts on the blog so that readers can find past content relevant to what you're discussing now.
- Ask Questions - Asking questions at the end of posts is a great way to increase engagement. This will help you figure out what your readers are interested in and how they overcome problems.
How to Get Your Content Shared
Your content will only be as effective if people share it. Make the process of sharing easy for your audience with features such as improved social media buttons at the bottom of your page or Share Buttons in every post, so they can get more traction and reach a wider audience.
Be sure to include a call-to-action when sharing on social sites. You can add something simple like "Please RT" at the end of your tweets or tag someone who might find this interesting with "@username." It never hurts when giving a little nudge by providing CTA options for those looking to share!
One strategy for more shares is to use a free tool like ClickToTweet. It gives you code that can be added at the end of text in your content, and when people click on it, they will automatically tweet it out as a quote.
Use sparingly though! Only use this for quotes which are exceptionally good or inspiring so others may want to share them, too.
Mention influencers in your social media campaigns to access their networks and the people they have connections with. This is a great way for you to increase exposure on all of those platforms!
Don't forget to mention blog commenters on your social media channels. This is a good way to interact with those who are most loyal and supportive of you, which will encourage more support from them in the future- making it easier for all involved!
Check out Part 4 of our Make Money Blogging series where we go over creating a profit-making business out of your blog.
