What’s the average number of shares your blog posts typically get?

Are you frustrated that your blog posts aren’t getting shared very much?

You may be making a few common mistakes with your social share buttons that can be fixed in minutes!

Let me explain. When I host Brag About Your Blog Day on my Facebook Page I promise to share every submitted post with my 33,000+ Twitter followers. But, when I visit many of the blogs so I can share their content, I am thwarted. On at least 50% of the blogs, it’s difficult for me to share the content.

I’m fairly patient, but if I have to work to share a blog post, most of the time, I’ll leave the site without sharing. So will most, if not all, of your visitors. 

So, what did I discover? There are three mistakes I found over and over again. Fix these and you’ll get more shares on your content. I guarantee it!

Each mistake relates to the social share plugin you’re using – or not using, as the case may be.

Mistake #1 – No Social Share Buttons

And that’s the first mistake. I actually stumbled on blogs that did not offer any way for me to share the blog posts. Well, of course, you won’t get any shares if there’s no way to share! Obvious, right? 

If your site is self-hosted on WordPress, there are hundreds of plugins for you to choose from to add social share buttons to your blog posts. All plugins are not created equally so do your homework before you install one. I use Social Warfare premium plugin on this site. There is also a free “lite” version of Social Warfare you can install to test it if you wish. I’ll tell you why I like this on best later in the post.

I also can’t think of a single third-party hosted blogging platform that doesn’t include some type of social sharing option. If I’m wrong about that, please let me know in the comments.

So, if you’re not getting any shares, check your site and make sure you have a plugin and activate it right now!

Mistake #2 – Social Share Buttons Are Not Obvious

Ok, you do have a social share plugin, and still, no one is sharing your content. Why? It’s not in their face. It’s not obvious. Again, quite a few blogs I visited actually had sharing buttons, but I had to hunt for them. 

Make your sharing buttons stand out. This is not the place to be shy. Make sharing your content a call to action. To build your audience, and your business, you need to increase your reach and visibility. One of the easiest ways to do this is by encouraging your readers to share your content. Make it easy!

Mistake #3 – No Way to Track Who Shared Your Content on Twitter

It was this mistake that provoked me to write this post. Here’s the thing: if you use Twitter and you want people to tweet your blog posts, don’t you want to know who they are so you can start a relationship and thank them for sharing?

Recommended: 5 Time-Tested Ways to Improve Your Twitter Profile

If your Twitter handle is not included in the tweet that your reader sends out, you don’t get a mention on Twitter and won’t know who shared your posts. This will take you a minute to fix. 

Go to the Settings for your social share plugin and find the spot where you add your Twitter handle. In most plugins, when you do that, it will automatically include “via @yourname” when someone clicks on the Twitter share button. And, if you use the Share This plugin, make sure to change it! They put “via @sharethis” as the default which means you’re promoting their plugin and not your brand.  Why would you want to do that?

ALWAYS check the plugin settings after installing ANY plugin to make sure it’s working the way you want. Every social share plugin I can think of offers some form of customization. Use it.

Bonus Tips

Less is more. Think about where you want readers to share your content and then offer ONLY those share buttons. If the audience you want to attract is on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter, then use only those buttons. Many social share tools offer many choices for to which you can share your posts. But, too many choices creates paralysis and your reader may split before they share. My suggestion is to offer a maximum of five share buttons.

The other thing you want to check is that you’re not using two or more social share plugins. This not only looks messy, it’s confusing for your reader. Pick one plugin and stick with it.  🙂 

Take Action!

1. If you don’t have social sharing buttons on your blogsite, find a plugin you like and install it now.
2. Make sure you choose a social share plugin that stands out. Subtle won’t do if you want readers to share your content.
3. Check the settings for Twitter and make sure your Twitter handle is included.
4. Only use one social share plugin. If you have more than one installed, remove the extras.

Why I Use Social Warfare

As I mentioned above, my social sharing plugin of choice is Social Warfare* (premium). The plugin incorporates many features that used to require multiple plugins and it’s highly customizable.

• Customize style plugins and match color branding
• Add or remove share counts
• Choose from 14 platforms for sharing
• Click to Tweet option built in (one less plugin!)
• Upload images customized specifically for social networks (vertical Pinterest image, landscape image for Facebook, Twitter, and Google+)
• Customize text to share on various platforms
• Add custom tweet content
• Responsive design so it looks good on mobile devices as well as desktop

There are more features, and these are the ones I am crazy about.

Over to you. Did this article help clarify how to get the most out of your social sharing buttons? If you have further questions about it, please post them in the comment below. 

*This is an affiliate link. I get paid a small commission if you buy the premium plugin.

The post 3 Social Share Button Mistakes Bloggers Make and How to Fix Them appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Do you wonder how you can get more engagement on Twitter? More replies, retweets, and likes?

This is a hot topic in the private group for the Online Visibility Challenge so I look at a lot of Twitter profiles to see how they can be tweaked to get more activity. None of it is rocket science, yet I find that it’s easy to overlook the obvious, especially when you’re busy delivering your business services. 

