WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA IS YOUR FRIEND OR YOUR FOE?

Do you ever feel defeated with social media? Blogging started out as a hobby back in 2007 and then it grew into not just into a hobby but I started to earn money which was a bonus. Blogging is an outlet for me. Staying home with our 4 kids (soon 5) and homeschooling sometimes I just need a few minutes to myself and that is where blogging comes in.
 

 

A little over a year ago I opened up a Facebook Page that coincided with my blog. It was a great way for me to promote giveaways and share other posts relating back to my blog. It provided a wonderful place to increase my traffic flow and to share information about not only my blog but about me such as my pregnancy, etc. My Facebook Page grew very quickly as I participated in several blog events, etc.

 

Lately I feel like Facebook is my arch enemy though. Posting giveaways is not a problem but if I post other things I seem to lose readers frequently. I feel like I have to walk on eggshells at times. Posting things like an harmless April Fool's joke left some readers upset, I still am not sure why, losing at least 20 readers? Not only do I have blog readers follow my Facebook Page but friends and family follow it as well so I have come to the conclusion that it's all about balance. For too long I have tired to put my eggs in one basket trying to just focus on my Facebook Page but lately I have realized that is not a smart plan. Especially with Facebook's rule changes, locking bloggers out, etc.

The social media that does work for me is Twitter. It's easy to use, posts are short and yet no drama can take place! Although the FTC has came out with new guidelines when doing a sponsored post: The agency’s new guidelines say ads must make space for full disclosure, suggesting using flags like “Ad:” at the start of an ad on Twitter or include “sponsored.” But just #Spon just will not cut it.  So for paid posts and giveaways I have had to adjust my tweets using this new guideline which can be tricky because you are only allowed so many characters to tweet. Twitter can be a great tool especially if you have other bloggers retweet tweets for you, expanding your post to other readers that may not be your own. When I post a new blog post a tweet will automatically post on my Twitter so for paid posts and giveaways I am having to go in and either adjust my tweets or delete them with this new policy adding the new guidelines.

Then there is Pinterest which I am addicted to. I go there for everything - crafts, homeschool, baby related, etc. It is a wonderful tool not just for looking of pins but it's a wonderful place to pin your blog posts too! Leading readers to your full post on your blog! I have found that the most popular topics are recipes, kid related pins, crafts and organization. Since adding the Pin It button at the end of each post it has helped drive more traffic to my blog, I would encourage every blogger to add this feature at the bottom of each post.

InLinked I find to me a hidden gem that maybe a lot of bloggers do not use. Just like my Twitter it is set up to automatically post on my InLinked page. This is an area of my social media I need to grow. InLinked is the world's largest professional network with 200 million members in 200 countries and territories around the globe. This social media is more of a professional place where PR companies are listed. This is a great place for PR companies to reach out to bloggers! There are also blog groups you can join for opportunities. 





There has been social media that started off strong but really didn't work for me such as Blog Frog. It has many great forums and boards but I just found that if you didn't have the perfect niche then it could fizzle out leaving you with readers/followers but no interaction on your particular board.  The other social media that hasn't worked for me either is Instagram. I thought this was going to take off but in my opinion it hasn't. I notice that bloggers post fun pictures to share but linking to blog traffic hasn't worked for me. I have mine set to automatically post to Facebook when I take a picture but from what I have read is that you cannot use hashtags in your message or Facebook will flag you.

I am surprised that Google + hasn't taken off as I thought it would have. There was so much hype about it in the beginning when they took away Google Friends Connect from non-blogger blogs. I do utilize Google + as a place to share giveaways and other blog posts but I am not sure if it's a big traffic contributor. I do continue to grow it and I will see where the chips fall as time goes by.


Social media I haven't grown that is on my list to grow this year is StumbleUpon. You can Stumble through great web pages, tell us whether you Like or Dislike our recommendations so we can show you more of what’s best for you. We’ll show you web pages based on that feedback as well as what similar Stumblers and the people you follow have Liked or Disliked.  Readers can click on your Stumble to read your full blog post.

As I move continue to move into this year and the new baby is born in a few weeks I am making changes. Mama to 4 Blessings name will be changed. I haven't decided officially on the exact name change yet. Then I will be moving my platform over to Wordpress and purchasing my own domain. I am noticing several sponsors are wanting bloggers to have their own domain and many prefer Wordpress. As this continues to be a hobby and additional income for my family I feel like this is the next step Mama to 4 Blessings needs to take.


I know there are other social media platforms out there many I haven't explored and do not know if I will. What works for you and what doesn't?