Of all of the social networks out there, Facebook is the one that changes the most. The site is regularly altering its overall layout, features, pages, privacy settings, aims…we have come to expect it, as users. What is so great about that fact is the way they always have their fingers on the pulse of the web. They are always looking to improve, especially for businesses and brands.
Blogs may not be what Facebook is focusing on in these changes. But that doesn’t mean they can’t piggy back on the alterations to get their own improved results. One area where this is most true is audience building. Community pages are a fantastic way to gather new followers, or engage with your readers.
Here are some ways you can use Facebook to build an audience for your blog.
Make sure you are making it easy to share your posts
You should have more than just social media buttons available on your posts. You have to remind people to share it. Give a call to action at the end of each one, and even make the buttons more visible with a clever aid, such as arrows pointing them out.
Post regularly, but not too often
You have to strike the right balance between posting too often, and posting enough. Blogs are not like companies, which can easily annoy followers by posting every day. People want to hear from you, which is why they have sought you out on Facebook in the first place. Try to post a couple of times a day.
Auto-share new content
Most blogging platforms (if not all, at this point) provide an option for auto-sharing the moment you publish a new post. This makes it easier on you, and will ensure you don’t forget. But you should share the same post more than once, such as one more time later on in the day, or early the next day.
Comment on other pages, as your page
You want to connect with others on the social network outside of your blog itself. Other pages – related to your industry – is a good place for that. Post as your page, and engage in the conversation in the threads of those pages. Make sure you don’t advertise yourself. You are simply taking part in the discussion, and making yourself known. You should also regularly share content you find elsewhere.
Connect with other pages directly
You can also build relationships with the owners of other pages. When you do this, they will be more willing to share out both yourself and the content you post on your page. It is an invaluable and mutually beneficial connection.
Have guest posters share their work on their Facebook pages
This is a very quick way to narrow in on a new audience, one that has been built by the guest poster. Already, allowing guest posts will do this to an extent. But Facebook gives an additional platform for visibility.
Ask for user contributions
Facebook is a great place to ask users to give their own experiences, opinions, and even user genera
ted content. You can ask for opinions to use in new posts, just ask questions, or hold a contest. Image contests are especially popular these days.
Advertise
Facebook has a pretty great advertising service, that is incredibly cheap. You set a daily budget, and it will only charge you by the click. If you don’t get the traffic, you don’t pay the fee. It never goes over your set budget, which you can also set as a lifetime amount. The more you allocate to your budget, the more views you will get and the amount of clicks you are likely to generate. Even a couple of dollars a day makes a huge difference in page traffic.
Try Viral Content Buzz
This is the most recent discovery of mine. It’s a sister site of MyBlogGuest.
It allows you to earn credits by sharing content you like on your Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and StumbleUpon accounts. Then you can use those credits to have your content shared as well. I have seen a massive increase of Facebook activity since I started using it!
Be consistent
The best thing you can do is make sure you are consistent in your Facebook page use. A couple of regular days of inactivity, especially during the weekend, is normal. But going too long will lose you followers, and impact the benefit of building the page.
Do you have any advice for those looking to use Facebook for their blog? Let us know your tips in the comments.
About the Author: Jessy Troy is the self-taught social media marketer and stay-at-home mom. You can see her tweet as @JessyTroy
