Surprising Social Media Tips for Bloggers
Adding social media for bloggers doesn’t have to be complicated. You might be surprised at the ways it can actually complement your blog! In addition, utilizing social media platforms (whether one or many!) can be an effective strategy to grow your blog by increasing traffic or creating another revenue stream.
Social media, at times, can be a controversial topic, but it’s here to stay! Bloggers can capitalize on the unlimited possibilities to reach and engage new audiences who gather in different online spaces.
Social media can also tend to be a more informal or personal space to share your content. With easy options to incorporate video, audio, stories, and various types of in-feed posts, bloggers can use creative ways to share more of the “face” or heart behind a brand – without creating entirely new blog posts!
If your blogging strategy includes partnering with brands through sponsored content, having one or more social media channels can make your business more appealing. With greater opportunities for increased exposure, brands will see the potential you have to offer!
So whether you choose to use one social media channel or several, here are a few tips to consider.
Surprising social media tips for bloggers
You don’t HAVE to use social media if you don’t want to.
Okay, this one isn’t necessarily a tip FOR social media – but it needs to be said. It may feel like a must-have to grow your blog at a similar pace as those in your niche, but there are actually many bloggers who grow their sites through other means.
Whatever you decide, be intentional in your decision if and how you choose to use it.
If you DO use social media, you don’t have to create brand-new content.
Remember this – repurpose! One blog post can serve as content for multiple social media posts. So, don’t feel like you have to keep creating in addition to your site content (if you don’t want to). Instead, try snippets, images, quotes, or lists from your blog post and repurpose them into posts, stories, and slides!
You can schedule your content in advance.
Hopefully, this comes as a relief! You don’t have to constantly be live and posting in the moment. Many successful bloggers spend only 1 or 2 days per month creating content for social media – and they coordinate this with their blog content calendars.
Using scheduling tools can streamline your social media so easily and help you spend your time efficiently. Plan to batch work and schedule your content for a whole month or more if you like. The beauty of content scheduling is that you can work as far ahead as you need.
Advance scheduling also benefits you beyond just ensuring that you always have content to post. It also becomes easier to stay in line with your strategy because you’ll see the big picture of your online presence.
Stop looking at follower count – focus on engagement and relationships instead.
It might seem like the number of followers is the measure of success, but your total follower count doesn’t matter if you don’t have the right followers.
Instead, ignore the total number, and focus on building relationships. We abide by this principle in almost every aspect of blogging – email marketing, content planning, and more, and it is just as true with social media. Taking time to focus on getting to know your followers will help you learn to create better content.
Let go of polish and perfection.
Not everything has to be “on-brand.” You might get a lot of advice about creating a cohesive feed and only sharing things within the aesthetic of your brand, but now, more than ever, people crave connection and authenticity.
When you let go of perfection and show up as you are, it will be easier to show up more consistently and can help you build better connections with your audience.
One of the best ways you can create authentic connections with your followers is through video! Use video whenever possible to enhance your content or add snippets of your life, experience, or interests. Invite followers to engage through comments, emails, or DMs.
Get your social media followers on your email list ASAP!
This goes for basically any online space – but always, always utilize a method of capturing email addresses (leads) and get them on your email list!
Most of us can probably think of someone who has lost access to a platform and had to rebuild in some way or another. Your social media account could disappear at any moment – and by no fault of your own! Access to your followers through an email list is crucial for maintaining your reach if a platform disappears (knock on wood).
Besides the possibility of losing your social media audience, algorithms are constantly changing. This means that even your most loyal followers won’t see all of your posts. Email is another way to get your content out when the algorithm might seem to be working against you.
Back to our discussion of the right social media followers – nurture those relationships through email. One way to retain those people can be providing them an incentive to sign up for your email list such as a printable or other free tool.
Be intentional about how you will use social media.
Like any aspect of your blog or planning process, periodically ask yourself these questions:
- How does social media serve your business?
- Do you enjoy using social media in your business?
If social media doesn’t benefit your business or you personally, then reevaluate and adjust!
So, here’s our caption-sized takeaway of social media tips for bloggers:
- Be intentional
- Repurpose and schedule content in advance
- Focus on the right followers
- Be authentic
- Add to your email list
Try it out and see what works for you! For more perspectives on social media for bloggers, check out these Spark Media Concepts resources:
- Pros and Cons of Social Media for Bloggers
- The Importance of Social Media
- Promoting your Blog on LinkedIn and Creating Intentional Relationships Through Social Media with Brittany Miller
- Social Media and Your Blog with Ashleigh Henry
What is your favorite way to use social media for blogs? Let us know in the comments or connect with us on Instagram at @sparkmediaconcepts