6 Social Media Hacks to Grow Your Blog

While social media has really only been on our collective horizon for a decade or so, it has nevertheless managed to radically altar how we relate to one another, how we get our news, and how we conduct our businesses. Between reposts, shares, likes, comments, and hashtags, it's as if an entirely new culture and language sprang up seemingly overnight. To the blogger who has been working on increasing her audience, social media is already a clear necessity. However, leveraging it well is arguably less than obvious. Here are six social media hacks that are easy to implement that should also help your blog gain a bigger piece of the Internet readership and viewership pie.

1. Build a Better Website

Bloggers are used to doing things themselves, but if the website you built yourself isn't up to snuff, it needs to be revamped. Sharing your blog effectively on social media isn't just about getting people to click through; it's also about their experience once they land on your site. Whether you choose to hire a designer, barter with one, or use a site template that will enable you to design one of the best DIY websites yourself, your product isn't just your writing and the other content on your website. The quality of your website is part of your product, too. Make sure it's designed amazingly.

2. Shareable Content

You're a blogger. You already generate content on a regular basis or your blog would be dead in the water. Whether you're writing about deep sea fishing, vlogging about the current state of the music industry, or uploading a photo essay about your recent trip to Spain, content is the one thing you constantly make, which is why it's important to consider the kind of content you're creating. Is it the kind of content your readers and blog visitors can't help but share on social media when they come across it? Crafting high-quality content is just the first step in creating content that gets shared. Here are some other tips to help get your content as many shares and likes as possible:

  • Use images.
  • Craft content people can relate to.
  • Create clickable headlines. 
  • Be surprising.
  • Be brief.

3. Use IFTTT

One major obstacle to using social media to grow your blog is the reality that social media takes time, which is why it's essential that you save as much of your time in relation to it as possible. With the social media virtual assistant tool "If This, Then That," you can set elaborate conditionally defined parameters for all your blogs, social media sites, smartphone numbers, and the like.

If you want every blog post to immediately reflect on your Facebook profile but not your Twitter feed, you can do that. If you want your profile photos on Pinterest and Instagram linked so when you change one, you change the other, that's an option. A seemingly infinite number of "recipes" for linking actions, ramping up productivity, and saving time exist. Be sure to take advantage of them.

4. Expand Your Social Circle

Who are the people you wish read your blog? Those are the folks at whom you should be aiming with your social media efforts. Besides connecting with them on social media, whenever you can, interact with them directly. From commenting on their posts you find engaging to sharing and reposting that content, you can eventually garner notice from the very people who might one day help promote your content — should it be engaging enough — to a wider audience.

5. Make Sharing a Cinch

While posts to specific social media sites are inherently easy to share within that particular platform, you need to do a little legwork to make it just as easy to do so from your blog. From a free Sharing Sidebar tool that allows readers to immediately post content to their favorite social media sites to more customizable options, make sure your audience can help you grow by allowing them to share your content on social media.

6. Interact

Social media isn't about you. It's about your audience. If you're serious about growing your blog, then take the time to read, post, share, comment, and interact with people on the sites you've deemed valuable. Nobody likes a one-way street. Be an engaging member of all the social media communities of which you're a part, and your blog traffic will grow accordingly.

Running a blog is as much about finding readers as it is about crafting content. Use these six social media hacks, and your quest for more traffic will soon be realized.

 

Blogtrepreneur
 

Blogtrepreneur is a website where busy entrepreneurs learn to strategically use blogging as a way to exponentially grow our business and make more money.