When bloggers marry Facebook and blogging together, it can literally skyrocket their blogging success! Wouldn't it be great to have a readership and audience looking for YOU rather than you looking for someone (anyone) to read your blog? Adding Facebook the right way will help you create the kind of content they wantto see from you.
Worry not blogger…
This is isn't about changing your message and expertise to fit into a perfect size box. This IS about taking your blogging and message and INVITING more readers to your blog and refining your writing and delivering your message the way they are craving to see it.
Whether you write the most amazing blog or not—it doesn't matter if you don't have readers—and Facebook offers some of the best ways to help you create quality content that readers want to see AND increase traffic to your blog .
1. Start A Facebook Fan Page For Your Blog
STOP using your personal Facebook profile for your blogging business. You wont be able to grow your readership there as much as a business page, and you'll get more ideas and feedback about what your readers want, due to the insights on your page.
There's nothing like the blatant honesty your general public provides. A Facebook page provides you daily insights (see image below)about the audience you're reaching and what they're responding to giving YOU more direction about what to write about and how to write it (making it more appealing to your audience).
Every top-level blogger has a social media presence and Facebook (by far) has proven to be the most beneficial for helping bloggers create content and drive traffic back to their blog. Creating a Facebook Fan page takes no more than a few minutes and it'll be so worth it (keep reading…).
2. Increase Your Facebook Fans With Image Quotes
Grab a short one or two lines from your blog post that you think will appeal to your readers. Create images with them and post them on your Facebook Fan page. Watch for comments, shares, likes, etc… Here's a great example from Curious Minds who uses images to grow their Facebook page and then uses their page to drive traffic to their blog.
The high performing images work two ways for you:
- If it touches the readers in meaningful ways, then your image will be shared and more likes and followers arrive to your Facebook Fan page, then increasing your following and readership. The more you grow your readership, the more you learn from them and what they want to read.
- The more various images you create with your quotes, then you'll see what "hits home" with your readers versus those images that prove to be duds. BOTH give you a good insight into what moves your readers to ACT (with a like and a share). If they like the images, chances are they'll click to your blog when you share it. Use the high performing image to help you write more blogs on that subject, to help you title your blog, and use it to improve your snippet. You can even use the same image in your blog for visual appeal.
For image quote creation, a free, easy and popular software to use is Canva .
3. Use The RIGHT Images For Your Blog
Images are EXTREMELY important when it comes to your blog. It enhances your blog and it's what makes your blog more CLICKABLE when you share it on your Facebook Fan Page. What does this have to do with creating content? Simply put… EVERYTHING . How will you know what matters to your readers unless you get them to your blog so that you can connect with them? If you want feedback, exchange and connection with your readers…then you have to get them to your blog, first . Images add POWER to a good title and snippet. If it encourages a click, it'll encourage a read (including more comments, connections, and exchange both on your Facebook Page and directly on your blog.
Time is of the essence…
You have less than 8 seconds to grab someone's attention on Facebook…and choosing the right image for your blog is equally as important as the blog and title itself.
Here's a great example encompassing some ideas described here. One Wise Life (a blog that covers many subject areas surrounding personal development) has engaged her audience using her Facebook page (through images, and Facebook LIVE shows—where she QUICKLY recognized that empaths were a large part of her audience). Her blog post on Facebook is increasing in engagement . When you click to the blog itself, you see that the readers have engaged (and quite markedly so compared to other articles she has). She has nailed exactly what her readers want to know more about without compromising her mission nor her message.
A second example comes from my other blog and business also in personal development, Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life . My blog post on Facebook shows me EXACTLY what my audience likes to read in addition to the comments left on the blog itself. The image MUST stand out so that readers pause to look, read, and click and ENGAGE…helping you become a more strategic blogger.
Where do you find great images to use?
You can find royalty free images on Pixabay.com or if you're ready to invest in image packages, my personal favorite is Deposit Photos . Deposit Photos often has specials, so I highly recommend getting on their mailing list and stay on the lookout for an affordable package of images.
And yes…size matters (image size that is)
The ideal image size (both for your blog and for Facebook sharing) is about 750 px X 395 px. So be sure to crop any images you use (it'll go a long way to ensuring images are shown properly on the Facebook newsfeed when you share it).
4. Start A Closed Facebook Group
Create tribe around your blog in a more intimate setting using a Facebook Group . You'll be able to connect more with those who are truly interested in your blog and your business (offering a bit more by way of your attention and special offers). Use your Facebook group to do the following:
- Conduct Polls . Ask them what they want to read and learn about and then give them a few choices using a poll (it's interactive, fun and it connects you to your readership).
- Ask for input. If you can't decide on your next blog title, or you find yourself stuck between several images you can use…ask your group to help you select it. When you engage them in the creation process, they're also more apt to click on the blog when it's published.
- Opt Ins.Always offer an opportunity for your group to opt-in collecting email addresses and growing your own list. A Facebook group provides quality leads who will more likely open your emails when it arrives with a link to your latest blog (another way of connecting with your readership). Growing your following and your email list go hand-in-hand. One my students from Your Digital Formula recently shared this with us, "I had to write a difficult email to my clients recently, pulling the plug on a program. And their honesty in their responses has made me rethink my business and go back to the drawing board. So, so valuable!" She realized she almost gave up too soon (and we're so glad she didn't). After the replies, she quickly started back up with her blogging—giving her followers and readers what they wanted.
5. Boost For More Juice
Using Facebook to help you zero in on what your readers want to read (and what they respond to) can literally 10X your blogging potency and income— increasing your products sales and services, increasing your Google Adsense, and your Facebook Ad income, too! With the coming of Facebook Instant Articles , it's imperative to get your blog up and going and utilizing what Facebook has going that supports more views and clicks to your blog. Bloggers are able to earn more passive income and case study after case study is proving just how valuable blogs can be when combined with Facebook.
Expanding your audience provides you with better and more accurate data helping you create the right content for your blogs(the content your readers actually WANT to read). Boosting a blog on Facebook becomes easier (and worthwhile) because you can clearly see what blog is hitting the mark (before you spend money on boosting it). Conversely, Facebook insights will save you tons of money on boosting blogs that simply don't resonate (throwing $$ away on boosting blogs you "hope" will go viral). When you get the traction using the tips to create blog content from this article…you can then boost for more juice.
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