Getting Social on Social Media 
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Today we continue the blogging tips series. Last week we discussed blog commenting etiquette. This week we focus on getting social on social media.
Since this is something that I am still working at trying to fit into my routine, we’re lucky to have a guest contributing her advice. I’m sure a lot of you will be familiar with her and know how well she does with this kind of thing.
Putting the “Social” in Social Media
This is a guest post from Andrea Whitmer, a 29 year-old web designer and single mom.
Visit So Over This to read about her journey out of financial chaos, or view her web design portfolio at Nuts and Bolts Media.
All bloggers know that social media is an essential part of what they do. There is simply no better way to promote content, interact with readers and fellow bloggers, and gain recognition from larger media outlets. That said, many bloggers (new and old) struggle with the multitude of available social media options and how to use them.
In the personal finance niche, the most popular social media sites are Twitter and Facebook, with Google Plus a distant (but gaining!) third. Twitter and Facebook make it easy for people to connect with the blogs they enjoy reading, since so many people have accounts on those platforms. While this is common knowledge, some PF bloggers fail to take advantage of these accounts for the benefit of their blogs.
Tips for Facebook
1. Set up a fan page, not a personal profile. There are tons of instructions online for setting up a Facebook page for your blog. This allows readers to become “fans” of your page instead of adding you as a friend, and allows you to post as the blog page instead of your personal profile.
2. Include images when you link to your blog posts. People are much more likely to click a link on Facebook when it includes a picture. Most automated services will choose the featured image on your post if you’ve set one; otherwise you can choose a thumbnail if you link to your posts manually.
3. Post more than just links! It can be difficult to get readers to engage on Facebook, but it helps to post a more personal status every now and then, or (better yet) a question that allows them to share their opinions. If your Facebook fans feel like they know a little bit about you as a person, they’re more likely to be interested in what you have to say.
4. Interact! When someone becomes a fan, post on their wall or send them a message (never automated) thanking them. Ask a question or two about something they’ve posted. And if another page “likes” your page, like theirs back! It’s no fun when the conversation is one-sided.
Tips for Twitter
1. Follow the people you want to follow. Don’t feel pressured to “follow back” just because someone follows you (though it can’t hurt if it’s a blogger in your niche!) Use Twitter as a way to learn from the people you find interesting.
2. Interact with new followers. Never ever send auto-tweets or auto DMs. When someone new follows you (especially when you’re just starting out), take a minute to look at their profile and send a tweet. It can be as simple as, “Thanks for the follow! I see you’re a fan of The Rolling Stones – me too!”
3. Tweet more than just links! Are you sensing a pattern here? Of course you want to use Twitter to promote your blog posts, but if that’s all you do, your followers will grow tired of it quickly. If they just want the posts, they’ll subscribe to your RSS feed. They’re following you because they want to interact! Speaking of which….
4. TALK to people. Twitter is like a high school cafeteria. There are tons of conversations happening, many of which you can listen in on without even trying. It’s up to you to decide whether to jump in or sit at a table by yourself. Most of the time, when you ask someone a relevant question or respond to one of their tweets, they’ll reply to you. Starting conversations is easy; you just have to do it!
But social media is HARD. Why should I bother?
Sometimes bloggers start social media accounts because they feel like that’s what they’re “supposed” to do, then don’t really make time to use them. A few bloggers have told me, “I don’t want to talk about books and movies and random stuff. I just want people to visit my blog.” Unfortunately, that attitude is the antithesis of social.
The world gravitates toward social media platforms because they want to interact. They’ve read your blog, and now they want to get to know another side of you. Bloggers who successfully use social media develop huge followings of devoted fans, and I’m here to tell you, they don’t do it by posting nothing but links. You cannot reap the benefits of social media without using it in the way it was intended.
My favorite personal example of the power of social media comes from my own PF blog. Last fall, an editor from MSN Money read one of my posts as a result of a tweet. She contacted me about reposting it, and of course I agreed. From there, an editor from Reader’s Digest saw it and contacted me. The post was published in the February 2012 issue of the magazine, which was an amazing dream come true for me.
Now, all of that came about because someone tweeted a link to my post. However, other bloggers wouldn’t take the time to do that if I didn’t interact with them. Because they know me personally, they don’t mind to help promote my content (and I enjoy doing the same for them). If I didn’t spend time talking to them via social media – sometimes about PF, sometimes not – that opportunity never would have come about.
