Although we may wish that the quote, “If you build it, they will come,” from the movie Field of Dreams applied to our blogs, that’s not always the case with readers. Make it easier for them to find and visit your blog through these outlets!
- Email. Services include FeedBurner (free; here’s mine!), Mad Mimi (from $10, as of 10/2014), Mail Chimp (from $10, as of 10/2014), and quite a few others. Regardless of which you pick, make sure you install something right away. Your email list is worth its weight in gold!
- RSS. This service is usually included along with email, and it provides readers with a more “newspaper” style of staying updated while freeing their inbox from clutter. (Here’s mine!)
- RSS Reader. This is more for you than your readers! An RSS reader is one of the easiest ways to stay updated on your blogger friends’ feeds. I personally use Bloglovin’ (here’s my feed!), but Feedly is another great option.
- Facebook. Create your own fan page (like mine), separate from your personal page, as a way for readers to stay connected. Facebook has its own internal feature to schedule posts ahead of time, and I highly recommend you use this so you aren’t glued to your computer all day long!
- Twitter. Create a handle that’s similar to or exactly the same as your blog name (like mine), which makes finding you easier for your followers. Although Twitter lacks its own internal scheduling feature like Facebook, HootSuite and Buffer are two programs that allow you to do so. (They also allow you to schedule posts on other social media sites too!)
- Pinterest. As a blogger, register for a business account instead of simply a personal one. (Here’s mine!) This grants you access to better analytics to track your repins, likes, visits, and more for everything you pin. ViralTag ($29 per month, as of 10/2014) is my favorite scheduling tool, and Ahalogy is another popular option.
- Instagram. Completely visual-focused, this social media is perfect for food bloggers. (Here’s my account!) Although Instagram lacks a scheduling tool since you can only upload pictures from your phone or handheld devices, I recommend using the following supplemental apps.
- Repost. This creates “regrams,” or reposts an image from another user while properly crediting them).
- InstaSize. This allows you to upload horizontal or vertical images, then saves them as a square instead of cropping off the sides.
- Aviary. Although not as necessary now that Instagram updated their editing tools, this app allows you to edit pictures, add text overlay, and more.
- InstaCollage. Have more than one picture you want to upload? This app has lots of different collage arrangements, borders, text overlay, and more.
