FEW STEPS TO USE INSTAGRAM AND DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR BLOG

Instagram(an application  with an extremely visual product offering) is a social media platform, which began as a mobile app, that has grown an extremely large following in a short amount of time.Besides the fact that Instagram is a compelling way to tell a visual story of your blog, just remember that it’s a window into your blog.

 Instagram has a number of features that can help drive traffic to your site

         How to develop an Instagram content strategy: tips to getting starting started with what and when to post
   * Use your images to tell a story, but makes sure it matches the general theme of your main blog.
   *Pick a general category for you photos that show a clear purpose/intent. The category could be humor, sentimental, company culture, artsy, etc.
   * Rule of thumb: Do not post more than once every three hours.
   *Don’t always post to every social profile you have. Instagram allows you to synchronize other social profiles, such as Facebook and Twitter.

    Start a photo series. This could be something like #MakeMoney weekly theme you start on your own.

Now that you have developed a content strategy, here are additional items to keep in mind when building your Instagram following:

    *Use branded hashtags with your blog or products, such as #Alwayzloaded . Include these in your bio, too – but make sure they aren’t too long and are creative             enough to be remembered.
    *Manage key metrics using Statigram.
    *Use the geolocation feature when posting pictures. This will let users find your locations easier.
    *Engage your followers with contests, giveaways, prizes, etc – engage with your followers more than simply uploading pictures.

In addition, Instagram can be a useful means in driving traffic back to your main blog. First, make sure you add your URL in your bio. You can also add a shortened version when you leave comments on other users’ pictures.

Next, use your profile as a mobile store-front window by posting photos of your products. Or even better, get your readers to post pictures of your services/locations. How do you get readers to do that? Just ask your them. A great way to encourage engagement is by running a contest or sponsoring a giveaway.
                                     
                              “how  do I get a picture from my camera onto Instagram?”

   1. Once you upload your pictures to your computer from your camera:

    *Email the picture you want to upload to yourself.
    *Then, open the picture on your phone from your mail app.
    *From there, just click the picture in your email and it will ask you what you want to do.
    You can typically save to camera roll and then open it up in one of your editing apps (click for an for editing app tutorial).  OR if you don’t use editing apps, open Instagram and it will be in your Camera Roll.

If the picture file is too big, you may need to take a screen shot of the picture on your computer or your phone. This takes two seconds so it’s not a big deal!

  2. Another way to post a blog picture onto your Instagram is after you’ve posted your picture on your blog:

    *Open your website on your phone.
    *Then click the image you want to use and save to camera roll.
    *Again, you’ll simply need to open up Instagram or an editing app to access the photo.

       Although it’s another step to take in your daily blogging routine, Instagram is a fabulous way to drive traffic to your website with a quick visual peek into what you are doing… and tease your readers just enough so that they will be dying to check out what the rest of your post is all about.
    And do not forget to add a follow us botton( Instagram @yourblog'sname).
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10 WAYS TO USE PINTEREST TO DRIVE TRAFFIC YO YOUR BLOG

Pinterest.com receives about 300 million unique visitors per month,According to Compete.The network already boasts a user base of 3.3 million which growing at a lightning pace.
Pinterest is a photo-sharing social network that allows users to create image collections called “pinboards”. Users can browse other pinboards and even re-pin images to their own pinboard. Their goal is to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting.” Just like other social networks, you can follow friends, like pins and comment on the same.

                       10 Ways to Use Pinterest to Drive Traffic to Your Blog

      1. Create a Blog Board:Create a Board on Pinterest specifically for your blog articles. This makes it easy for your Followers to find your blog posts, and even Follow your blog Board.Make the title of your Pinterest blog Board the same as your blog page title. For example, if you’re traffic store, and you blog about Make Money, name your Pinterest blog Board the same as your website blog name, such as “Make Money Blog”, Naming your Pinterest board with keywords makes it more likely to show up in search engines too.
When you write a blog post, Pin it to your blog Board. Include:
A brief summary from the article
A great image that represents your post
A link directly to your blog article
        You really want to show how your blog article fits within the personal or emotional context of your Board theme. This will make your blog content even more appealing to your Pinterest users.You can cross-Pin your blog articles in your different Boards, too. Just don’t do this too much, as your Pins show up in your Followers’ feeds, and you don’t want to ‘spam’ them with the same link over and over.

         2. Images:Pinterest is all about visuals. Yes, it may seem a bit counter-intuitive to provide great images when you want people to read. Great visuals, though, are the way to entice Pinners to click through to your blog post.Think of Pinterest as a lusciously enjoyable glossy magazine. It is filled with appealing eye candy. To capture the attention of a reader from the site, your Pins need the visual appeal to stand out, and invoke them to click through to your blog post.
Additionally, according to Dan Zarella, long visuals get the most rePins. So, post infographics on the site, too.
NOTE;The only way someone can share something from your website is if there is an image which has the minimum dimensions of 100 X 200 pixels.Minimum Image Size on Pinterest 100 X 200 Pixels.
If there is no image on the webpage, people won’t be able to share it and it will be very hard for you to drive website traffic with Pinterest. So make sure you add several images on your webpages to give your website visitors options. They can share their favourite images with their followers and drive traffic.

       3.Label Images; Another step that could play a key role is labelling images, where you label the actual file on your website with relevant names, instead of labelling with names like ‘image 1’ or ‘image 2’ or something that’s a combination of random words. This works because the name of the file appears automatically in the description when you pin it. So if you add the image to a blog post – name it with the title of the post, if it is the image of an employee – add their name and bio, if it is the photo of a product – add the name of the product and write a description and so on. This will help all your pins have really good description.If you pin the cover image of this post you will notice that the name of the post automatically appears in the pin description.
   
