You know you should be promoting your blog posts on social media, but which platforms should you choose? It can be tempting to target all of the major ones. But unless you have a team of social media pros, it won’t be long before you burn out from trying to tweet, pin, and send snaps consistently. So how do you use social media to promote your blog in a way that won’t drive you crazy? Prioritize your time and efforts using this list of the 5 best social media platforms for promoting your blog.
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The best social media platforms
1. Facebook
There’s a clear reason why Facebook is one of the best social media platforms for promoting your blog: it’s got more users than any of the others. Some people think Facebook is dead now. But with over 1.2 billion active users, it’s still a giant in the social media world. And because it has so many users, there’s a good chance that your ideal reader or customer is on it.
Even if Facebook isn’t the top social media platform for the users you’re trying to target, there’s a reason why it may be worth including: the advertising benefits. Of all social media platforms, Facebook’s advertising options and capabilities are by far the most extensive. So if you think you’ll want to advertise on Facebook one day, building and nurturing a following on Facebook using your blog could be a good way to go.
Related: How to drive traffic to a brand new blog + free blog post template and example
2. Twitter
Facebook may be the giant in the room when it comes to listing the best social media platforms for promoting your blog. But this doesn’t mean that you should ignore Twitter. Twitter is popular in lots of niches, and it’s a place where you’ll see professionals sharing ideas, updates, and articles on a regular basis. And with the ability to @mention people and gain visibility using hashtags, you’ve got the opportunity for a post to go viral.
3. Pinterest
If you don’t sell home décor or women’s accessories, you might think Pinterest is the wrong platform for you. After all, if you’re a public speaking coach or a lawyer, what on Earth could you promote on Pinterest?
The truth is that you can use Pinterest for sharing more than just photos of physical products. And there’s a reason why it’s worth getting a little creative on Pinterest even if it doesn’t intuitively seem like a good fit: Pinterest can drive heaps of traffic to your blog. But that’s not all. People also spend more money on Pinterest than they do on Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn combined. Now do you understand why it’s on this list of best social media platforms for promoting your blog?
Related: 10 Pinterest tips that boost your traffic, leads, and sales + free Pinterest SEO cheat sheet
Want to skyrocket traffic to your blog so you can grow your email list and make more sales?
Download my free cheat sheet on creating the perfect Pinterest account profile.
4. Instagram
Even though it’s now owned by Facebook, Instagram is a major success in its own right. It’s got over 700 million users, lots of people you can connect with and promote your blog posts to.
Instagram works in a very different way than Pinterest does. But it’s also based on the idea of sharing images as a way to connect with people. For this reason, you might need to get a little creative with what you share if you don’t blog about visual products or services. This doesn’t mean, though, that you can’t still get good traffic from the platform.
5. LinkedIn
If your focus is B2B, you’ve got to take LinkedIn out for a spin. LinkedIn is one of the best social media platforms for promoting your blog because it’s the biggest platform for professionals. It’s like a non-stop, virtual networking event (without the bad food and awkward small talk). So if you want to reach C-suite executives, other business leaders, or startups, this is the place to do it.
On LinkedIn, you don’t have to share your blog posts just as updates. You can also publish them right on the platform to take advantage of LinkedIn’s audience.
Related: How to increase blog traffic without Google + free email list cheat sheet
How to know which platform is right for your brand?
It isn’t sustainable to be on all 5 of these social media platforms. So which ones should you focus on?
Here’s how to identify the best social media platforms for your brand specifically:
Step 1: Identify the social media platform(s) your ideal readers or customers use the most.
Step 2: Of these platforms, figure out which ones have a track record of directing the most traffic to blogs and websites.
Step 3: Promote your blog posts on the platforms you selected in Step 2. Use Google Analytics to identify the volume of traffic these platforms actually give you and the bounce rate associated with each one.
Step 4: Based on your traffic and bounce rate analytics, continue using your selected platforms or swap them out for other ones.
Do it right
Social media can be a gold mine for promoting your blog posts. But you’ve got to do it right. Instead of trying to be on every platform and getting lackluster results on each one, focus on identifying the best social media platforms that really make sense for you to build your following on. If you focus your efforts and select the best social media platforms for your audience, you’ll be able to reap the benefits of social media for your blog.
Want to skyrocket traffic to your blog so you can grow your email list and make more sales?
Download my free cheat sheet on creating the perfect Pinterest account profile.
