When it comes to promoting your content and sharing your blog posts with the world, social media is the way forward. Since we are living in the 21st century and technology is an integral point of our society, sharing your content on these websites will definitely benefit your blog. There are many different platforms and ways of sharing your content, so I thought I'd talk you through some of the most common ways of promoting your blog posts, including the positives and negatives of each.
Twitter is one of the most popular ways for sharing blog posts, as it's easy to tweet and lots of people use the website. Hashtags are also a relevant feature and allow you to categorise each blog post so that a relevant audience will see it. This is particularly useful for people who blog about various different topics, as they allow you to reach a wider audience. You can also use Twitter to share your posts with people directly and there are quite a few accounts set up to retweet your content so that more people will see it. Finally, it is possible to schedule tweets, meaning you can prepare what you want to say beforehand and sit back and relax as your blog posts are promoted.
On the other hand, Twitter can be a difficult platform for sharing blog posts, simply because each tweet has to be under 140 characters. After including the link and some hashtags, you're barely left with any room to talk about the post, really limiting what you can say about it. Also, tweets are only relevant for a limited time and it's rare that people will find your posts from weeks ago unless you tweet about them frequently. It's also possible for your tweets to be missed by a lot of your followers, as a lot of people tweeting at once may drown out yours.
When someone likes your Facebook page, they will see all of your posts in their newsfeed. This is a great way to share your content, as people don't have to go out of their way to find it and are instead handed your posts, meaning they are more likely to read it. You can schedule posts of any length and include photos or videos, meaning you can plan everything in advance like with Twitter. Also, there are quite a few blogging groups set up within Facebook where you can share your content with an ideal audience.
One of the main negatives about using Facebook to promote your content is that you have to pay to reach a wider audience. All of your posts will be seen by whoever likes your page, but in order for others to see it there is a fee. Also, there is a limited audience that will see your posts, being those who like your page, opposed to some of the other platforms where everyone will see your updates.
YOUTUBE
Youtube is an incredibly popular way of sharing your blog posts and linking people to your website, but it is through a much more interactive and visual method. Since YouTube is a growing craze, it is guaranteed that there will be lots of people waiting to watch your videos. Making videos is also a great companion to your posts, meaning you can both link people to your posts and create extra content for them.
However, making Youtube videos as a companion for your blog can be very time-consuming and takes a lot of effort and work. Although it might appear to be easy, filming and editing a good quality video might not be worth it if it doesn't benefit your blog. Also, it isn't guaranteed that many people will click on your blog links after watching the videos, so your effort may be partially wasted.
Pinterest is the perfect website if you're looking to promote your content through visuals. Rather than relying on words to persuade people, you can let your photography do all of the talking. This may work in your advantage if you put a lot of effort into creating graphics or blog about a topic that is image-reliant. Also, you can create a business account for your blog, allowing you to gain access to analytics and an insight on how influential your pins are.
Some aspects of Pinterest may not be suited to your blog, especially if you aren't the best at creating images or if your blog doesn't rely on photographs. Although it's great for those people wanting to share their photography, others might not find it as useful. Also, the comment that you add to the photo when you upload it can be removed when it is repinned, meaning people might not know what the post is about unless the image clearly states it.
Instagram is another social media platform that is great for sharing photographs, blog graphics and visual aids that will convince people to read your posts. It takes pride in its appearance, so you are presented with various different filters and editing tools to assist in making your photos the most aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, hashtags can be used to target a particular audience and share your posts with people other than those who follow you.
On the other hand, Instagram may not be suitable for bloggers who don't rely on images as much or if their niche is more focused on the content. Also, the main issue with Instagram is that any links you post in the captions of photos aren't clickable, making it a huge inconvenience for people trying to get to your blog post. Finally, if your Instagram account is private, people who don't follow you won't be able to see your posts, regardless of whether you use hashtags or not, thus attracting fewer people.
GOOGLE PLUS
Everyone who has a Gmail account will automatically have a Google Plus account, meaning there is a huge amount of people readily waiting for your blog posts. If you use Blogger, this can be linked with your Google Plus account, meaning promotion for your posts will automatically be shared and the comments can even be linked up. There are also many different communities within the platform which allow you to share your content with a relevant audience.
However, not a lot of people actually use Google Plus and it is one of the quieter social media platforms, meaning your efforts to share posts may not actually be recognised. Furthermore, those people who do use Google Plus may not necessarily be your target audience and so you'd be sharing your content with people who aren't suited to it.
BLOGLOVIN
Bloglovin is a website that allows you to follow different blogs and is what most people rely on to track how many people follow you and read your posts. Blogs are added without the owner signing up, meaning a registration isn't necessary to have your blog on the platform. Also, posts are automatically published to Bloglovin once you upload them, meaning as a creator you don't have to do as much work to get people to see your posts.
One of the negatives of Bloglovin is that there is often a time delay between your post being published and being shown on Bloglovin. Sometimes this is only a few minutes but other times it can take almost a day, which means that your post may not be relevant or fresh at this post. This is also annoying if your blog post is something that needs immediate effect or has a time limit like in a giveaway. Also, your blog is identifiable in one main category on Bloglovin, which is awkward for people who blog about different topics.
STUMBLEUPON
By using Stumbleupon, you can ensure that your posts reach a much wider audience than you are able to get to. Simply by entering a link to your post, it will be shared to a variety of people who may be interested in it. This means it is a lot less work for you as a creator and you don't have to spend lots of time broadcasting your post.
However, Stumbleupon isn't accurate for reaching your ideal audience. The people who receive the link to your post may not necessarily be interested in your content, so it won't be worth sharing it. Also, if you submit a link to your blog often it can be classed as spam, meaning you won't be able to share any of your other posts on this website.
These are just a few of the most popular social media platforms, but there are many more out there for you to share your content on. I hope that this post has helped to open your eyes to all of the different possibilities when it comes to promoting your blog posts and hopefully aiding you in finding the most suitable methods. If you use any other social media platforms that aren't mentioned above, I'd love to hear them, so make sure you let me know down in the comments.
Love from Daisy x
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