Blog promotion strategy is more than just a numbers game.

It’s about connection,

communication,

and conversions.

How do you know what works and what is just a waste of your time?

How do you convert the traffic numbers into subscribers, leads, sales, or influencer connections?

You need a roadmap.

I’ve been blogging since 2007.

I’ve tried many ways to get traffic to blogs.

Some work and convert, others not so much.

Once you get traffic, do you stop there?

What about the all-important conversion?

That’s what it’s all about, right?

You’re a business blogger, not just a hobby blogger or even a click-ad blogger.

This means that you need more than high traffic numbers.

You need traffic interested in your product or service.

Blogging is a content marketing tool, not just a way to express your ideas.

Ideas are great but you need more.

You need leads.

You need interest.

You need buyers.

Customers.

Clients.

Students.

You need a…

Blog Promotion Strategy for the Long Road Ahead

When I started this blog in 2015, I didn’t do much to promote it.

In 2016, I set out on a journey to 1,000 page views and 1,000 subscribers.

What I learned along the way was invaluable.

Inside You’ll Learn:

1. How to prepare for the journey the SMART way
2. How to prepare your blog post for exceptional reach
3. What to do after you hit that PUBLISH button
4. How to continue promoting your blog content 1-week later
5. How to further the reach of your blog post 2-weeks later
6. How to repurpose your content into other mediums for more reach
7. How to promote your blog content 1-month after you hit publish

Along the way, you’ll get mini-lessons on how to effectively use social sharing sites like Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Youtube, and Audioboom (podcasting).

Are you ready for the virtual road trip? Let’s get started.

Before You Start – Steps to Prepare for the Traffic Journey

Inside this section, you’ll…

• Setup social media accounts
• Create lead magnet
• Setup autoresponder
• Create a landing page
• Set a Goal - Listgoal
• Create blog images
• Make a Promotion list
• Use Hookline Dynamic to make headlines

How to write your post

In 2015, I started a journey toward self-employment.

In August, I created a gig on Fiverr which reaffirmed my skills are still needed despite what the job market tells me.

No, I can’t live on Fiverr alone so my mission (2016) is to get to 1,000 subscribers (or page views) via this blog.

Why? Read this post from Mayra Jan for ProBlogger.

The theory goes like this:

Get 1,000 true fans and you’ll have a sustainable business income.

If you sell something at $100 x 1,000 your possible income is $100,000. Even if only one-half of your true fans buy your product, you’re still at $50,000 which is pretty good in my book.

New to this?

In other words, an email list of 1,000 subscribers should result in at least $1,000 per month in sales, 10,000 subscribers would result in $10,000 per month in sales, and so on.

Read BoostBlogTraffic – I first learned the first 1,000 subscribers theory here

Action Steps

Start with an Epic Blog Post (defined by Fizzle.co) - like the one you’re reading.

1. Set up social media accounts with your lead magnet link, short bio, and your photo

Twitter – click on your photo, view profile, update, and add your lead magnet link

Facebook – change this on your private profile under jobs and on your Fan page

->>Here’s a 30-Days Fanpage Fanfare Challenge to help.

Pinterest – open a business account, verify your account (can’t add the lead magnet link here, but you can add a photo with the link on your business board)

2. Create a lead magnet which solves an immediate problem for your audience.

Example: You are a plumbing business, you might create…

• a checklist for septic tank maintenance
• free phone consultation
• 20% off coupon for the first job
• access to a video on clearing a clogged sink

Lead magnets or content upgrades encourage readers to take the next step. It can be contacting you, signing up for an email list, or buying your product or service.

My friend Alice Seba (and writers) have PLR rights to ready-made lead magnets*. Just customize with your branding and add a few your personal stories and examples. So much better than creating one from scratch.

SleekNote.com is a tool that makes converting traffic simple. Simply create your opt-in box, add it to your blog content, and get conversions.

For a detailed explanation of content upgrades and how to use SleekNote for your business blog promotion strategy, read the post 19 Proven Content Upgrades to Grow Your Email List. See the Infographic below for the quick view.

