You've started a blog, you're not really sure how it works or how to get people to read the words you write, the pictures you post or the podcasts you publish.
It's an entirely different world in which the main source of promotion can only be on the Internet; the cyber world, if you will.
I had no idea what I was doing when I first started my blog which was a year ago this month. It took me a long time to get used to what to do in order to get page views and how to regulate my audience but I have some of the answers for the best ways to promote your blog.
Firstly, remember the quality of your posts has to be decent or people will not read, look or listen to them. Check spelling, grammar, picture quality, layout, length and design. Everyone makes mistakes but just re-read your post once you've written it, before you publish it and after you've published it. After you've created your post, it's time for the promotion.
FACEBOOK - the biggest social networking site of this generation. Let your friends, family, acquaintances, long lost twice removed cousin on your half sister's side and ex-partner know you have a blog. Every time you create a new post, post it on Facebook and people will read it; even if it's only the odd one. Once your blog starts getting more traffic, create a Facebook page specifically for it and then you can post links to different posts regularly and engage with an audience that is interested in connecting with your blog.
TWITTER is quite similar to Facebook, however, it is easier to post a link to your blog multiple times without annoying so many people. Persistence and hard work is key, but you don't want your blog promoting to be tedious. Due to the follow feature on Twitter rather than the friend feature on Facebook, once again, you're more likely to have your blog directed at an audience that is interested.
TUMBLR is the perfect site to just absolutely abuse promotion. Create a Tumblr blog solely for the purpose of promoting your blog. Follow as many blogs as possible and try to gain as many followers as possible. This isn't hard to do, with just a little time and effort, you can reach a follower count of over 1,000 people; expanding your audience yet again. Reblog other people's pictures and posts and post your own, including your blog link in everything you can. This is pretty much one of the only sites upon which there is no restriction to how much you post or how many people you follow so it can be perfect for just posting your blog link over and over again.
GOOGLE+ is surprisingly very effective. Create an account for which is used for promotion and decide who you WANT to be your audience... roughly. Go onto Google circles and type in a location, an educational establishment or a particular workplace and add those people into your circles. Chances are they'll pass over your profile, have a single look or your blog or add your back; allowing you to share every new post you create with them if you use Blogger.
TAG LINES are a good source of traffic. Tag your post with as much as you can that is relevant. It won't necessarily always be a hit but the more you tag, the more likely you are of coming up on a search engine.
NAMES OF PICTURES are actually quite important. Although you may not think it, I certainly didn't at first, what you actual name the files before you upload them to your blog will do wonders for getting your images recognised by Google images and other picture search engines. For instance, if it's a picture of a burger, name the file 'Homemade Cheese Burger'. Not every image will make it into the top pages of an image search engine but the more you post, the more likely the are to reach an audience.
FAMILIARITY is key when it comes to sustaining a blog. Without fail, use the same blog name on every site you use for promotion, that way people will recognise it and it will become more well known. There is no point being called 'Thomas's Blog of Adventure' on one site and then 'Think Thomas' on another; people won't recognise it. It is also a good idea to try and get the design, style and background on each site just so your blog will become more recognisable. The main aim is if you type in your blog name on Google, you will have each of your blog and each of your promotion sites on the first page or at least most of them.
BLOG PROMOTION SITES can be useful, obviously. However, these take the most work but if you are really determined to promote your blog, sign up for as many as possible and be as active as you can in each forum and discussion. Even if you sign up, add 100 people and never use it again, you have reached a small amount of people. The best blog promotion site to use, in my opinion, is bloggers.com.
If you follow the above guidelines and publish quality posts, your blog will hit it off. If one method fails, try another. Hard work is key.
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/OneStepBronte
TWITTER: @OneStepBronte
TUMBLR: www.OneStepBronte.blogspot.com
GOOGLE+: Bronte Dawson
BLOGGERS: One Step Bronte
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