Answering more questions about making money blogging…
The best way to network effectively?
If I had to sum it up in three phrases they'd be: be real, be helpful and keep going.
To me, networking is about being helpful. If you see places where you can offer help, do it. Once people see you are generous with your knowledge, they are more likely to interact and spread the word about you too. This is exactly how it happened for me and I think it happens this way for so many others as well.
Also, be you. Oh this is so important. Don't create a clone blog. Show your personality. You've got to differentiate yourself. Consider narrowing your focus. Instead of writing a blog about your life in general, be the person known for a specific thing. Maybe you create outstanding printables, maybe you post hilarious videos about parenting, maybe you live in a yurt in Alaska.
Don't be afraid to jump into forums, social media, comment on other blogs (here's a crash course), join Twitter chats/parties, link-ups (like Works for Me Wednesday and Tasty Tuesday, or search google "link up list [niche]" and similar things for more) etc. You've got to be involved. (For most of these things, you don't have to be invited so don't sit back and wait to be asked.) The goal in all these things is to build relationships, not just to push your own blog or products, so aim to make real friends, otherwise it'll backfire.
Also, consider starting a mastermind group. Joining with other bloggers in a small group, encouraging each other, promoting each other and swapping ideas is an excellent way to get traction faster.
Another great way to boost your networking is to attend a blogging conference. There's nothing like face-to-face contact with other bloggers. Attending my first blogging conference in 2010 was absolutely a turning point in my blogging "career." It can be pricey, but if you can swing it, it's worth it.
There is no magic bullet, it just takes time. Here are a 7 Traffic-Building Tips.
(Here are all the Traffic archives.)
Anyone else have more to add?
Other posts in this series
- Q&A: How Do I Get Started Making Money as a New Blogger?
- Q&A: How Do I Network Effectively to Help Gain Name Awareness and Visitors?
- Q&A: Can You Really Make Money with Google AdSense?
I've been struggling with this and trying to find ways to get more traffic to the site and more comments/interaction from my readers, rather than just looking at all the pretty photos. This post was definitely helpful! – Thank you!
You're welcome! Another thought is to ask questions at the end of your post. "Have you done something similar?" "What would you have done differently?" "What is your advice?" etc.
I'll throw my $.02 in here. I'm finding a big increase in traffic from getting into Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, especially Instagram, but you have to have a blog that is visual (Food, clothes, kids, whatever you can take a picture of). If you are writing about blogging then these visual social media platforms aren't going to help much, but Twitter would. Facebook, of course and drive a lot of traffic. I have found that spending a little bit of money on Facebook ads makes a huge difference in getting followers. I went from a couple hundred to over 800 by spending about $25 (about $2 a day) which I am going to keep doing indefinitely because it's such a cheap way to get followers. It will pay off in the long term.
Google really wants to see links leading into and away from your site and the best way that I've found to do that is find forums where people are talking about your niche and jump into the fray. Also, commenting frequently on other people's blogs and starting a conversation that way. Gone are the days when you put your blog out there and let google find it and watch the traffic come in. You have to be aggressive about getting followers!
Hi, Steve. Good stuff here. Thanks!
Hi Amy! This is definitely helpful. I am finding that I am not quite sure how I can be helpful to other bloggers as I am such a novice blogger (I write about seasonal celebrations through food and crafts) and am still trying to figure this whole blogging thing out. Do you have more specifics on that? I would love feedback if you have any. Thanks for all the great info!
Hi Jenna, when I say be helpful, I'm just talking about offering your opinion on things you know about in a kind and useful way. So, for example, if you write about recipes and you're on a food blog or in a food forum and you notice someone asks if they can substitute one ingredient for another and you know the answer, jump in! I find comments like, "Once I substituted brown sugar for powdered and it was a disaster but the next time I used granulated instead and it worked perfectly!" are great because you're not trying to take over, just offering your experience. It's not about knowing it all, but giving friendly advice.
I think it is important to remember that you don't have to jump in to all sources of networking at once. I have done mainly commenting, blog hops (carnivals) and Facebook this year leaving Twitter to master in 2013 because frankly it seems confusing to me, my hubby says I should just invite a twittering teenager over to show me the ropes one day! LOL
Yes, I agree. Start with one or two and then expand as you get the rhythm of each one (and want to expand). Great point.
What helped me tremendously with Twitter (it seemed like a black hole to me too) was using Hootsuite. It's free and you can use it on your phone or computer. The key here is to create a "channel" where you listen to your keywords or hashtags. Let's say Amy wanted to set up a channel for her niche, she would follow a hashtag of #blogging and just watch the stream of comments and respond. That's if you want. I find Twitter less effective, than Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest right now.
Yes, I used Hootsuite for a long time too. Then I was having trouble with it so I stopped. Perhaps I'll try it again…
I was gung-ho about beginning my blog back in 2011, but after 4-5 months and getting 1-3 page views per day (if I was lucky!) I was discouraged and gave up. I'm considering jumping back in again, since now that we are homeowners I can do the DIY projects I had in mind, and share them on the blog.
Anyway, to try and drive traffic I did leave comments on other blogs, but I found the comments just got lost in the shuffle. I did contribute to conversation, not just "love it!" type comments. On occasion I would get a view or two, but not too often. Perhaps I just contributed to blogs that have such a huge following (design*sponge was one) it got lost in the shuffle. As a reader, I know I rarely click on commenter's website links. I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer, but wondering if others have had similar experiences?
I think you bring up a good point. Yes, it's very difficult to comment on the blogs that get hundreds (or sometimes thousands) of comments and really stand out. I think connecting with others who have blogs about your size is definitely a better way to go. Thanks for great feedback, TMD.
Hi Amy –
Your website is REALLY helpful, especially for us newbies. I just started up with a blog and working my way through all the useful info on the web regarding next steps, strategies, etc. You mention going to a blog conference for networking, etc. Can you name what is a good one to attend and/or is there a good time in your blog timeline to attend (i.e. once you've established the traffic somewhat or at the very beginning)?
I think a blogging conference can be a great idea no matter where you are in the blogging process. I've met plenty of people at blogging conferences who don't even have a blog yet.
For me, the main issue was the cost. It can be quite expensive to attend a conference. Considering the ticket, travel, hotel and incidentals, it can easily run you between $500 and $1000. For some that might not be an issue, for others it might be prohibitive. Each person needs to make up his/her mind. If you can find a blogging conference nearby, that will significantly reduce your costs.
Check out Blog Conference Guide for a list of conferences in 2013. Also, check the right column on that page to see a list of quite possible all the blogging conferences known to man.
Thank you Amy!!
Concerning networking with other bloggers, I'd like to hear about people who have had success with Triberr. I like the idea, but would love to know if it is truly working.