I tried the free trial for 7-days and it’s a simple tool to use. My results aren’t super exciting as I didn’t really promote it.

One thing I do like about SleekNote is that you can exclude it from showing up for those already subscribed to your list. Makes for a better user experience.

Get your free trial and see if it increases opt-ins for your business.

3. Start an autoresponder

Signup for MailChimp, Aweber*, Trafficwave, Getresponse, ConstantContact, MadMimi, or your preferred service.

Setup your account, add your welcome message, and the first 10 messages into your cue.

My friend Michele Schism of Decisive Minds has a great welcome and nurture series you can follow. Read 5 Elements of a Successful Email Nurture Series.

4. Create a landing page

This is the ‘lead magnet subscribe page’ where your blog traffic will land. It is where they sign up for your freebie by entering their information. (phone number or email address)

You can use a free service like Ontrapages or MailMunch or a paid service like LeadPages.

5. Set a Goal

For this epic blog post, what is your goal?

How many new signups do you want?

Traffic?

Shares?

Conversions?

Sales?

I recommend reading: How to Create a Successful Pre-Launch Campaign to get an idea of how best to use each piece of blog content you publish.

Set a visual list growth goal with List Goal. Although a tad annoying, it does keep your Goal in front of you.

6. Begin writing your epic post

This is a ‘king-sized’ post, not a 500-word post. You want it to teach something. You want it to be evergreen (not time sensitive). It should be at least 2000 words if not 3000+ words.

Examples…

• How to Promote Your Blog: 559,402 Visits and 25,309 Social Shares (with 27 posts) by Robbie Richards
• How to Rock Social Media Scheduling Like Dustin Stout with Social Templates by CoSchedule

7. Start compiling a list of places where you want to promote your post

Free Download: Save a copy of this checklist I made:
Blog Promotion To-Do List

• JustRetweet
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Groups
• Email
• Pinterest
• Google+
• Forums
• StumbleUpon
• Flipboard
• Scoop.it
• Instagram
• Linkedin
• Medium
• Triberr
• Viral Content Bee
• Youtube
• Vimeo
• Audioboom
• Anchor
• Live Video (Facebook, Hangouts, Periscope)
• Slideshare
• Flickr
• Blog Comments
• Quora
• Blogger’s Pit Stop (other linkys)
• Tumblr
• Pocket
• Growth Hackers
• Inbound
• LadyPens
• Hubpages
• Twitter Chat guest
• Podcasts
• Interviews (written, video, audio)
• Quuu.co

Always Updating – I have a list I use and add to as needed. This post is continually updated. Want notifications when it’s updated?

8. Create images for your post to share on multiple platforms. The main image for your post should be Pinterest ready (if you use this network).

I use this cheat sheet by Buffer when creating my images. I also use SocialWarfare social media plugin* for WordPress.

Before you hit publish – preparing the post

12-Checks Before You Publish Your Epic Post

• Call to action (ann smarty)
• Lead capture form
• Pinterest ready image
• Grammarly*
• Editing and proofreading
• Click to tweet (social triggers)
• Facebook page like button invite
• Monetize the post
• Link to others
• Cross promote your old blog posts
• Ping
• Social share buttons (social warfare*)
• Link shortener
• Publish

1. Is there a Call to Action?

The call to action you choose to add to your post will be different depending on the goal you are after.

Boost Blog Traffic uses the following calls to action on his Open Letter to Bloggers Struggling to Get More Traffic Post:

• Header
• popup
• end of the post
• share buttons on the left side
• share buttons at the end of the post
• active in-post links

Problogger has the following calls to action in his post How to Get Dreams Out of Your Head:

• Hello Bar (top)
• Sidebar subscribe box
• Tweet to your “tweeple” share link
• “grab a beverage, sit back and enjoy” at the end of the post
• Share bar on the bottom of the site
• Author box
• What’s next & Related posts

2. Is there a Lead Capture Form?

Most people choose to put this on the right sidebar, but try adding it in the post, in your header, or at the end of the post.

Use a tool like Sleeknote to do this mid-post or wherever you want your call to action to appear.

