There is so much to learn as a beginner blogger! If you’re like me, you want your blog to be successful, but find yourself getting a little overwhelmed with all the different blogging strands. Developing a beginner bloggers’ simple social media strategy that’s easy to stick to is just one of the many things to think about.
I wanted to share with you the simple plan and template that I’ve created for myself. It’s compiled from many, many top tip articles and advice from other bloggers.
Related: Is blogging right for you? Answer these 7 crucial questions and find out for yourself!
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I found myself sitting down to ‘do social media’ and then spending hours tagging and commenting, tweeting and re-pinning, all without any clear goal or way to track. It was time-consuming and unsurprisingly wasn’t leading to any great results!
I knew I needed to have a strategy instead of social media aimlessness and so I made myself this handy template. I aimed to make it realistic (while still pushing myself) and for it to be something I can stick for the next 6 months.
The Beginner Bloggers’ Simple Social Media Strategy template has allowed me to set goals around my social media strategy, and to keep track on a daily basis of what I have done.
The strategy focuses on four of the top social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. I’ve heard so much about Pinterest’s potential that I wanted to include it although it is a search engine rather than social media. I also scheduled my blog posts and commenting on others’ blogs.
Join Me!
One of the things that I love most about blogging is the community that surrounds it. If there are any other new bloggers that want to give this a go as well, I’d love to hear from you! Let’s support each other to grow our social media platforms.
Social Media Networking Strategy
Social media is all about networking. I have found that I absolutely love the opportunity to support other bloggers in this way. and to receive support in return. It has completely taken away the isolation of blogging and has boosted my numbers and interactions. I honestly can’t recommend this step enough!
These are the groups that I joined:
Facebook:
- Blogging Babes Collective
- Blogging and Promotion
- Bloggers Engagement and Growth Group (ladies only)
- Pinterest Group Boards and Pinterest Growth Groups
- Pinterest Group Boards
Twitter:
- @TRJ For Bloggers
- @LittleBlogRT
- @BloggersTribe
- @AllThoseBlogs
- @BloggersHut
- @BloggersBabesRT
Please leave a comment if you can recommend any other supportive blogging groups, especially those for beginners. Thank you!
Beginner Bloggers’ Social Media Goals
My Facebook goal is to post once per day. Head here and learn how to cross link Facebook to Instagram so that you don’t have to manually re-share your posts.
Facebook groups have also been a huge part of my journey with social media so far.
Before I developed this template, I was attempting to use Pinterest. I was pinning left, right and centre, and by the end of the day had no idea how many pins I had even pinned!
Pinterest’s algorithm is always changing and right now fresh content is given top priority. Based on this info, I aim to create 2 new pins a day.
I use Canva Pro to create my pins. They have amazing templates as well as a good range of photos, fonts, and elements to make it look super cool. They have a free version too that comes with fewer options. Try Canva Pro free for 30 days with this link!
I joined the Facebook Group for ‘Pinterest Group Boards’ and started to look for opening in relevant niches.
Megan from Pinterest Ninja (a Pinterest Course I invested in) advises to pin 30 pins per day.
Three times a day, I would pin 10 pins. 8 would be my own, and 2 would be pinning from others.
If you are just starting, she suggests pinning 20 pins a day- 15 of your own and 5 of others.
I use Tailwind to help me to schedule my pins- it lets you space them out throughout the day. It also allows you to space out pins the right time apart from each other so are pinning a variety and don’t get flagged as spam! This can lead to your account being shut down so it’s an area to be very mindful of!
My Twitter goal is to tweet 5 times a day. 3 of these will be re-tweeting from others, and 2 will be my own stuff. Twitter is extremely fast-paced and most tweets are re-tweeted within the hour that they are posted. This means it is crucial to space out your tweets throughout the day.
Share content from others to get your followers used to you providing high quality, useful information from a range of sources. They are far more likely to pay attention when you then post something of your own!
Instagram has a huge focus on branding. It’s the social media I feel least comfortable with at the moment. My goal is to post once per day but to spend about 20 mins a day (more if I can manage it) commenting on others’ posts and following relevant people. It’s so important to network on Instagram and to get your name out in this way.
Blog Posts
I’ve chosen to commit to posting 2 blog posts per week– Tuesday and Thursday. Although I’ve read many recommendations that 3 per week is an ideal number, quality is more important than quantity.
I decided to start with 2 a week and aim to maintain a high standard of posts. By this I mean that they will be over 2000 words and as informative and useful as I can make them.
At the end of each blog post, it’s good practice to include a direct call to action asking for follows and shares. Sometimes this prompt is all people need to follow through.
Commenting
What about commenting on other people’s posts?
It sounds counter-productive, but commenting on other blogs (even your competitions) will increase your own visibility and authority.
This is why it is so important to prioritize reading and engaging with other blogs within your niche.
I’ve started a spreadsheet of blogs that I love that are within my niche and aim to comment on two of these posts each day. Initially I found this incredibly difficult, but as I built connections through social media (mainly Twitter and Facebook) I discovered plenty of other blogs that I admire and can comment on. It also means that I can see what topics they are posting about, what’s popular, and what kind of questions are coming up in the comments. This gives me ideas for my own blog posts- could I cover the topic with a different angle or add value in a different way?
Guest Posting
So what about writing elsewhere totally for free?
Guest posting is a great opportunity to build backlinks to your website, reach a new audience, and showcase your knowledge and expertise. I was initially sceptical but the more I read, the more it makes sense to use this awesome networking connection.
I set myself a target to guest blog once per month. Eventually I would like to increase this to twice a month.
Guest posting opportunities can be found through the groups mentioned before. I found my first ‘Guest Posting gig’ simply by responding to a Facebook comment asking for guest bloggers on a parenting blog. Easy!
A Final Point on my Beginner Bloggers’ Simple Social Media Strategy
The most important lesson for me so far is that social media is a social platform- so use it to network! It’s a place where you can add value to others, and in doing so, start to grow your name and develop your brand.
Don’t be afraid to ask for crossover on your social media platforms. For example, you might occasionally tweet and ask your followers to follow you also on Instagram- little prompts and reminders like this can make a difference!
This is intended as a starting point for beginning bloggers. Use it as a springboard while you figure out what works for you!
Freya x
I never thought about joining facebook groups, I’ll have to give this a go!x
Definitely! I like being part of the community and feeling that there’s some support out there.
This is so helpful. Thank you so much for sharing. I haven’t used Instagram in two years and just started using Pinterest again. This blog post is so vital. I am definitely going to utilize this. Thank you so much.
Hi Sarah,
Thank you so much for the feedback! It can feel like a bit of a jungle- let me know how it goes!
Freya
This was super helpful! It is funny though. I am most comfortable with Instagram or at least feel the most traction there compared to Twitter and Facebook. The Pinterest tips were especially valuable for me. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment. Yes there’s just so much to think of, some come naturally and some don’t. I’ll look you up on Instagram! Nice to hear that’s working so well.