Marketing Your Blog for Beginners: Why You Should Focus on Marketing

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Starting a new blog is overwhelming at times. There are so many things to learn and do. So, where should a new blogger focus their efforts? Marketing your blog should be your main focus at the beginning. This will help you build a following fast so that your blog is successful from day one.

In today’s post, I’m going to discuss the importance of marketing your blog. If you have no clue how to do that, don’t worry. I will cover that too.

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I recently had a conversation with a blogger who didn’t market his blog posts at all. He was getting about 200 views per post and was posting nearly every day.

Honestly, I found it astounding that each post received 200 views. Why? Because he wasn’t marketing his posts at all!

This meant that his content must have been excellent and that his niche was spot on. These are the foundations of a successful, money-making blog.

However, he was only earning enough income from his blog to buy a cup of coffee every month. If you ask me, writing 20 to 30 blog post per month for only $4-5 per month sounds horrible. That doesn’t even cover your costs!

As a new blogger, your time is best spent elsewhere.

Most bloggers assume that writing a new post every day is the way to go. I disagree. Yes, you need content (I would have at least one post per category when you launch, but after you get some content out there, shift your focus to marketing.

I made this mistake. When I started my first professional blog, I started writing three posts per week. On top of that, I was freelance writing. My flame burned out really fast. I was so bored with my blog and felt an obligation to write and I was not getting the traffic I wanted or needed.

It was soul-crushing. I felt defeated, has put myself under unnecessary pressure, and had neglected my marketing. This was a huge mistake. My blog didn’t grow and was stagnant.

The Importance of Marketing Your Blog

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts and emails, while this blog was on hiatus last year, I spent that time learning more about blogging. I read multiple blog posts, books, and signed up for numerous e-courses.

When I returned at the end of December, I had a content and marketing plan in place and had decided to write less and market more. I wanted to be consistent and steady.

At the end of November, my last full month of hiatus, I had 97 total pageviews for the month. During the 6 month hiatus, I didn’t post, market, or touch my blog.

After writing one post per week consistently and marketing heavily on Pinterest in January and February, my February pageviews were well over 7,000 at the end of February.

As of publication, 11 days into March, I already have over 5,300 pageviews. My 6-month goal was to have 10,000 pageviews per month. I will likely surpass that goal by the end of this month. This is all thanks to marketing.

Marketing more and writing less has allowed me to focus on the quality of my content and develop a successful content and marketing strategy.

Although I have only been writing four posts per month, I have gained a following fast. I can attribute this steep climb directly to my new-found marketing skills.

Marketing Your Blog

I agree with most bloggers when it comes to Pinterest. In the first month after my hiatus, nearly three-quarters of my new visitors were arriving via Pinterest. It was roughly three-quarters of my traffic.

There were a couple pageviews from email, but social media accounted for almost 100 percent. There were also a few organic and direct traffic visitors since I had existing content from before my break from the blog, but this represented less than five percent of my traffic.

I recently noticed that of the viewers I have had today, Pinterest is now around two-thirds and my direct traffic is up to one-third. This means that I am getting the word out and people are beginning to take notice of my content.

Once again, this is from marketing more and blogging less. There is no reason that marketing your blog more and writing less won’t work for you too!

Build an Email List

The first thing any new blog marketer should do is start an email list. Pronto! Choose an email service that meets your needs and create an embedded form to use at the end of your posts as well as a pop-up form to collect emails as they visit or leave.

If you need assistance with this, check out my recent post, “How to Build an Email List and Why Your Blog Needed One Yesterday.”

I personally use MailerLite. I started out using MailChimp and found the features very limiting. I wanted to add automation and unfortunately, at the time, MailChimp charged for that service.

I began a search for a new email service provider and came across MailerLite. I switched over easily and have no regrets. They have offered everything I could have ever wanted. Best of all, it’s completely free up to 1,000 subscribers.

No other email service offered anything close, but you can see my comparison chart in the post mentioned above if you don’t believe me.

Once your blog isn’t as chaotic, you should also create an opt-in freebie as an incentive for subscribers to sign up. This is free and easy to do and can be as simple or as complicated as you like.

I use Canva and Microsoft Publisher for creating opt-in freebies or lead magnets. Download or export any printables as PDF documents and upload them to either your blog, Dropbox, or Google Docs as a public document.

Save the document’s link and insert it into your opt-in form as a landing page. Easy peasy.

I LOVE Pinterest! I’ve been using the platform for years but had to start my @jackieison account from scratch last year when I started this blog. Whether you are new or have used Pinterest a while, you will need to sign up for a business account and enable “Rich Pins.”

Rich pins help you track your pins and will include more data from your website automatically. If you don’t know how to set up rich pins, check out this post from Amy Howard Social.