Another option is Content Upgrades Pro*.

We, as a people, are bombarded by calls to action daily and become blind to them.

3. Is there a Pinterest Ready Image?

The ideal size for an image to be pinned is 735 wide x 1102 long. This image should be eye-catching.

Here’s a tip for hiding Pinterest images to increase the speed of your site. This makes the image only visible to Pinners who use the Pin-it button.

Kristin, blogger at Believe in a Budget (as well as the #1 Pinterest VA training course) has 9 Templates Ready-to-Use*. No design work on your part. I recommend picking up her 20-Step Pinterest Workbook* as well for just $9.00.

For details on creating great pins, Pinterest shares tips in this Guide to making great pins. It goes into pins for promotion, awareness, driving engagement, and increasing clicks.

TIP: Use Canva.com to Make Graphics like the one in this blog post.

4. Add a click-to-tweet quotable from your post

Use a plugin like BetterClicktotweet or ClicktoTweet by Coschedule or make one using the Click to Tweet website.

You may also use the social generator website to create your own. (no script) I use Social Warfare Plugin* which includes this option.

5. Add an FB page Like button to your page

Sign into your personal account and visit this page to create a like/share button for your post. See example at the end of this post. You can also use a plugin for this.

6. Upsell one of your products or add an affiliate product that helps solve their problem.

Add an affiliate link (if appropriate) within the post. You’ll see my affiliate links throughout this post with a red asterisk. They’re products I use and recommend.

You can upsell one of your own products or even an added download such as a checklist or pdf (or audio) version of your post.

->>>DOWNLOAD YOUR TRAFFIC CHECKLIST

7. Link to helpful posts outside of your blog post.

Only link to outside posts that add to your post NOT just for SEO purposes. If you have to question your intent, leave the link out or make it a “no follow” link.

8. Link to other posts on your blog that add insight to this blog or compliment it.

The two blogs I’m highlighting for this series of posts (boost blog traffic and ProBlogger) are two great examples of this. They do this for their own posts as well as any guest bloggers they host.

9. Check that you have Ping set up.

Most people don’t add anything more than the standard http://rpc.pingomatic.com/ to this part of their blog so be sure to check it. (got this tip from Ann Hoffmann)

Here’s a list of services to add to your blog. You’ll need to copy them to a text document (notepad or http://editpad.org/) before pasting it into your settings/writing section.

10. Do you have social share buttons?

Just a double check to make sure these are visible and working. You can use a plugin like simple social icons or Sumome. (I Use Social Warfare Plugin)

11. Set up a short link with su.pr or ow.ly or set up a pretty link with a tracking code.

When you share on social media, you need to save space. Making a short URL can also help you track the return on your promotion. You can use Google URL builder to track your links for each campaign. This is helpful when you are sharing the same post across multiple channels. Give each link a unique code to see which version works best.

12. Hit Publish And Promote

Does everything look okay? Then it’s time to hit the publish button.

Do you do anything else to prepare your post for publication?

Promoting Your Blog Post After it Goes Live

9 Things to Do the Day AFTER Your Post Goes Live

You didn’t think you were done yet, did you? Mwahaha

For this traffic strategy, you’re going to continue promoting that post for the next month starting with the day after the post goes live. Why? “Numbers don’t lie” as Chris Ducker likes to say.

BuzzSumo analyzed over 100 million articles and found that

After 3 days, on all social networks, the number of shares dropped at least 96% for the next 4 days, with Facebook shares dropping the most, and G+/Pinterest dropping the least.

Also

After a week, the number of shares for the next 3 weeks drops at least 86% from the first week, with Twitter shares dropping the most, and Linkedin shares dropping the least.

Read the Full Article

But, they also found after analyzing an article from Evernote and an Infographic from RigNite something very interesting happens when sharing after the initial release. In the case of the blog post, the number of shares increased by 686% after a month. The infographic was initially shared 72 times on Twitter but jumped to 487 times when shared during a Social Media Event.

