50 Can’t-Miss Social Media Tips for Bloggers

If you ask most bloggers, the social aspect behind the practice is one of the reasons they got started. Many stay-at-home moms and home business owners feel isolated and alone from time to time. Blogging provided an outlet and allowed them to connect with other like-minded individuals experiencing the same struggles and joys. The money came later.

Readers come and go however. So it’s essential to continue reaching out to new people in your target audience regardless of how long you have been blogging. So today, I’m sharing some of my favorite social media tips.

Facebook

1. Facebook is constantly changing their algorithm so pay close attention to what’s working and what’s not in your Insights. For example, I get far more leverage out of sharing my posts that already have a lot of social media credibility as opposed to sharing something new. I’m fine with that. It’s another reason to be constantly asking people to join your email list for updates. Facebook tends to be a place to showcase your best pieces as opposed to promoting new content. Sprout Social has some great reports available for social media as well.
2. Don’t make it just about you. Follow popular pages in your niche and share their most popular posts (found in your Insights under Pages to Watch). You can also use BuzzSumo to find trending articles to share.
3. Another great place to find things to share on Facebook is Pinterest. Do a search for your topic and see what Pinterest serves up. These are usually really trendy Pins. If they are trending on Pinterest, they likely have quite a few Facebook Likes too.
4. Use a service like Sprout Social to schedule your posts in advance and at the best times.
5. Use Sprout Social to respond to comments and questions on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in one place. Being social is what it’s all about. Talk to people. Answer questions asked of you.
6. Boardbooster has some great social media advice. I highly recommend following her.
7. Make sure your profile is filled out completely, and includes keywords related to your blog and a link to your website.
8. Delete spam comments.

Pinterest

9. Go back through your stats and create Pinnable images for your most popular posts, even if they are years old. Pin them again and send them out through the rest of your social media profiles. Do this regularly.
10. Create click-bait Pin descriptions. Instead of using the title of your post, put something enticing in the Alt Title section when uploading your images. Using things like “awesome list of work-at-home jobs” as opposed to Companies that Hire for Work at Home has greatly increased my Pinterest visits.
11. Join a sharing Group on Facebook. I highly recommend finding one that does not require you to share everything. You want to be selective to maintain your good name. Many like Type A Parent and Learn to Blog only require you to share two or three from others each time you drop a link.
12. Join Ahalogy where you can take advantage of their sharing community, find great things to share on your Pinterest boards and grow your followers quicker with their snippet.
13. Take advantage of Promoted Pins. It’s an affordable and effective way to advertise. The impact of a campaign can go on for months. Pinterest has a much longer shelf life than any other social platform. Get some tips from Social Media Examiner Companies that Hire for Work at Home.
14. Use Pingroupie to find active Group Boards. As with anything in social media marketing, focus less on the number of followers and more on the interaction. I look for those boards that are receiving Repins and Likes on almost every Pin. The boards you choose should also be targeted to your audience. Generic Group Boards may or may not provide the results you seek.
15. Follow your target Pinners. I have two profiles I’m trying to gain followers for right now. When I find a popular Pin on those topics, I scroll down to where it shows me who else has Pinned them and to what boards. This has been helping my numbers tremendously.
16. Some of the most valuable advice I have received on Pinterest came via Elite Blog Academy. It literally took my blog to another level.
17. Make sure your profile is filled out completely, and includes keywords related to your blog and a link to your website.
18. Delete spam comments.