Twitter isn’t always top of mind, right! 

With the permission of Gato Avocado, who has agreed to let me critique her profile, you’ll learn a few ways you can get better visibility when you optimize your Twitter profile.

Five Ways to Optimize Your Twitter Profile for Better Visibility

1. Keep your cover image up to date.

If you use a Twitter management tool like Hootsuite or Buffer, you may not spend much time on your Twitter profile. It’s easy to forget to change your cover image, especially if it’s seasonal or time-sensitive, promoting an event or program. When I see an out-of-date image, I wonder why the person is not paying attention to their marketing!

At the time of this post’s publication, it is officially Autumn in the United States, so the cover image below is perfect. But what happens on December 21?

TIP: If you post time-sensitive cover images, make a note on your calendar when it’s time to change it, so you don’t forget

2. Design your cover image so important info is not covered by your profile photo.

As you can see on the GatoAvocado cover image above, the profile picture covers some of the copy.

When you create the cover image use a template (I use Canva) that will help you position your copy and images so nothing is covered or illegible.  You can see that using the template shown below, you would position the text closer to the top of the image so it’s not so it’s not covered by the profile photo.  The recommended image size is 1500 x 500 pixels. 

TIP: After you upload your new cover image, check it on desktop, tablet and mobile phone to make sure your followers get your message.

3. Optimize your bio.

You don’t have many characters for your bio – 160 – but you can get creative if you spend a little time working on it.

Consider adding a URL in your bio (in addition to the link below your bio), hashtags and emojis. Emojis can tell a story and use only one character. Including a couple of hashtags tell your followers additional ways to find your tweets. And, adding a URL to a landing page helps you build your list and provide additional value to your followers.

TIP: Don’t squander the URL you post under your bio. Send people to a specific page where they can opt-in for more information, or a “media room” page, a page for your book, or a program you’re promoting. Sending folks to the home page of your site may give the visitor too many options and leave the wondering what to do, or worse, clicking off your site.

4. Get the most out of your pinned tweets.

If you’re going to pin a tweet — and it’s a good idea to do so since they get more visibility and engagement — then make sure it’s optimized.

Upload an image that is created specifically for a Twitter post: 1024 x 512 pixels is optimal. If you post a post with a square or vertical image, most of it will be cut off when viewed on your profile and in the twitter stream. Look at the two examples below. The image on the first one is the cover for an ebook so it’s a vertical image. Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell the story as well as it could so there are missed opportunities for Gato Avocado.

My advice for the tweet below would be to create a horizontal image with the title of the ebook visible. In the tweet itself, I recommend using a popular hashtag like #caturday instead of a branded hashtag. For the call to action, go for something more direct: “Get your free ebook with winter cat care tips.” 

TIP: Like your bio, you can use emojis in your pinned tweets. This also helps tweets stand out in the twitter stream. Additionally, use popular hashtags so the tweet shows up in searches, and make sure the tweet tells the viewer exactly what they’ll get when they click the link in the tweet.

5. Use the best hashtags for your tweet.

In an article on Social Media Examiner that shared 8 Twitter Tips to Improve Twitter Marketing, Hashtagify.me was recommended to find relevant hashtags for your tweets. For Gato Avocado’s tweet, I did a search on #caturday to find related hashtags she could use to get more visibility for her tweet:

Each of these five tips is easy to implement and an easy fix for Gato Avocado. If she asks me, I’d say, it’s time to update the pinned tweet. Create a new one following the tips and track the engagement: likes, retweets, and replies. Does it get more or less that the original pinned tweet? The only way to know what works is to experiment.

The bottom line is to audit your profile every few months and see what can be updated and tweaked for better visibility.

Got a great tip for getting better visibility for your tweets? Please share it in the comments. If you test any of my tips, please let me know how they work for you. If you’d like feedback about your twitter profile and specific tips to optimize if for your business, click here to book an appointment. 

The post 5 Time-Tested Ways to Improve Your Twitter Profile appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

That’s where Nestivity comes in and may be a good solution for you. I’ve been experimenting with it for a couple of days and it looks promising when you want to explore a blog-related topic or question in depth with your Twitter community.

Nestivity is in public beta and bills itself as “community with Twitter.”

Nestivity turns your Twitter handle into a “Nest”, a place for you to connect with your followers in a more organized and structured way.

You can get a free account or upgrade for more features and you sign in to your account with Twitter.

In a nutshell, you create “projects” which consist of discussions related to a project topic. Discussions can be inspired by a tweet or blog post or a question. You have the option to add images. A unique URL is created for the discussion and included with your tweets and those of the community who respond.

I’m experimenting with a discussion around a blog post about creativity published on The Future of Ink:

By using the embed feature, you can put the discussion on your blog, encouraging your readers to participate by clicking on the “tweet a comment” button.  This is a big deal for bloggers since you have an opportunity to get more visibility for your blog posts. They can spread further and attract new readers to your site. You’ll also meet new people on Twitter who are  interested in your content. Nestivity makes is easy to follow people who participate in your discussions.

To get set up and started on Nestivity, I refer you  to a thorough how-to post by Kristi Hines at Kikolani. Why recreate the wheel, right?