->>DOWNLOAD BLOG TRAFFIC CHECKLIST

What does all this mean? Share the darn post multiple times over the next month to increase your reach. Also, if you attend an event, share it again to blow up your traffic like a hot air balloon!

I’m willing to try this, how about you? With apps like CoSchedule, Buffer, and Hootsuite it’s easy to schedule your content for future sharing. Remember to add tracking URLs to these shares so you can track what’s working.

Let’s Start with the Day After Your Post Goes Live

• Check Pinterest to see if anyone liked, shared, or commented on your pin. If so, visit those people, and thank them and return the favor.
• Answer all comments on your post
• Check Twitter to see if anyone Retweeted, commented, or liked your post. Thank them and ask them what they liked most about it.
• Check Facebook Page to see if anyone shared your post. Thank them and ask them what they liked most about it.
• Check your Facebook Group (or groups you posted to) to see if there are any comments or likes. Check out the people who liked your comment.
• Email your ‘list’ about your post and encourage sharing and conversation on your social channels
• For those who commented on your post via social media or on your blog, visit their sites (S.M.) and comment on a related post
• Share your post again to your social media channels
• Email 3 people (influencers aka those with larger audiences) and share your post. (only if you have a prior relationship with them)
• Visit JustReTweet and add a tweet to the hopper.

Where else do you like to SHARE Your Blog Post? Jump on Facebook and share your thoughts.

Share Your Blog Post 1-Week After It Goes Live

• Social share (recur post)
• Comment luv
• Twitter live
• FB live
• G-hangout
• Slideshare
• Audioboom
• Anchor
• Interlink

The work of promoting your content isn’t done just because you hit the publish button. There is still work to do. This time, around you’re going to branch out a bit to get in front of more people.

There are billions of people in the world and some of them are praying for an answer that only you can provide (of course, in your blog post).

Now, I’m talking to me just as much as I am to you. Sometimes I kick and scream, but I still force myself to get out there.

Are you enjoying the Traffic Map series? Have you started using the strategies? If you are, by now you should be seeing some results. Let me know your results in the comments below.

First, I’d like to introduce you to Periscope. You’ve probably heard of this new social platform that was bought by Twitter last year. Big names like Kim Garst (social media), Darren Rowse(blogging), and Chris Ducker (in the Virtual Assistant world) are rocking it like 1999 (too corny huh?).

Last year I participated in a challenge where I posted 30 “scopes” (that’s what a live broadcast is called in Periscope speak ^_^) in 30 days via Melissa’s Periscope with Purpose Challenge. Let me tell you if this ‘fear of people’, overweight mama who can’t say a sentence without the word “um” can do this, so can YOU.

I know it’s scary, but what isn’t? Bite the ‘bullet’ as they say and hop on.

Second, you’re going to dive into slide presentations. Too much work? Sorry baby, but didn’t you want an explosion of traffic to your blog post? Alright, pull up your “tighty whitey’s” like a big boy or your lacey panties (wink-wink) and get to work.

Third, you’re going to make a debut in the podcasting world, well almost. Audio Boom (or Anchor) is a really easy way to get your ‘tongue wet’ in the podcasting world. Using the free version, you get 15-minutes of airtime. All you need is a smartphone and the app to get started.

Okay, Ready, Let’s Go. Give me a B. L. O. G. T. R. A. F. F. I. C. what does that spell? Blog Traffic!

1. Share your post on all your social channels

Try adding a new image or making a Gif or short 15-second video

2. Comment on a few more blogs

3. Broadcast on Periscope about your amazing blog post.

Share 3 Tips or Highlights found in the post and invite your viewers to visit the post to read more. Use a pretty link and add a tracking URL to keep tabs on your numbers. Remember: Numbers Don’t Lie! – Chris Ducker

What’s a Pretty Link? A plug-in for WordPress that lets you customize a long link. For instance, you can name the link – “yourblogname-dot-com/studmuffin” instead of the long link WordPress gives you.

