Have you ever wondered what more you could do to promote your blog post after you have published it?
You have created your content and you want people to read it don’t you? Right? So you are going to have to promote it!
That’s the question that come from Amy, who writes:
‘Please can you help me and give me some suggestions about what I should be doing with my blog posts once I’ve published them so I can get more readers’
Before I dive into my answer, remember to consider who YOU are trying to reach, who your audience is, where they are hanging out, and what you are looking to accomplish. Think about your audience, and your goals because that will have an effect on what platforms you use.
Here are all the proactive things I do after I hit publish on a blog post.
Tweet it out!
I love twitter, I hang out and chat there a lot so it’s kinda natural to make that my first port of call to let people know that I have blogged. I’ll also use a service called Social Oomph, to schedule another blog post update to go out on twitter on another day and time to make sure I reach my friends and followers who use twitter at different times.
Pin it!
I try, and it’s actually something I want to improve on, and that’s to include an image or two in my blog posts. Not only does that break up the text it can be easier on the eyes, it also gives pinners something to pin and share with their pinterest audience too. I’ve recently been studying Pinterest in a bit more depth and figuring out how it can be used for business and I think it’s got a lot of potential, but I won’t go into all the details here and now.
Groups!
I post to groups that I actually own and run and people have opted in to join those groups and wouldn’t be surprised at receiving my social media updates.
If you decide to join groups, whether that’s on Google Plus, Linkedin or facebook for example, then make sure you understand the group rules, which is going to vary from group to group.
Decide ones are relevant for your particular business or blog topic. You don’t ever want to be accused of being spammy, so just understand the rules and dynamics of any groups you join and besides, some of them will actively encourage contributions. Don’t forget your can start your own groups and start building your own community around you and your business!
Newsletter
I have a newsletter (get it, it’s good! ;)) and newsletter members, so I also send out my blog post there as well.
I use Mailchimp for that service. It’s got a great freemium package, where you can have up to 2000 newsletter members before you get ask to pay.
If you take nothing else away from this blog post then I really recommend, if you haven’t done so already, is start a newsletter and building up your members. Your newsletters is going to be a great way to keep in touch with your customers, fans and followers and it strengthens your brand and your authority in your industry. You can also give special offers for your members. For example, my newsletter members get a discount on my consultation services, plus they will also get future promotions that I won’t offer anywhere else. So that’s something else you can think about doing!
Re-Cap!
So, to re-cap. I use; twitter, pinterest, google plus, linkedin, facebook and my newsletter. In terms of extra time, these actions take about 20-30 minutes, so don’t forget to schedule that time into your blog post day.
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I’m sure there are many other ways to promote your published blog posts, so I’d love you to share your tips with Amy in the comments below.
If you had the burning social media or business question for me, please fill in this form, and I’ll pick one question a week to answer. I’ve had lots of great questions in this week and if you would like your question fast tracked then take a look at my consultation services and we can schedule in some time together. 🙂
Hi Karen,
Your tips really work. I attended Social Media Café for the first time last week, gave over my email address, read your newsletter and am now watching your tips for business!
I too am playing with Pinterest at the moment to see how it can boost traffic to my blog. Currently it only accounts for a small amount of traffic but I’m sure as I build my followers and Pin it will be a useful tool.
Look forward to seeing you again at the next SMC Birmingham.
Thanks again,
Lucy
Hi Lucy!
I hope you enjoyed your first BSMC! Look forward to seeing you again this month.
Thanks for signing up for my newsletter, I’m pleased to hear my tips are useful! Agree about Pinterest. It’s big for business in whatever industry. I will keep playing with it.
See you soon!
Karen 🙂