I’d love to know what you think about Nestivity. Does it look like a tool you’ll use? Check out the discussion I’ve posted about creativity and then post a comment so you can experience how it works for yourself.

The post Want More Visibility for Your Blog on Twitter? Nestivity May be the Answer appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

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No matter how great your product, service or business is, if your prospective customer can't find you on the web, it's like you don't exist.

As you know, anyone who has access to the Internet (at last count, there were 1.9 billion people), uses it to find solutions to their problems.

Here's a three-step formula to get you started creating a visible presence on the web, resulting in more opportunities for your business: leads, prospects, sales, media queries, speaking gigs and joint ventures.
 

#1: Use Your Blog to Set the Stage

A blog is your foundation and starting point for strategically getting your message out to the world.  If you don't have a blog yet, the place to start your planning and preparation is this article: Top 10 Easy Steps to Starting a Business Blog.

Using your blog as your hub, or home base, not only provides a presence on the web where you can go deep and intimate with your prospects and customers, it's also a money-saving tool.  A blog is far less expensive to build, design and maintain than a traditional static website that may cost thousands of dollars.

Your blog is where you have the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise, expose your personality and give your audience the chance to get to know, like and finally trust you as you share valuable, useful content that makes their lives better.

Keep in mind that a blog is a search engine magnet. When you post consistently and constantly, the search engines tend to index your content more frequently. Using keywords relevant to what your target audience is looking for gives your content a good chance of being in the top results in searches. You become visible and findable on the web.

To target your message and/or campaign, publish a series of posts directly related to the topic you're promoting. Whether it's your new book, a service or a product, post content for several weeks prior to the launch date of your promotion.

If you don't have a specific promotion, create an editorial calendar and frequently post on the prime topic and/or keywords for which you want to be found. For example, if you have a book being published, start seeding your blog with excerpts and snippets about the launch date, book signings and other events and news.
 

#2: Use Facebook Strategically

There really shouldn't be a lot of debate about this. With more than half a billion users, you've got to have a presence on Facebook. As a business, that means you must have a page.

From a visibility perspective, this is essential because the content you post on your page gets indexed by the search engines. (If you're not convinced your business should be on Facebook, read this article.)

At bare minimum, syndicate your blog content to your page using the Notes application.  This app pulls your blog content to your page wall and ensures your deeper content is front and center for people who land on your page and aren't familiar with your blog. This one tactic will drive many qualified prospects back to your home base.  [see note below for more info on syndicating content to Facebook.]

Use the Notes app to pull your blog feed to your Facebook page.

But that is just the minimum. The true value of Facebook is the relationships you build that create the desire of your "fans" to take the step and click through to your content.

Make sure you're constantly growing your page by reminding people to join. Ask and answer questions with your keywords, send updates and let people know what you're up to between promotions.  The more active your page, the more visible it is because every action taken by a member of your page is posted on his or her own profile with a link back to your page.
 

#3: Do Not Ignore Twitter

With 40+ million Twitter updates every day, you want to make sure your message is on the popular microblogging platform as well. Tweets are showing up in real-time search results and with tools like http://search.twitter.com and Twitter management clients like TweetDeck and HootSuite that enable you to search and follow keywords, it's critical to have your content show up when your ideal client does a search.

Use plug-ins (Twitter Tools on WordPress) or automation services like twitterfeed and SocialOomph to make sure your blog posts and announcements about your programs are being fed to your Twitter stream on an ongoing basis. Ideally, this should be no more than 20% of your Twitter activity.

You do need to spend some time every week on Twitter, in real time, responding, replying and sharing great resources (that support your objectives). It's a smart practice to follow your own keywords in a dedicated search column (on HootSuite for example) so you can quickly respond to comments and queries related to your products and services.

Set up columns in HootSuite with each of your keywords searches so you don't miss opportunities to connect.

This isn't rocket science but many entrepreneurs, service professionals and small and large businesses don't integrate these tactics in their marketing plans or they are reluctant to spend the time to build their visibility. A social media marketing industry report recently revealed businesses that spend 10-20 hours a week actively working on a visibility strategy see the most rewards in terms of opportunity-whatever that looks like for your business. Those who work consistently to build an online presence will be profitable.

These are a few tactics you can quickly implement to start building your visibility on the web. Once these are in place, add one or two new tactics every week and soon you'll be hearing people say, "I see you everywhere!"

This is really just the tip of the iceberg. There are many ways to build visibility on the web.

*NOTE RE: FACEBOOK SYNDICATION: There are many applications that enable blog syndiacation to your Facebook page. However automated posts do not carry as much weight as manually posted content so you may want to manually post your blog updates on your Page. You will get more click throughs and engagement. See my post on this here.

Have you tried any of these tactics? What are your top tips for creating social media visibility?  Please comment in the box below.

Related Information:

Get a Free Ecourse with more visibility tips – 7 Simple Tips to Boost Your Online Visibility Now!

This article was first published on Social Media Examiner.

The post Create Visibility with Social Media in 3 Simple Steps appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.