If you have AppSumo’s Snip.ly app you can use this as well. Find a complimentary article or post (video or Pin is good too) and create your link. (don’t forget the URL tracking)

Tips for Broadcasting on Periscope:

• Join Melissa’s Periscope with Purpose Facebook Group. There are instructions and prompts plus a lot of support.
• Get Melissa’s Book about how to use Periscope. It is exactly what we did in the challenge (prompts included) plus a whole lot of lovely Melissa Goodness.
• Read her Periscope for Beginners post for the details on how to get the app to work on your phone and not look like a buffoon.

Continuing on with the checklist…

4. Start working on a slide presentation which shares the main points of your post

Use Google Slides, Powerpoint, Canva, or HaikuDeck

5. Start a script for a 5-minute Audio presentation

AudioBoom – audioboom.com Apple App Android App

Simple Script: Dale Carnegie Style

• Introduce yourself
• Let’s talk about ….
• Tell them what you are going to say (state problem)
• Personal story
• Say it (Solution to the problem)
• Review what you said (here’s the problem, this is what you want, and here’s the solution)
• Call to action

6. Add the post URL to other blog posts on your blog with similar topics

As this post was originally part of a series I have a table of contents at the beginning for reference. I could easily add another recommended read here if I wanted to. (example: for more on email marketing read “title of post”)

Will you try some of these promotion techniques? Which is scarier for you? Let me know in the comments below and join me on Facebook

Traffic Map Series – 2-Weeks After Your Post Goes Live

• Social media
• Quotables (image, printables, ctt,)
• Slideshare
• Audioboom
• Video
• Checklist upgrade
• Comment
• FB pages
• Tips and resources to groups
• JustRetweet
• ViralContentBee
• Triberr

Now that your epic blog post has been around for 2-weeks, it’s time to start promoting it again.

Are you starting to see how all this works to help your post get to more people and build your newsletter or page views? Good.

In the previous section, I mentioned that Buzz Sumo analyzed over 100 million articles and found that shares dropped 96% after the first 4 days.

But, shares increased when the article is shared multiple times over the next month. (Evernote’s Infographic)

This my dear reader is the reason behind this Traffic Map Madness!

10 Things You Can Do To Promote Your Blog 2-Weeks After It Goes LIVE

Invite your friends to the Epic Blog Post Traffic Map Party!

1. Share your post on Social Media

You want to use different copy aka wording (or the same depending on how well your previous posts did). It’s a good time to check your analytics (URL tracking code) to see where your post has been shared and how many times.

• Pinterest
• Google+
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Linkedin
• StumbleUpon
• Scoop.it

2. Schedule Quotables (and/or Tips) for Twitter

Grab some Quotables and/or tips from your post and schedule them throughout the next month on Twitter. You can create quotable images from the copy that did well in the first 2-weeks of promotion. (quotable images)

TIP: For quick quotable images use Pablo from BufferApp

Example: (for this post I would schedule the following tweets)

• A simple way to reshare your blog post
• Have you considered SlideShare in your blog promotion strategy?
• Buzzword – Content Upgrade. Are you using it?

3. Publish your presentation on SlideShare

Include a keyword rich description and don’t forget to add the link to your post. Share it on Linkedin too.

Tip: if you purchase the SlideShare subscription you can collect leads directly from your presentation.

Read this post by Donna Moritz of Socially Sorted as she shares how she used Slideshare to get 450K (thousand) views. ^_^

WATCH this slide presentation I did a few years ago as a guest author on a crochet blog. I’m no Donna, but it did receive almost 3,000 views. The key? The blog I was a guest on is a popular blog which receives lots of traffic from a very engaged community.

4. Record and Publish your audio for Audioboom

Grab your script and practice it a few times then start recording it. Once it is done, publish it to Audiboom (or Anchor) and share to social media.

Tip: Add the audio link to your post

Here’s a series I made a few years ago when I was a crochet blogger. It is the audio version of what soon became my first eBook. LISTEN IN.

5. Post your presentation as a slide show with music or a voice over on Youtube and Vimeo

Add a detailed, keyword rich description along with the link to your post.

Here’s a presentation I did a few months ago to help small business owners itemize what they do in their business so they can start outsourcing their first project. WATCH NOW.