The Bottom Line
Your comfort level in using social media can depend on a lot of factors, but fear shouldn’t be one of them. It is very easy to socialize and connect with others on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and you never know who might be reading or watching. I have never heard anyone say they regretted the impact of social media on their blog, but I’ve heard plenty of people regret not using social media sooner.
Are you putting the “social” in your social media accounts, or do you have some room for improvement? If you’re using social media actively, what benefits have you noticed?
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I could definitely do more with my social media. You have shared some great tips and I plan to use them. My issue is time. It is really hard to find time to sit down and be social. There is just so much to get done in a day.
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It’s definitely not easy to make time for the social stuff, especially when it takes quite a bit of effort. I’ve settled into a routine now and it doesn’t seem as bad, though I’ll be honest – my blog Facebook page hasn’t been getting the attention that my Twitter profile has! I think it’s much easier to interact on Twitter so that’s where I tend to spend more of my time.
Great tips Andrea! I still need to be more active on Facebook and make a Google+ but for now, Twitter is enough for me. It definitely changed the way I blogged, since before Twitter – my blog was more of a one-sided place where I could share my thoughts. I only heard from people when they commented. I’ve learned that it’s definitely not enough to know your readers and other PF bloggers through commenting. Twitter is actually a great way to know more about people as well as form relationships.
From Shopping to Saving recently posted..PF Link Love: Fave Reads of the Week, The I Have 2 Dads Edition
Google+ has been really hard for me, especially since it’s pretty much an ocean of links to posts right now (all those bloggers hoping it will help them rank in search results, which it very well might). So far I don’t know of any ways to automate links to my posts, and I seldom remember to go over there and do it manually. I think the service will evolve at some point, but right now it’s kind of boring over there!
I agree with you completely re: Twitter – I absolutely love it, though I didn’t at first. It took me awhile to adjust because I was a big fan of Facebook (my personal account) and it seemed so different. I love getting to know bloggers beyond their About pages and being able to talk to readers, even though a lot of readers are hesitant to jump in and talk!
I really need to work on this. I loathe Facebook, but realize the entire world loves it. As for Twitter, I actually really like reading other people’s Tweets – I just have to get over myself and start joining in!
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I’ve become kind of disenchanted with Facebook, especially since I discovered Twitter. However, I will say that Facebook has a LOT of potential for traffic if people share your posts there. I’ve had a few posts get multiple shares and it sent a ton of new people my way.
Twitter gets much easier with time. It’s one of those things where you just have to jump in and start jabbering. As an added bonus, I think being limited to 140 characters has taught me to choose my words more carefully – I’ve actually managed to write a few blog posts under 1000 words since I started tweeting more often!
Ah..great tips. I definitely need to do more. Facebook is one place I just can’t get people to like my page other than people who know me. I’ve always wonded if my page can like other fan pages, so if I read that properly it can? I’ve just started on stumble upon, but frankly. Have no idea what that is yet.
Thanks for the great tips. I will be bookmarking this post for future reference for sure.
Getting Facebook likes is one of the toughest (and most depressing) parts of social media, in my opinion. You could do a giveaway and ask people to like your page as part of it – that will inflate your numbers, but unfortunately most of those people won’t interact, or will “unlike” the page as soon as the contest ends. The only other way I know that seems to be successful is mentioning it at the end of all your posts. SB from One Cent at a Time used to end every one of his posts with links to his RSS feed and social profiles, and that seemed to work out well for him.
These are all great tips! I just recently started my Twitter (a couple of months ago). I don’t know why I waited so long! However, I don’t know if I will ever start a Facebook fan page.
Facebook definitely isn’t a favorite for a lot of people. I’ve really enjoyed seeing you on Twitter more and getting to interact with you, though, and I’m sure other PF bloggers agree! It’s so much fun to hang out and talk about random things with other people, especially later at night when everyone gets kind of silly.
Good tips! It definitely takes an investment in time (and somewhat of a passion I think) to stay on top of social media. It’s just as easy to get overwhelmed I think for a lot of people. Especially the interaction part. But if you want to build a presence, you have to build relationships.
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Good point – it can be really overwhelming, especially in the beginning. I remember when I first opened my Twitter account, I was just kind of reading a lot and struggling to keep up with a million conversations at once. Once I realized that I didn’t have to read EVERY tweet in my feed and could just jump in when I had something to say, it took a lot of the pressure off and made it easier to participate.
Great Post Andrea and thanks for sharing Jeremy!
Social media is king when it comes to interacting with fans and building rapport with others. Networking has always been an important part of my daily routine with Canadian Budget Binder. Whether its Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or the Blog I like to see what my fans are doing and saying. I make sure that I set time aside throughout the day to check in and say hello, chat to the fans, answer questions, engage in conversation. It’s amazing how much you can learn when you just listen, rather than speak.
