Why do you want to grow your blog (and podcast) following with social media?

First of all, it's the fastest and least expensive way to grow a digital following. Social media is usually the first digital introduction into your business. Once you build a following, if you install tracking and use email marketing software, you can re-target ads to your blog visitors and track who opens your emails and clicks on your links.

Create a brand story

It's important to start with stories about why you do what you do.

According to Google, "A brand story is a cohesive narrative that encompasses the facts and feelings that are created by your brand (or business, if you prefer). Unlike traditional advertising, which is about showing and telling about your brand, a story must inspire an emotional reaction."

Just saying you're passionate about your business is not enough. Ask yourself, "What happened to make you start your business?" Was there a defining moment that hit you so hard emotionally that you had to do something about it?

What is your WHY story?

Start a blog (or podcast)

You can use Wordpress, Kajabi (my favorite!), or Squarespace to start your blog, among other programs. Just make sure that whatever platform you use has the ability to have Google Analytics Tracking and Facebook Pixel Tracking installed.

The blog interface of a website allows you to update content on a regular basis with blog posts. This is what Google mostly looks at when decided if your site has the answers to people's searches on their platform. That will help increase your site's SEO (search engine optimization).

Answer questions that people are searching for on Google, and make sure you follow protocol on how to format your blog.

If you are doing a podcast instead, make your blog post the transcript or a summary outline of your podcast. Format titles within your transcript to be an outline of your material.

How to Build Your Website's Blog Pages

Nurture Your Email Subscribers with Your Blog Posts

Every time you publish a blog post, you want to notify your email subscribers about it. One of the biggest mistakes I see is that people email the entire blog post to their subscribers, rather than just an introductory paragraph.

You want to email a snippet of your blog with a hyperlink to get people to traffic your website to see the entire blog post.

Tag and Pixel Your Blog Readers

The reason you want to get people to your website is twofold:

1. You can tag people in your email marketing program who click on your blog post hyperlink. This allows you to isolate them for further communication that your entire list may not be interested in. (These people are deeper in your funnel.)

Get a Free Email Flowchart

2. You can track those who trafficked your website with the Facebook Pixel and send ads to them to get into your sales funnel for a particular product that goes hand-in-hand with the content of your blog.

Grow Your LinkedIn Engagement

In addition to sending an email to your followers, if you'd like to grow your LinkedIn engagement and get more of those connections onto your website, publish a snippet of your blog post on LinkedIn as an article that has a hyperlink out to your blog post.

Now that your LinkedIn connections have trafficked your website, they can be re-targeted for Facebook ads.

Grow Your Instagram Profile Visits

On Instagram, if you put your main blog link in your profile, each time you release a new blog post, your Instagram link will always be up to date.

Post things on Instagram about the current blog post to get people to go to your link. Make sure you say, "Link in bio," in the caption of your photos.

Gain Facebook Live Viewers

Once your blog post is published, this gives you fantastic content for Facebook Live. You can go over the highlights of your blog post in a live stream, then direct people to your blog post link to get more information.

Once they are on your website, they are tracked and re-targeted.

Make sure you have a free resource advertised in your blog somewhere (sidebar and in the text of your post), so your new followers can sign up on your list!

Run Ads to Your Blog

Finally when all is said and done with organic reach, advertise your blog post to carefully selected audiences on Facebook that would be interested in your topic to gain new followers. Also, nurture your existing followers and subscribers with re-targeting ads.

Use images, videos, slideshows, and live streams to advertise.

How to Select Your First Ideal Client Audience on Facebook

Discover More with Sally Hendrick

Want to discover more secrets to growing your following?