How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Blog

Facebook. Twitter. Myspace. Google+. These are all becoming common household words these days. People use these forms of social media to stay in touch with friends across the country, network with new people in their field and share pictures with their family members. However, social media can also be used to promote a blog.
Finding an Audience
Sometimes just throwing a blog out there into the world of cyberspace does not work. There needs to be a demand for the material and an audience who appreciates the subject. Scour through your list of Facebook friends or your circles on Google+. Send blog links to people who express an interest in whatever topic your blog discusses.
Posting Links
People are constantly updating their statuses, generally multiple times a day. Instead of writing “Just got a soda!” or “Sat in traffic again. Ugh.” why not put your Facebook or Twitter status to good use? Post the link to your blog as your status. How frequently should you post it? Well, it depends on how often you update. If you update once a week, maybe post it twice throughout the week. If you update once a day, try posting it once in the morning and once in the evening when people are checking their accounts before and after work. Include a little blurb regarding what the blog is about, so people have some sort of preview.
Creating a Page
Now that you have some people who are reading your blog, you want to make sure that those people stay around, right? Create a fan page or other sort of group page on one of your social media accounts. You’ll be able to see who is interested in your blog, and you might find some surprises there. For example, let’s say you have a baking blog, and you initially targeted only people who like to bake. People who are interested in chemistry might join your group because they are interested in the ways in which ingredients react in a baking situation. Therefore, you’ve found a whole new audience!
Promotions from Friends
When friends join your group, be sure to ask them to “Like” your page. By liking the page, their friends will see that they have clicked on that “Like” button. Their friends might become interested in the subject matter and wind up venturing over to your page or group as well. You could also ask some of your family members and friends to include the link to your blog on their statuses or pages from time to time as well. Ask your closest family members and friends if they wouldn’t mind promoting it to people who might be interested.
There are literally thousands upon thousands of blogs out there in cyberspace. Just because you have a blog does not mean that it is going to rise to the top in a matter of seconds. However, one way to get the word out there is to use social media as a tool and as a force.

Anne Kvinger writes about social media, PR & saving money at www.homeinsurance.org.