Also See: How to Make Money on Pinterest as a Beginner

Instagram

20. Use befunky to create quote photos and blog post images to be posted on Instagram. You can then save them to Dropbox, which offers free accounts, then open the Dropbox app on your phone and Export the image straight to Instagram. This is so much easier than some of the other methods out there.
21. Go into Instagram every day and like photos from those in your target audience. I search for things like “work at home” or “stay at home mom” that are likely to be used by those people I’m trying to connect with. Like a few of those most popular and most recent. It will help increase your follower count.
22. If you are posting an image that relates to a blog post, don’t forget to remind people to visit your blog (ex. Visit the link in my profile).
23. Don’t use hashtags like #followforfollow or #followback. It invites spam. Who wants a bunch of followers that don’t care a lick about what you are sharing anyway? Slow and steady (and authentic) wins the race.
24. Use a service like Crowdfire to find out the most influencial followers of your competitors. You’ll find it under Copy Followers.
25. Crowdfire also has an app called Take Off that will schedule your photos to post at optimum times and with relevant hashtags. I haven’t personally used this one as using schedulers for Instagram is still greatly debated. I just get a bunch ready and saved to Dropbox for later sharing.
26. Don’t forget to tag the brands shown in your photos. Companies love seeing their products in use. It’s an easy way to get a few Likes and comments. You may even get an ambassador offer out of the post!
27. One reason I think it’s important to get involved on some of the more fun platforms like Instagram and Periscope is that it is a great opportunity to build trust and connect with your target audience on another level. I don’t just share blog posts here. I give a sneak peek into my life showing people I’m relatable and approachable. That’s so important. I’m just starting over again on Instagram after giving up an established profile when I sold a website over the summer. I love that personal connection. You will, too!
28. The SITS Girls have some great Instagram tips here.
29. Make sure your profile is filled out completely, and includes keywords related to your blog and a link to your website.
30. Delete spam comments.

Periscope

31. Create a dedicated page on your blog to send Periscope viewers. Use it to link to things you’ve talked about and referenced during your Scopes. Don’t forget to include an email opt-in box.
32. Repurpose your most popular posts into Scopes. Again, posts have a longer shelf life than just one day.
33. Share a few quick insider tips.
34. Use katch.me to save all of your Scopes for later viewing or repurposing (ex. Posting to YouTube).
35. Don’t forget your hashtags! Periscope can send out an announcement via Twitter when you go live. You can always find some of the most popular and relevant hashtags to your content on hashtagify.me.
36. Don’t let Periscope take away from your blog. I’ve seen some people practically abandon their regular postings for Scopes. This isn’t safe. You don’t own that property and you are limited in how well you can monetize it and collect leads or email subscribers. Let it compliment your blog, but not replace it.
37. Always refer visitors back to your blog for more information. There is where that dedicated page comes in handy.
38. Periscope uses a ton of wireless data. Turn on your Wi-Fi.
39. Answer questions and comments from your popular posts on Periscope. Get the most mileage out of your content whenever possible!
40. Don’t forget to watch and interact with other Scopers in your industry. This is a great way to increase your own following. I know I’m not the only one checking out the other viewers when I watch a Scope to see who’s giving hearts.
41. Kim Garst is an excellent person to follow for Periscope advice. I’m also taking part in Periscope with Purpose.
42. Make sure your profile is filled out completely, and includes keywords related to your blog and a link to your website.
43. Block the trolls.

Twitter

45. I admit I’m a Twitter loser anymore. I don’t seem to get the return I did when the platform first launched, at least not without a ton of time. When I was beauty blogging however, it was THE place that I connected with brands most often. I followed those I wanted to work with. I kept a special List just for them. I tagged them and engaged them whenever possible. I got a lot of review offers out of those activities.
46. Use hashtags on every tweet. My limit is usually two. I use hashtagify.me or RiteTag to research them.
47. Tag people or brands mentioned in your posts. They are much more likely to share them if they receive a notification.
48. Use Crowdfire to find your most engaged followers and copy the followers of your competitors.
49. Make sure your profile is filled out completely, and includes keywords related to your blog and a link to your website.

You may have noticed I mentioned deleting spam comments or blocking trolls in every section of this post. Maintenance is a big part of social marketing. Allowing your posts to get flooded with spam may indicate you are not an active participant on social media or don’t care about your image. Keep it clean and welcoming to newcomers.