6. Create a checklist or Quick Summary (cheat sheet) PDF to giveaway

Tip: Grab the URL for your name (or blog) with the .news extension. It is an easy way to remember your opt-in addresses plus, it’s a lot easier to track.

For easy checklists use Workflowy or Checkli.com

7. Comment on more blogs

Revisit the blogs you’ve commented on to reply to any responses. Comment on new blogs where your target audience is asking the questions that your blog post covers.

Tip: Follow ProBlogger, Ryan Biddulph for Commenting Tips

8. Comment on FB pages as your page

In the first section, you set up your social media accounts with a link to your lead magnet. This traffic map is WHY!

You want to revisit any pages you commented on plus visit some new pages. Remember to comment via “your page” and NOT your personal profile.

Remember, you’re not leaving links to your post rather you’re answering questions that your post answers OR adding to the conversation that is already taking place. People will naturally click through to your page if you are adding value to the conversation.

9. Write short posts and share these in groups where your audience is

Share NON-PROMO posts in groups. Here is an example of a one I did for my Before You Hit Publish post:

Notice that I pulled information from the Before You Hit Publish Post and shared the Pin-ready image. I didn’t include the link to the post, the post was able to stand on its own.

It received 12-likes and a number of comments. I was even asked to explain step 11 further. THIS IS ENGAGEMENT! Exactly what I’m after.

10. Revisit Just Retweet to add another tweet and check your previous posts

This is one site I use to promote my posts. It’s optional, but it is a great way to get more Retweets. Review the stats on your previous Tweet and if necessary, add another tweet to the hopper.

TIP: http://justretweet.com is a free site to help fellow bloggers promote their posts.

Well, that’s all she wrote – as they say. I sure hope this series is helping you grow your mailing list and page views.

Please don’t be shy, leave a comment below, Join me on Facebook (I promise to respond).

Blog Shares One Month After Your Post Goes Live

• Social media
• Quotable images
• Comment
• Traffic review
• Outreach
• Email campaign

Getting blog shares right after your post goes live is fairly easy. The problem occurs when your post is more than one-month-old.

Previously you’ve shared to social media, with your mailing list, via comments on other blogs as well as contacting influencers directly. Your promotion schedule looks something like this:

1. Post to social media again – use different calls to actions and copy this time OR check your stats (see step 6 below) to see which versions of your posts did well and use those again. (see Daily Social Media Plan)
2. Create a quote image – add a tip or quote from your post, share on sites like Pinterest, WeHeartIt, Flickr, SlideShare, Tumblr, and Instagram. To make your graphics use Canva or PicMonkey. (See 10 more ideas here OR 15 ideas here)
3. Comment on more blogs – find more blogs to comment on. Be sure they are specific to your audience aka your content answers the questions they have
4. Email your post to a few more people – select a few more influencers to email your post to. Politely ask to for them to share it.
5. Remind your list about your post – let your list know one more time about your post (How to Promote Your Blog)
6. Review traffic to post (where did it come from? What copy returned the best results?) – check your analytics as well as the shortened URLs stats. Remember the URL builder? See who clicked on those links. (Traffic Generation Tips)

->> My Traffic Map Progress – Check It Out Here

Here are a few other mediums you can try to further stretch your content:

• • Animoto – short video slideshows
  • Powtoon – short explainer videos you can add your voice-over to
  • Infographics – create an infographic for your post. This is great for posts with lists or statistics (connect with MyBlogU and add yours)
  • Prezi – a presentation site which “focuses” in on each point (can be a bit annoying and dizzying)

Rinse and Repeat

6 Ways to Share Your Blog Post on Twitter

1. Share your latest post

You can auto-share your post when it gets published, but make it a point to manually share it as well. Set aside a 30-minute slot of time to share it and interact with people.

See Social Helpers

2. Add the blog post to your bio.

3. Search questions or terms that your post answers. Answer the question. (Quora)

One way to find people that want to read your post is to search for questions.

What is your post about?

Search #help, #question, #frustrated, and then your topic.

For instance, if you have a plumbing business, search #help + plumbing or something similar. These are live questions that you can help people with.