I have both Tailwind and BoardBooster to manage and schedule my pins, but I also pin manually. Both programs have their own merits.

Pricing

With BoardBooster you receive a 14-day free trial and plans start at only $5/month. Tailwind starts you out with 100 free pins then plans start at $9.99 per month.

Both programs have higher pin rate plans for larger businesses, so review each plan carefully before you sign up for one.

Basic Function

BoardBooster tremendously increased my views and followers very quickly. With BoardBooster, you pin to boards using your Pinterest account or the Pinterest App on your smartphone or tablet.

BoardBooster creates secret boards from existing boards to which it will pin automatically. It’s pretty simple and the whole process is automated.

With Tailwind, you have more control over timing and can choose when posts appear and to which boards. Tailwind only offers an app via the Apple store for iOS devices and is currently not compatible with Android or Windows devices.

This means that if you have Android or Windows devices, you must use a web browser access Tailwind. This is the greatest downside for me. I like to work while I wait in line at the grocery store or anytime that I’m waiting and wasting my valuable time.

However, if you have Apple devices, you won’t have this problem. This is just a huge downside for me, personally.

Unique Tools

BoardBooster’s leading tool is a looping tool. Over time, pins end up low on a board as more pins are added to the board. This means that you will have fewer views on older pins, simply because they aren’t seen as often. The looper loops old pins from the bottom of a board to the top for better visibility.

Tailwind’s greatest feature is its Tribes. These are groups similar to Pinterest group boards. Essentially, you request an admin to join a Tribe. Once you are accepted, you share one another’s relevant posts. You have to follow the Tribe rules, but you can choose which posts you pin, what time you will pin them, and to which board.

BoardBooster has a new Tribe tool that isn’t nearly as easy to use or beneficial. You have to be voted into BoardBooster’s Tribes and each member votes to accept or decline new members, as well as the pins you upload. It is both time-consuming and monotonous, in my opinion.

With BoardBooster, you also have no choice over which pins are pinned to your boards from the Tribe. I don’t know about you, but I’m picky about my Pinterest content. When it comes to Tribes, Tailwind has a huge advantage.

Manual Pinning

There is no downside to manual pinning, but if you choose to do it you will need to do a little prep work. Check Google Analytics first to see when your audience is most active.

Then, create a schedule for pinning based on these time periods. You may have to adjust the times periodically as your audience grows.

If you don’t have an audience yet, 1 PM to 3 PM is a good time to strive for on nearly any social media platform. Start out with those hours, if possible, and check Google Analytics occasionally to adjust the schedule as needed.

I also manually pin. Most of my manual pins fall between 11 AM and 3 PM, then 6 PM and 9 PM. I don’t worry too much if I can’t pin during those time periods, but I try to pin to my group boards and from those boards during those time periods if at all possible.

Group Boards

Group boards on Pinterest are similar to Tailwind tribes. Finding good ones is a tad more challenging though.

To find group boards, you will have to search for them. To do this, I search for my niche or a topic I blog about and add “group board” to the end of the search query. I then select “Boards” from the drop-down box on the search box.

Group boards will have multiple bubbles of profile pictures. The first is usually the board’s administrator. In the board description, you will be able to find instructions on how to join. Most require you to like the board, the admin’s account, then email or send a private message to the admin.

Read the board description carefully to make sure the board is accepting contributors and FOLLOW THE RULES. If you don’t follow the rules, you can be kicked out of the group.

Social Media

Social media platforms are a great way to get the word out about a new blog fast. Unlike SEO, you don’t have to wait for results.

Facebook and Twitter are the two top social media platforms for bloggers, but Instagram and SnapChat continue to grow. Google Plus and LinkedIn are two other major platforms you should also consider.

However, you should never use your personal page for your blog. Instead, keep two separate accounts and name the business account something that your audience will recognize easily.

This keeps it professional and easier to maintain as your blog grows.

Choosing Social Media Platforms

If you don’t already have social media accounts for your blog, sign up for those now. They are easy and free. You definitely need a Facebook page and a Twitter account to start.

I would suggest that you only focus on one account at a time. Figure that account out, then add another once you find what is working best for you and your blog.

Facebook

With Facebook, you can keep your personal account and add a page to Facebook. Pages are pretty simple to add within the “Pages” settings of your Facebook account.

You will need to share blog posts and other posts using your page, not your personal Facebook timeline. Some bloggers also share personal information about there life on their page, which is fine within reason. However, don’t use your page to express your opinion about ANYTHING (unless it’s the subject of your blog) and don’t EVER air your dirty laundry on it.

I keep that as a general rule about any social media account. Be aware that people aren’t always going to agree with you. Make your life easier and just bite your tongue.

Facebook also has groups that you can join. All you have to do is search for a group within your niche and “Request to Join.” Read the rules and obey them.

