How To Become a Better Blogger by Anne-Sophie Reinhardt
I have been asked many times by new and fellow bloggers for advice on how to better their blog. I'm starting a series on this. So, when a friend of mine and fellow blogger, Anne-Sophie Reinhardt, volunteered to write a guest post, I suggested she share with us her tips on how to become a better blogger. Hence, this post was created. Anne-Sophie is an awesome communicator, who gives tremendous advice. She is so kind and even offered to give away 10 copies of her latest book on the same topic to readers. Thanks, Anne-Sophie, for helping others shine! Find out how to enter the giveaway at the end of the post.
So, you set up a blog, a GREAT one. You wrote your articles, LIFE-CHANGING ones. You waited patiently (or not so patiently) for your rocket to fame and glory and… nothing.
Silence.
No readers.
No comments.
No shares.
Now what? Give up and go back to the dreary land of the walking dead without hopes, dreams, and ambitions to make a dent in the universe?
Or figure out what went wrong, adapt, learn and rise to the planet of world-changing bloggers?
You’re smart, so you know which way to go.
Yet, maybe you need a helping hand, a guide that shows you the steps you need to take to get that first reader, see that first comment and – hold on to your seat- get that first retweet.
You’re in luck, this post is going to show you how.
The bad news first:
Writing for your own blog should be the one task you spend the least time on. I know this is not something you like to hear, I certainly didn't. After all, you love blogging and this is what you want to do all day long, right?
Sure, you can do just that, but don't expect people to magically find your online presence when there are more than 156 million other blogs out there.
If you don't want to spend your online life alone, it's up to you to take action and market your content.
So, how do you start to promote your blog?
Social Networks
First of all, you need to use social media big time. If you don't have Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, Google + or Pinterest accounts yet, you should wait no longer.
It might sound ludicrous to be on so many social networks, but if you want people to read your blog, you need to approach them where they are. At the beginning, I would suggest you focus on one network and get to know how it works, how you can get in touch with other, like-minded people and how you can help them out. Over time, you will have the language of the network down cold and you can add another one.
Over time you will see which network works best for you and where you can find the most readers and potential clients. This takes some time and a bit of experimenting, but the investment is more than worth it.
Facebook Fanpage
Creating a FacebookFanpage is so simple, yet so effective. According to Alexa, Facebook is currently the second most popular site on the Web. So, there is no reason not to have a presence on there. It's also a great way to build a community for your clients and readers and to give them another place to interact and share their opinions, views, tools and maybe even problems.
Fanpages don't have a limit for fans you can have. This means you have a lot of opportunity for growing and that is the ultimate goal, isn't it? By updating your Fanpage, your comments will appear in the timeline of your fans, which reinforces your brand and gives you the chance to share promotions, events, feedback and links to your website.
Google + Hangouts
A great way to use Google + in order to grow your relationship with your fans is to organize regular Google + Hangouts. This gives you the chance to chat with your readers via video, which is so much more personal than conversing in written form.
It’s also another way of helping others with their problems and giving them the opportunity to talk about whatever they are struggling with right now. The more you give the better. You can position yourself as an expert here by sharing your wisdom and your skills.
I am a very visual person, which is why Pinterest resonates so well with me. Pinterest lets you create collages and then easily share them with other users on the platform. It's fun, beautiful and can help you promote your blog posts in a completely different way.
You can create different vision boards around topics that interest you or are related to your niche. Be sure to add lots of pictures to your blog posts in order to make it easy for readers to pin your content and share it with others.
Don't push your content on the people you converse with, but simply help them whenever they have questions you can assist them with. The more you help others the more they will think of you and the more they will be intrigued by what you might have to offer elsewhere.
A great way of reaching out is to set up twitter search with a few key words that relate to your blog/business. That way, you can channel twitter in real time and you will be able to find people who could use your expertise.
Build Relationships
Social media and online marketing is all about building relationships and those have to be real and honest. People notice right away when they're being taken granted for or when you have a different agenda in mind while talking to them.
So, get to know them a bit, find out details about their lives, have meaningful conversations with them and don't just stay on a practical level. At the same time, you need to be approachable and authentic.
Key to making on impact on our social media world is to think of yourself as a brand and to market yourself just as much as you market your blog. This may sound arrogant, but people naturally want to form relationships and they will be much more inclined to read your blog posts and check out your website when they have a feel for the person behind it all.
All in all, what you have to keep in mind when you start to market your content is to put a lot of emphasis on authenticity, relationships and character, no matter which social network you use.
Thanks, Anne-Sophie, for your wonderful tips. I totally agree with Anne-Sophie's advice, as that is how Anne-Sophie and I met (i.e., through social media). Do you agree with what she said? What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?
Feel free to connect with both of us on any social media sites. Also, join the conversation below. The first ten commenters will receive a copy of Anne-Sophie's new book. Be sure to include your email address when you comment so that you can receive a copy of the book.
Also be on the lookout for more posts from me on how to improve as a blogger :)
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Anne-Sophie Reinhardt is an anorexia survivor, body image expert, self-love advocate and author of the upcoming book “Beyond Marketing and Building Relationships – The Life-Changing Benefits of Social Media”. Join her newsletter and receive your free 3-part video series empowering you to madly fall in love with yourself.
Thank you for reading and your presence at this beach retreat. You Rock! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below.
See you at the beach!
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