Don’t leave a link to your blog post in the answer unless it directly relates (is helpful) to the question being asked.

People will be grateful for your tips and check out your profile. There they can click on your link or read your posts which link to your blog post.

4. Share your post directly with influencers you are connected with (@mention) them.

Don’t just spam influencers your post (big NO-NO). After creating a relationship with them on Twitter either by joining a chat or having a back and forth conversation, you can share a link to your latest post. Granted this works better if it is something beneficial to their audience.

->> DOWNLOAD BLOG TRAFFIC CHECKLIST

5. Share a picture graphic with the title of your post, emotional image, and link it back to your blog post.

Let’s use a plumbing business as an example again. A frustrated mom with a plunger in her hand along with a line of 3 children wanting to use the facilities will grab the attention of those who have this problem or have experienced this problem. Add a title along with your logo/URL and share it along with the link to the blog post that solves this problem.

6. Share on Just Retweet

This is a tool I use to get retweets for posts I want to get more traction on. Here’s a video tutorial by Michelle of Girl Blogger Next Door.

This post is featured at The Blogger’s Pit Stop #27

TIP: My favorite way to increase traffic and comments on my blog posts is The Blogger’s Pit Stop. I invite you to join in and introduce yourself to the cohosts. Great people and great bloggers.

6 Ways to Share On Pinterest [and make connections]

Pinterest is a great place to share DIY, Decorating, Recipes, Fashion, and Travel-related posts. Don’t write off this platform just because your business doesn’t center around these topics because your customers may like some or all of these topics.

Sharing on Pinterest is different, but it can work for all businesses including a stockbroker. A stockbroker may share tips and resources which link back to his site, but his pins on slow cooking recipes might be the one that catches the eye of his target customer. This customer may check out his profile, his site, and other pins on his boards (the stock market tips pin).

1. Popular Pins

Go to Pinterest, click on Popular, find a Pin your audience would like, pin it to a board, follow the pinner, and comment on the post.

This doesn’t necessarily have to be something you sell. Think about your customer. What do they find interesting? Most people on this social platform are female, but the male market is growing at 33.3%. With Pinterest adding gender-specific search results last year, this number will rise.

Example: You have a restaurant that caters to both men and women. You can share a pin for both. Men might look at DIY projects, fashion, books, tech, etc. Women might look at fashion, crafts, children, books, tech, etc. Create a board for these topics and start pinning and adding your ‘two cents’ worth in the description. By default, some might click to see who you are (visit the link in your profile) and follow your board (or blog post).

2. Connecting with an Influencer

Find a pin from an influencer in your niche, click through, and read the post and leave a well thought out comment. Return to Pinterest, follow the blogger, and then send them a Pinterest Message (attach their pin) so they know which post you are referring to.

Connecting with people in this way helps build relationships for future collaborations. This is similar to Direct Messaging on Facebook and Twitter – Don’t abuse it.

3. Pinterest Analytics – Impressions

Check your analytics on Pinterest to see which pin had the most impressions. Go to that pin, click to the site to read the post if the post wasn’t generated by you. Is it worthy of being on your boards? Yes, add a comment about 1 takeaway from the article. No, remove it. You don’t want to lead your followers to funky sites.

4. Pinterest Analytics – Brands

Go to analytics again, under boards and brands select a few people and a few brands to follow. This helps you when you write about something using a brand product. For example, you are a DIY blogger and used a product from Home Depot. In the description, you can mention them either because of the product or because of the great customer service you received.

->> DOWNLOAD BLOG TRAFFIC CHECKLIST

5. Pinterest Analytics – Followers

In analytics, go to ‘your followers’ and see what they are interested in. Remember your ideal audience – this is how you will know what interests them (tie it into your business).

6. Pinterest Analytics – Audience Engagement

Go to analytics on Pinterest and see your audience engagement percentage. Click on interests to see what type of topics your audience likes. Follow a topic that is new to you. Make a board about topics that interest your customers.

How else do you connect and share on Pinterest? Do group boards bring traffic to your blog? Share in the comments below.

