How to Promote Your Blog Without Losing Your Soul
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Congratulations, you have a brand new blog! But how do you get people to read it? ‘Promotion’ is something you need to learn if you want anyone to see the website that you’re putting a lot of time into working on. We’ll talk about how you can leverage social networks and how to build relationships with other bloggers who will help you out along the way. By the end of this session you’ll know how to market your blog without losing your soul. These are the slides that accompanied the talk I gave at WordCamp Seattle 2012. Video of this talk: http://wordpress.tv/2012/08/21/laura-kimball-how-to-promote-your-blog/
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How to Promote Your Blog Without Losing Your Soul
- 1. How to Promote Your Blog Without Losing Your Soul WordCamp Seattle 2012 Laura Kimball lamiki.com @lamiki
- 2. Blog Marketing Secret #1 Be a real person, not a robot.
- 3. You manage a blog (personal or business) You want people to read your blog You know that it will take some work to get results You do not believe that if you build it, they will come You’ve written a blog post and asked, “Now what?” If you answered “yes” to the above, keep going…
- 4. Blog Marketing Secret #2 No one knows your blog exists if you don’t tell them about it.
- 5. StumbleUpon Reddit Flickr Email LinkedIn Newsletters Pinterest YouTube Twitter RSS Feeds Facebook Your Other blog Bloggers Your blog is your home base Build up a presence on social media channels to drive people back to your blog.
- 6. Blog Marketing Secret #3 Social media is a useless channel for promotion if you don’t invest time in it.
- 7. If you already have a presence If starting from scratch: as yourself or your blog: Choose 2 or 3 networks to Build your followers by focus on creating a “brand- like” presence for your blog following other users ◦ Top two: Twitter, Facebook ◦ Runners up: Tumblr, Pinterest, Talk to them Reddit Posting regularly Find 5 bloggers who are similar to you Share content that will ◦ Study how they use those appeal to your audience networks ◦ Learn best practices from them and is similar to what Then move to the right you write about column Set up your social networks before you start sharing your content
- 8. Title is under 120 characters – for SEO and Twitter Be visual – include an image in every blog post ◦ Images show up in the link’s “preview” on Facebook and Pinterest and will come in handy on Tumblr Shorten links – use a URL shortener where you can track clicks ◦ My favorite: bit.ly Before you share your blog post…
- 9. 1) Tweet when you first publish your blog ◦ The Best Blog Post You’ll Ever Read bit.ly/3l2id ◦ [Just published] The Best Blog Post You’ll Ever Read http://bit.ly/3l2id ◦ [New Blog] The Best Blog Post You’ll Ever Read http://bit.ly/3l2id 2) Tweet post again later in the day and with different intro: ◦ Have you read the best blog post in the world? http://bit.ly/3l2id Optional 3) Tweet a third time a few days later ◦ Could preface tweet: In case you missed it, here’s the best blog post in the world: http://bit.ly/3l2id Do not tweet about your post every hour for 8 hours straight 90% of the time, share links to other blogs, RT other users, build your following, have conversations How to Promote Your Blog…on Twitter
- 10. Share Post on Your Personal Facebook ◦ Share the post you made on your Blog’s Facebook Page or share shortened link ◦ Give a more personal intro ◦ Occasionally tag your Facebook Page in the intro Why share on your personal Facebook? ◦ Because your Facebook friends already care about you and what you’re writing is all over the internet, so why not tell them about your latest post too? …on Your Personal Facebook
- 11. Share on Your Blog’s Brand Page ◦ Use the shortened link ◦ Tailor your introduction by sharing some “behind the scenes” tidbit about your post • On days when you don’t share your own blog posts, share content that fits with your blog’s brand ◦ Photos, links, videos – anything that’s similar to what you write about and your readers will enjoy to keep them interested …on your Blog’s Facebook Page
- 12. Upload a Photo: The blog’s image ◦ Set click-through link to your blog (long link) ◦ Copy and paste the first paragraph or two as the “caption” ◦ Add “Read more” with a link to your blog at the bottom See how Fast Company uses Tumblr: http://blog.fastcompany.com/ ◦ Add tags Include the same tags as in regular blog post Include a tag for your name and your blog’s name Tumblr is the network for you if: ◦ You use a very visual images in your blog posts ◦ You fall in love with Tumblr and post content on a regular basis See how LitReactor (http://litreactor.tumblr.com/) and Tac Anderson (http://tac.is/) use Tumblr to supplement their regular sites ◦ You build a following …on Tumblr
- 13. Share link to your post ◦ Make sure it picks up your image ◦ Add a short intro to pique interest Pinterest is the network for you if: ◦ You have a very visual blog or ad branded-quotes to your blog post images See how these blogs incorporate branded images within their posts: Life Without Pants, The Skool of Life ◦ You are very active on Pinterest and invest time in building boards and followers See how Social Nerdia (http://pinterest.com/socialnerdia/) and Jolkona (http://pinterest.com/jolkona/) have organized and branded their Pinterest boards …on Pinterest
- 14. If you mentioned someone in the post, ping them
- 15. Blog Marketing Tip #4 The fastest way to a blogger’s heart is through their own blog.
- 16. Make a list of 5-10 bloggers who are like you ◦ This is your dream team who will become your blog’s advocates ◦ Make sure they’re within reach (e.g. don’t list Seth Godin) ◦ Have an active blog, are conversationalists on social (Twitter conversations, RT others, etc.) How to find your way into their hearts and get their attention: ◦ Read and comment on their blogs regularly Make sure the URL attached to your comment is your blog ◦ Share their blog posts on your networks (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc.) and as it makes sense (don’t share every post, every day) ◦ Be a human, be friendly, give feedback when they ask ◦ Talk with them on Twitter, etc. If you’re really savvy, set up a time to chat via Skype and get to know them as people Do not ask them to share or comment on your blog ◦ If you’re doing it right, they will start on their own Build relationships with other bloggers
- 17. Blog Marketing Tip #5 Be a blogger, not a player.
- 18. Be a real person, not a robot. No one knows your blog exists if you don’t tell them about it. Social media is a useless channel for promotion if you don’t invest time in it. The fastest way to a blogger’s heart is through their own blog. Be a blogger, not a player. How to be Successful at Marketing Your Blog (and Keep Your Soul)
- 19. After you hit publish: Shorten link Tailor your introduction to your post for each network – give readers “behind the scenes” info that will make them click and read Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Personal Page Share on Tumblr Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn (same as Twitter) Ping anyone you mentioned in your post Share on any other networks you’re active on… Build your brand and networks every day: Get followers by following other users Share interesting, valuable content on all of your channels consistently Model how you use social media for your blog after your 5 favorite bloggers Build relationships with other bloggers who will become your advocates Read and comment on other blogs How to Promote Your Blog www.lamiki.com
- 20. Thank you! Laura Kimball lamiki.com @lamiki