When you show your fans support, they will support you. It’s a two-way street, you can’t hope they will come, invite them to stay a while. Talk to your fans like they are right in front of you. They can tell when you are just full of it, or truly want to get to know and help them.
The Canadian Budget Binder Facebook page is my hub for getting to know some of the people who read my posts. Facebook creates a “Team” like environment for Canadian Budget Binder where we share stories and learn from each other.
The best part is when fans thank us PF bloggers for taking the time to do what we do. Spreading the word about Finance and Debt is an optimal way to gain readership of those who crave Debt Freedom. Often I not only Re-tweet other blog posts that I follow but I post them on my Facebook Page wall. If my fans can learn from a blog post I will share it and so will they.
Happy Fans that are learning and saying “I want out of debt, let’s do this” is what makes my day and what motivates me to continue doing what I do.
Oh and for goodness sake, have a sense of humour! You only live once… You get “One Shot”.
Cheers,
Mr.CBB
Canadianbudgetbinder recently posted..One Day You Will Understand Son, You have “One Shot”
My response is down below – I had a comment reply FAIL of some sort!
Social media is hard, but I like how easy it is to shoot someone a thank you for a comment. I may move all my interaction to Twitter, which is my favorite platform. I’m not even on FB or G+
John | Married (with Debt) recently posted..I Bought a Tablet (Which Makes Me a Jerk)
Twitter is my favorite as well. My Facebook page is finally starting to see a little bit of traction, but it’s so hard to gain fans and get them to talk! I can’t even talk about Google+; it’s NOT my favorite. Twitter just seems so much easier and more casual, probably because it moves so fast.
I pretty had no idea what I was doing when I started blogging and using social media to promote my site. Now, through a lot of experimenting, I found some good things that really do work. Like you mention, interacting with everyone is of utmost importance. Listening, talking, responding – these have helped build my social media platforms more than anything. Of course I have a long way to go, but I’ve learned a ton more than when I first started.
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I was the same way. I was active on social media as far as my personal Facebook profile, but I had no idea how to use it for my blog. I just knew that all the “big” blogs had Twitter accounts and Facebook fan pages, so I set them up. I’m pretty social by nature, so talking too much and posting random things helped me in the beginning. Now I can’t imagine any of my blogs without their social media profiles, even though more than one gets a little confusing sometimes!
It sounds like you’re getting some great interaction with readers on Facebook – it’s been awhile since I’ve visited your actual page so I’ll have to go check it out! Isn’t it the most amazing feeling when people are interested and engaged? I just love it!
I like interacting with other bloggers, but getting a tweet or Facebook comment from a “real” reader is one of the most amazing feelings in the world. It never ever gets old to know that someone who isn’t entrenched in the PF community gets value out of what I do. It makes it easier to keep going even on the days when I really don’t feel like it, or when I’m burned out and wonder why I share so much of myself. Knowing that someone was helped by something I shared is a great feeling!
Totally agree that a sense of humor goes a long way. Some people take themselves way too seriously, and I think that makes it hard for others to relate to them. Don’t get me wrong – I want to share valuable info with my readers – but I also like to keep them entertained. Personal finance can be funny just like anything else!
Oops, that reply was to Mr. CBB – no idea why it didn’t attach to his comment!
I feel like I am starting to get the hang of twitter but I rarely use my Facebook page. I will have to work on that in the future. I really enjoy getting to know my followers and love it when almoner tweets or DMs me.
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You’ve become a lot more active on Twitter – I always see your avatar in my feed and think, “Hooray! Lance is doing his thing!” Hahahaha!
Facebook is harder. I firmly believe that. I think it’s less intimidating to start out with Twitter and you can always work on building your FB page later. Twitter just doesn’t seem as overwhelming for some reason.
Great tips.
I just wish I had more time.
Unfortunately at work I can’t access FB or Twitter, therefore I’m limited to the time I spend on social media which happens to be mostly evenings and weekends.
That’s a really good point – it’s hard to stay active during the day when you have a full-time job. When I was working for someone else, I would check Twitter from my phone periodically, but I really didn’t have time to read tweets and respond to them. I always felt like I was behind on all the conversations!
Luckily evenings and weekends are active times for social media, but I know most people don’t want to spend ALL their free time hooked to a computer or smartphone! Still, even 20 minutes a few times a week can be beneficial if you’re using it to talk to other people.