4 Ways to Share on Facebook

[without looking like a total sleeze]

Facebook Fan pages have seen a nosedive in traffic over the last few years. The ‘powers that be’ want to give the people what they want – less of what they don’t want to see and MORE of what they do. Smart business don’t you think?

Here’s an interesting Statistic From Syncapse.com: (screenshot)

49% of people who LIKE Fan pages do so to SUPPORT the brand. That means there is absolutely no financial incentive at all. That also means that 40% don’t like brands at all. The rest, aren’t on Facebook.

Instead of lamenting the old sly rules of the past (likes for likes) why not give genuine interaction and sharing a try? This isn’t to say that your page can’t be used to promote, but it is more about giving your fans the information they (and their friends) want.

Tip: When promoting on your Fan Page, Use Facebook Ads - seriously it’s the best way to convert your fans

Remember, you may use social media for business but the millions of other people in the virtual social planet do so to connect with friends, family, and new people. They get enough advertising in real life they want to veg out and dream in their off time.

Don’t have time to read the rest of the post? Save it to Facebook for Later:

1. Share your post to your Fan Page

Before you share your post with your fans, take the time to create an image that grabs the attention of the viewer. Use this guide by BufferApp for the correct dimensions. Here are some apps I like to use:

• Typorama – you can find this in the iPhone App Store. It uses Pixabay as image feed or you can add your own image. Select the size of your image (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) and double tap on the text to add your own quote or select ‘random quote’ to add one of theirs. To add your logo or URL to the images, pay the $2.99 fee or simply use the free version with their logo.
• Canva – a fantabulous (just made up a word) tool for all things visual, easy to use too. Just sign in, select the Facebook post and get to creating.
• PicMonkey *affiliate link* – my favorite editor because it is just so easy to use. Use the image guide from buffer app to get the size of the post and design your image. Don’t forget to brand your image with your logo and/or URL.
• Fotojet – (new to me) it’s very similar to Canva, but with a bit of flair. You can create social media posts as well as cards, posters, and silly comics or faux magazine covers.
• Pablo – is an image app by (drum roll…) buffer app. Use one of their images or upload one of your own. Again, you can create an image for most of the popular social networks including Facebook. Remember to save your image to your computer.

2. Share your post in a group you manage or a group that supports interacting and sharing posts

Take a snippet of your post and turn it into a group status. For instance, for this post I could share the following:

Hi [group members], here’s what I’ve been doing lately with my best blog posts. 1. share it on my fan page after making an image on Fotojet, 2. I share in some of my groups (like this one), 3. I create a note (again on my fan page) and add another popping image with a short summary of the post, and finally, 4. I interact with other pages. How do you promote your blog post to maximize its reach?

3. Write a Note with a featured image summarizing your post

The “Notes” feature on Facebook is pretty fancy now. You can add photos, quotes, lists, headings, and brackets. Makes for lovely ‘fans-only’ exclusive content. Add a couple of links to your other social platforms to encourage interaction and don’t forget to encourage sharing of the Note itself.

4. Interact with other pages in a genuine way (be sure you are signed in as your page and NOT your profile)

Finally, interact with other pages. You know how lonely it is on Fan pages, doesn’t it feel like Christmas when someone actually leaves a comment or compliments your work? Well, YEAH it does!

->> DOWNLOAD BLOG TRAFFIC CHECKLIST

Before you do, make sure you are commenting as Your page and not as your personal profile. A few guidelines while you do this:

Don’t spam – no leaving a quick ‘like my page’ comment and Don’t advertise your ‘thing’. Actually, browse the posts. Find out what they are all about. Where are they located? Where else do they hang out online? Is there a way you can collaborate with them on a future project? Be sure to continue the conversation when they return the comment.

There you have it, four ways you can share your post on Facebook. Do you have more ideas? Jump on Facebook and share your thoughts.

Tools - IFTTT, Hootsuite, Buffer, CoSchedule, MeetEdgar, BoardBooster, Tailwindapp, PicMonkey, Tumblr, Hailey Dale YourContentEmpire.com, Social Helpers, Yoast SEO,

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