I am sorry to those who do not blog.  Regular…. Make the Most with What You Got posts will return shortly (as in… the next post).  Also, we do include affiliate links to show products used.

For those wanting to blog, or currently blogging, this is a post I wish I would have known about from the beginning.  You can consider this your insiders look.

WHERE ARE MY BLOG FOLLOWERS????

When you start this grand adventure of blogging, it can be difficult to get your posts seen when you hit publish.  Most likely, you will be on the 10th page of Google search as you haven’t learned any SEO (Search Engine Optimization) yet.  You will then feel like you are talking to yourself…………..enter SOCIAL MEDIA.

There is Google +, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, ETC to share your amazing post with EXCEPT…. only your sister is following you.  You turn to asking (aka begging) friends to follow.  Or you may go to blogging groups and participate in follow threads….AKA -you follow me and I’ll follow you back. 

Since potential sponsored post work is often dependent upon your follower count, I have tried both of these techniques.

BUT HERE ARE THE PROBLEMS:

• You need Facebook followers so you turn to family and friends.  EXAMPLE: Uncle Fred loves you and agrees to follow your Facebook Page.  You write a blog for young moms so it’s a natural fit, right???   He is 70, never had any children, and loves motorcycles.  He, most likely, will never like your photo of a baby sleeping or read an article on pregnancy brain.  Facebook is confused as to the type of people you are targeting (attracting).  Now your posts will not get shown to more people (Facebook does limited roll outs.  If your posts does well, it gets shown to more of your followers.  If not, it’s DEAD.)

 

• You are in a large group that has regular follow threads.  You have to follow everyone that adds their link.  There are food, travel, parenting, faith, fashion, political, art, etc, etc. there.  How does this help you?  You have more “followers” but the chances of anyone reading your blog is slim.  “But what if I get one genuine reader out of it?”  Is one reader worth that time investment?

 

• Bloggers in the same niche should be good, right?  Well, maybe or maybe not.  Bloggers are wanting to get their own stuff seen; another blogger wouldn’t be their priority.  It’s like two brand new restaurants saying I will like your Instagram and you can like mine.  Each company is building their own business.  Unless you have an actual relationship and potential collaborations planned, its just two busy businesses pressing like and never to be seen from again.  Now you have 10k followers on Twitter but no interaction.  

 

• Bloggers tend to unfollow.  There are only so many accounts one can follow so clean up in inevitable.  Will you end up on the chopping block? 

 

• It’s time consuming to find the groups and then go through and participate in each thread.   And let’s be real, most of these blogging groups are on Facebook and that’s a time killer in and of itself.

 

HERE ARE SOME ALTERNATIVES:

• Know who you are trying to reach.  Create your avatar. 

 

• Creating solid content around your niche and that ideal customer.

 

• INTERACT with people, bloggers and non-bloggers, naturally (hence why it’s called SOCIAL media).  Bloggers in your same niche, might be good to connect with, I just think it works better with genuine interaction.  If you really love a blogger in your same topic, follow them and comment on their photos.  This practice is less fake and more international. 

 

• Focus on one social media at a time (preferably where your avatar is most likely to be).  When I started blogging it was crickets so I turned to Instagram.  I spent a lot of time on it and was purposeful.  The results….. over 15k followers.  For a blogger of my size, that’s not too bad.

 

• Take one really good course.  There are a ton of blogging courses out there but how do you know which ones to do?  Study, study, study…do the research to find the RIGHT ONE.  If someone you trust is doing something well, see if they know of a course in that subject.  Don’t just follow the crowd or the loudest/shiniest voice. 

*The single best course I took for FACEBOOK, but maybe the best course I’ve ever taken, was this one.  At the end of 2016, I was struggling with interaction on my Facebook account. It also seemed that for every follow I would gain, two would leave…..ugh.  I had a goal of 3500 followers at the end of the year and barely made it.  I started in the free class and gained over 400 REAL followers in less than 2 months in just the FREE group.  Outside of that, there is a lot of good BUSINESS info that has been useful outside of Facebook.

__________

FOLLOWER – Defined by Dictionary.com

noun

2. a person who follows another in regard to his or her ideas or belief; disciple or adherent.

Do we, as bloggers, have this all backwards? 

Are we thinking of followers as just a number or is it a natural reaction to someone you have a connection, interest, or shared belief with?  Is it a person who comes to replicate a DIY project you inspired or cook your recipe because each one they have tried is ah-mazing? 

Likes to your blog/social media come naturally if you know who you are trying to reach and provide quality and useful information to your customers.  Click to Tweet

It might not happen overnight, but if done properly…it will happen.

If you want more blogging information you can go to this BLOGGING PAGE to get tips and tricks.

P.S. – This same information holds true for buying followers.  Yes, you can do that too.  And if you have money you would like to throw away, can I provide you with my bank deposit slip?

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