It’s funny that you should mention your Reader’s Digest feature…..Vonnie was cleaning out the drawers in our kitchen and ran across that issue (my parents send me a free subscription every now and then when it’s offered through their subscription). She wondered why it was in there and was going to throw it away. In a “matrix-like” move I saved the magazine from the trash, opened it, and showed her why it was being saved.
Hope I can get a girl to sign it in a few weeks.
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First of all, I LOLed at your “matrix-like move.” Second, I will probably die of embarrassment if you ask me to sign Reader’s Digest, especially out in public! It’s still so weird – I have a framed copy of the article on my office wall, and every time I look at it I can’t believe that happened. And people wonder why I love Twitter so much!
Great post. Thank you for the advice. I am a fairly new blogger and active social media user. I started 5 months ago and have learned a lot. Prior to that I just used Facebook. I thought Twitter was stupid, but now I love it. I was also scared to write a blog because I didn’t think anyone wanted to read what I had to say and I wasn’t sure if I could come up with enough topics. It is getting easier and easier. There are still some frustrations, but I just want to continue to see growth. Posts like this really help me. Thanks again.
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I was exactly the same way when I started, both re: Twitter (I HATED it at first) and re: thinking no one would read my blog. I decided to write because I enjoy it, and I figured I might get a few readers here and there. I never dreamed it would turn into what it is now – not that I’m an internet celebrity or anything, but I do have a good number of people who read and it means a lot to me. Don’t give up! As long as you enjoy it, keep going and know that your numbers will increase exponentially. Last October I remember holding my breath to get to 200 followers on Twitter, and now I’m over 1200. When it starts to grow, you’ll see huge jumps in traffic, followers, comments, and interaction. Just keep writing great posts and you’ll see the benefits!
Another reminder of how bad I suck at this. These are some good tips. I will have to make it a priority to try some of them out.
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Let me know how it goes – I’d be interested to know if you see a difference!
As always, Andrea’s tips are golden! I want to sit with the cool kids in the cafeteria!
I’m so glad you agree that auto dm’s are ANNOYING!! I never respond to those. I always respond if you say “Hey Michelle, loved that post ____, hope to talk soon!” Or anything else personal and relevant. Great list, Andrea!
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I think you guys have an unfair advantage because there are two of you! (Joking. Kind of.)
I usually unfollow people who send auto DMs. If they can’t take five seconds to send me a real tweet, I’m not interested in what they have to say. Maybe that’s a harsh stance but I REALLY can’t stand when people send them.
Great advice. I’m a pretty new blogger and, while I have a Facebook page and twitter account, I know I need to better utilize them. This post helps me get why it’s so important. Thanks!
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No problem! Hopefully it helps – feel free to talk to me on Twitter anytime! I’m on there most of the day every day.
Social media is certainly an area where I need improvement. With all of the social media outlets out there, I find it a bit overwhelming to focus on most of them. However, I am getting better with Twitter, and starting to do a little more with Facebook.
I think those are the most important ones to focus on, at least in this niche. It’s easy to feel bogged down by all the choices out there, but for now, Twitter and Facebook are the main ones that readers and other bloggers use, so those are the ones I stick with as much as possible.
Great example of immediate response to comments!
I think having engaged readers is more important than likes or twitter followers.
Some competitors have inflated numbers that I know do not exist and achieved through deception.
We are proud to tell our readers exactly what they are getting being a part of our community.
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I agree with you completely. For one of my other blogs, I recently participated in a giveaway where people could follow the blog’s Twitter account or like the Facebook page to win an iPad. My numbers skyrocketed, but those people aren’t the least bit engaged – in fact, most of them appear to have used throwaway accounts set up just for giveaways and contests. So what did I gain there? It really looks worse because the percentage of engaged users or comments on statuses/tweets will be even smaller.
Great post! I definitely agree that if you’ve got a blog or any type of business really, you need to be on social media. Thanks for including me in your list Modest Money!
In my experience, it’s much easier to convince bloggers than business owners. So many businesses still don’t even have websites, much less social media accounts. Yet the first thing I do is google before I visit a store, buy a product, or even go to a new doctor. I guess they’ll catch on eventually!
I would LOVE to get into a good social routine. Twitter, to me, is more like a playground with everyone screaming and talking at the same time. Conversations are hard to come by and I need to know the secret code to join in. It’s the best tool at my disposal, I just seem too busy to engage. I’ll work in some of these tips, though, because I agree that following a person who spams links all day will get old.
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One thing you might try is creating lists – it’s kind of like putting certain Twitter users in a folder. You can add the people you most want to interact with to a list, then view the tweets of only that list. Makes it much easier to follow conversations without everything moving so fast!