Keep track of daily blog post sharing thread days and share your post on those threads within the group. Usually, you have to share, read, or comment on posts within the thread. Just make sure to follow the rules of the board.

Twitter

If you love hashtags and saying very little, Twitter is for you. I think Twitter is one of the easiest and least time-consuming platforms out there. If you find multiple posts per day intimidating, simply use a scheduler like Hootsuite to help you keep track of your tweets and mentions.

I try to keep a schedule with the 80/20 rule. 80 percent value to your audience and 20 percent promotional. You can even retweet, comment and retweet, share quotes, and write posts on the fly. Just keep it professional and friendly.

Social Media and Your Niche

Some social media platforms vary in function by niche. Fashion and makeup bloggers do really well with Instagram and SnapChat.

As a blogger in the DIY blogging niche, my posts are more informational than visual, so I struggle with visual platforms. I use Instagram, but it isn’t my best account. Facebook and Twitter work better for me, but I still use Instagram.

Business professionals and bloggers who sell services do well with LinkedIn. LinkedIn is social media for people who want to network and connect professionally. Many bloggers can benefit from using it regularly.

Timing is Important

New posts on social media are typically seen at the top of the feed (like they are on Pinterest), so it’s important to schedule or post at optimum times so that they are seen.

I briefly mentioned timing in the Pinterest section above, but unlike Pinterest, most social media posts almost vanish completely from your audience’s feed in a day or two. That means you need to hook your audience while they can see your posts.

Google Analytics is your greatest tool when it comes to scheduling social media. You can use it to find out where your traffic is coming and from which sources. This makes it much easier to schedule social media posts.

Frequency and Content

Each social media account comes with certain expectations.

Twitter

Twitter posts are short and mostly text-based. This means that your followers expect you to post frequently. Posts with pictures get more re-tweets and clicks. Also, use only one or two hashtags.

Facebook

For Facebook, it’s good to post only once or twice per day. Facebook posts also perform better with pictures, but video and Facebook Live are given priority over other content. That makes video a great way to get your Facebook page out there.

Instagram

Instagram is a combo of Twitter and Facebook, but a square 1:1 photo is necessary. It is a very visual platform and using multiple hashtags will help you get noticed fast.

On Instagram, you can write longer posts like you can on Facebook. Video and live streaming are also huge on this platform as well. However, to get into feeds, you must use hashtags and a lot of them. Use more than a dozen, but preferably around 20 hashtags for best results.

Stories and temporary pictures and videos are also huge on this platform. All I can suggest is that you play with Instagram until you find your audience. Keep trying new things until something works.

SnapChat

SnapChat is the platform with all of the video and photo filters that alter your appearance. To be honest, I have always disliked SnapChat, but most millennials love it.

SnapChat seems more unsteady than other platforms. SnapChat recently updated the app and loyal users hated the new update. Kylie Jenner recently posted that she rarely used the platform anymore and the company lost $1.3 billion overnight.

Despite the off-hand comment, much of this may simply have been a coincidence since the new update had just occurred and people hate it. Ironically, a few days later, she posted a video of her baby to the platform.

Whether SnapChat is worth the time investment has yet to be determined.

One post per day or every other day is acceptable with LinkedIn. You can share your posts and other news that is within your niche. Think of your connections here as colleagues and clients. Be professional.

Google Plus

Google Plus is unique in the fact that it may improve your Google ranking since it is owned and operated by the creator of the world’s largest search engine.

Some people say that Google recognizes your posts more quickly if you share them on this platform. Although I personally don’t like Google Plus, the SEO benefits alone make it worth your time and effort.

Scheduling

If you are overwhelmed by this info, don’t be. You can post much of the same content to different platforms by using a scheduler, like Hootsuite.

A scheduler allows you to post images, video, and text to multiple social media platforms. You can schedule the times to post as well as the platforms on which you post.

Instagram recently agreed to allow scheduling, which is another point in its favor. Instagram can be scheduled via Hootesuite and Tailwind. There are also possibly new tools being released for Instagram on Tailwind. That’s something to look for.

Hootsuite allows you to post on up to three platforms and up to 20 days in advance or 30 posts on the free plan, so it’s an affordable and convenient option for new bloggers.

Get the Most Out of Marketing Your Blog

I hope this post takes some of the mystery out of marketing your blog. When you sign up for new social media accounts, remember to only work on one at a time.

Each month, one of my blogging goals always involves improving one platform for that month. This keeps it manageable so that you don’t feel so overwhelmed when you first start marketing your blog.

To help you plan your posts, be sure to sign up below to receive your free copy of my Blog Post Checklists. The fourth checklist in this FREE download is dedicated to marketing your blog.

Until next time!