Andrea, I pretty much suck at social media. I follow everybody, tweet only links, and only post my post info on my FB page. LOL. I guess I fail miserably.
I will try to start adding more “touch” but it just eats up too much time for me.
Jeremy, you’re a networking machine dude. It’s unbelievable how many people you tweet and how many relationships you’ve established.
If anybody is up for G+ sharing or Tweet sharing, shoot me an email! I am DOWN!
Come hang out with us on Twitter sometime! It’s really easy if you just start talking. I talk to people ALL the time – links to posts are good, but you’ve got to invest a little time being social or the point is kind of lost.
Try just 15 minutes a day. 15 minutes to sit on Twitter and talk to at least 5 people. You can do it!
Social media is a challenging beast to try and wrangle, so thanks for the words of wisdom. The only social media I partake in is Twitter, and even then, I’m not sure I’m active enough for it to be serviceable as a tool for promoting my blog – but I’m ok with that. I do love the fun conversations that can come up on Twitter, but I try not to be on it all day when I’m supposed to working. It’s not hard to see though how good social media skills can really translate into traffic for your blog or business.
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I have a more detailed post on Twitter and how it helps your blog on one of my sites, but basically, when people feel like they know you, they want to promote your stuff. When they promote your stuff, their friends are more likely to check it out. So kind of a domino effect. I’m much more likely to retweet a post for one of my friends than for someone who never talks to me, for example.
Sorry, I read that last part as “It’s hard to see how…” instead of “It’s not hard to see…” I think I need new contacts!
I know the importance of social media in my “Brand” but it is so tough to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s. I guess the reason I neglect it entirely is because I never feel like I’m giving it 100%; I’m an all or nothing personality. I love the steps you give here, and the reasons behind them. I’m going to bookmark this post!
Baby steps! Even 15 minutes of conversation a day is better than nothing. It’s impossible to be social 24/7 (even though I try really hard by staying on Twitter all the time) but I think it’s more important to use the time you do have available. Live your life, but spend a little time being social and I guarantee you’ll start seeing results!
These tips are very helpful. I have been putting off creating a Twitter account just because I have no experience with it. I also fear that I would get too consumed in social media (like the way I do with commenting on blogs) I guess I’ll never know until I take the plunge and actually start a page.
I’ll be honest – Twitter can be very addictive! I find it hard to step away sometimes. But it’s also a lot of fun and can be a great way to meet other bloggers. As an added bonus, sometimes famous (or semi-famous) people respond to tweets! RL Stine (author of the Goosebumps books I read when I was a kid) responded to me the other day and I nearly died.
The plugin I use let’s me add a custom excerpt. I copy the post description that I enter for the SEO. Maybe a future release will allow me to set that automatically.
I should be doing more with twitter, but I rationalize that I spend 10 hours a day at work where I have no internet. But the reality is that I still could be doing more with twitter!
And thanks for including me in your roundup at the end!
I usually just tweet my post title and link, but tweeting the SEO description is a good idea! If I could find a way to automate it I’d probably do the same.
With 10 hours of work a day and no internet access during that time (how do you LIVE?), I’d say that’s a pretty good reason not to be super active on Twitter. I think all of us could do more in lots of areas, but it’s also important not to spread yourself too thin. Honestly, with that kind of work schedule, I’m surprised you find the time to post! I used to work about 60 hours a week, but I was able to write posts at work sometimes, so that helped a lot.
I do what I can in the evenings, but I write most of my posts on the weekends.
This is agreat guest post. Actually, Andrea is the reason I got started on Twitter! Social media is really important, and once you get started, you realize how awesome it is to get to know people like that. Of course, the other part of the puzzle is setting limits to how long your tweet or are ‘online’ every day. Too much will hurt your other relationships and job!
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I’ve really enjoyed seeing your Twitter presence develop since you started using it. Most people are kind of quiet at first (like you were!) but it doesn’t take long to start talking and getting involved in conversations. I definitely agree that you have to keep it in perspective – it’s easy to forget everything else when there is so much to read and talk about!
So happy to read this. I just started out on twitter. It’s been a learning process for sure! I need to get in on more convos…I sometimes feel like an eavesdropper so I don’t know if I should. But I guess that’s what it’s for!
I need to start getting more interaction on facebook, too.
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I jump into conversations all the time, unless people are talking about something really personal (which always makes me wonder why they’re talking about it publicly on Twitter). No one ever seems to mind when I randomly insert my opinion into whatever they’re talking about, so I do it all the time!