       4. Place text on images:Images and pictures with text that describes the image or the page perform really well on Pinterest as people will know what they will learn on clicking the pin even if it doesn’t have a good description. This will be highly effective, especially on blog posts where you can create a cover image with the title of the blog post on it. For best results use a clear background and easily readable font.

       
         5. Add your blog's name to images:-You can get images to generate more traffic by adding your  blog's name to them. This way when people see your image on Pinterest, even if it has been re-published on another website and shared from there, they will always know that you created it and can learn more about you by visiting your website. So make sure you add your blog address to images like quotes and infographics which people tend to re-publish on other places.

          6. Add board categories:-A simple way to get more people to see your pins is by adding categories to your boards. When you do this, your pins will not only appear in the feeds of people who follow you, but also in the same category the board has been connected to.Even people who are not following you can see your pins when they are browsing through that category or through the ‘Everything’ section.This should give your pin a lot more exposure, thereby helping you drive more blog traffic.

          7. Contribute to popular group boards:-Another way to gain more blog traffic is by contributing to popular group boards. Popular group boards which already have a loyal following can be a powerful source for Pinterest traffic. Spend some time looking around for popular group boards and ask their owners to invite you to contribute to them. Once you are in, begin contributing – share both – articles from your blog and others. This should help you see a huge boost in traffic. It can also help you attract followers.

          8. Make Your Blog Post Pins Easy to Find;Pins on Pinterest are indexed within the site, as well as search engines like Google. Make sure you are practising good SEO techniques when posting your blog post Pins on the site.The first thing you need to do is to make sure your Pins are actually searchable. Check your account settings, and make sure your “Search Privacy” setting is set to allow for public search engines to find you!

            Here are a few more SEO tips for Pinterest:

                               Use your blog title as your blog Board title
                               Use relevant keywords to describe your post
                               Include hashtags if you can’t find a way to use the keywords in your description
                                Use keywords in your image ‘alt’ tags

              9. Include a “Pin it” Button on Your Blog;When your blog articles are shared by your readers, your readers’ friends and Followers are more likely to read it too. It’s kind of like word of mouth marketing for your blog.To get this, make sure you have a “Pin it” button on all of your blog posts. Make it easy for your Pinning readers to share it on the site they love most.A “Pin it” button is simple to set up. Go to the “Pin it” Button site on Pinterest, and complete the information. Choose the Pin it image you want, submit your URL, paste your image file, and build it.Paste the code for the “Pin it” widget onto your website.
  According to Pinterest, the “Pin it” buttons can create a massive increase in referral traffic back to your site. Allrecipes.com, for example, added the Pin It button, and in just three months, people Pinned their recipes over 50,000 times, resulting in 139 million views on Pinterest.
When a blog reader clicks the “Pin it” button on the top right hand side, they create a Pin on their own Pinterest site:The Pin will then show up in the readers’ Pinterest Pins – and their Follower’s home page.

              10. Engage on Pinterest;Like any good social marketer, you need to engage with your Followers. This is true when you want to turn your Pinners into your blog readers, too. The more you engage with people on Pinterest, the more likely they’ll also want to connect with you on your blog, and other sites.
So how do you engage on Pinterest? There’s lots of ways to get to know your market better on Pinterest, and for your market to get to know you better too.

Here are a few tips to engage on Pinterest:

    *Pin good, original and relevant content

    *Pin often and consistently so your Pins get seen in your Followers’ feeds
    *Return the favour and follow your Followers
    *Check out your Followers’ Boards and Pins for good content ideas they like
    *Ask questions that are answered in your blog
    *RePin, like and comment on your Followers’ Pins, when you really think they’re great
    *RePin industry leaders, and other great content your Followers will like

What really makes them stand out is how engaged they are with their readers. They even go so far as to create “Guest Pinner” Boards, to showcase the Pins, and products, of their Followers
This kind of relationship building converts beyond their Pinterest page, and drives traffic to their  blog.
             
           Use all the above tips and you will soon see a boost in website traffic from Pinterest.
Pinterest is not just for images anymore. The site has a vibrant community of diverse readers, and Pinterest is only enhancing this personal magazine type readership. Don’t miss the develoPing opportunities to expand your global reach through Pinterest. Use the tips from this article to drive more traffic to your blog.

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9 WAYS TO DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR BLOG USING LINKEDIN

    LinkedIn is the most powerful, yet under-utilized social networking platform on the web, particularly for business people and career-oriented people. It's also a great place to build relationships, share your content and expertise.Whether you just created your first blog, or you are considered one of the top bloggers in the world like Darren Rowse or Tim Ferriss, you are always looking for ways to generate more traffic to your site.  Even more so, you are looking for qualified traffic to your site, (i.e people who are interested in the content you produce).
 Although LinkedIn has been great for job seekers during the most recent economic cycle, it is much much more than that.  Individuals and companies are achieving more professional goals than imaginable on LinkedIn.  For example, LinkedIn can help you:

    Sell products
    Find new clients or employees
    Generate leads
    Receive funding for your company
    Obtain sponsorships
    Sell hundreds of tickets to your professional event
    Get national and local press coverage
    And last but not least, drive massive traffic to your blog

Achieving these goals on LinkedIn don’t come naturally.  You’ve gotta work the system on LinkedIn and experiment with different methods.
                             Here are my top 9 ways to drive traffic to your blog using LinkedIn:
1.  Complete Your Profile:Your LinkedIn profile should be a place where you can lead with your strengths and present the most relevant information to help you reach your online goals first.  If your goal for using LinkedIn is to increase traffic to your blog and establish yourself as an authoritative source for the type of information you publish on your blog, then make sure those are the kinds of credentials and experience that are presented first on your LinkedIn profile. If your profile is weak people will lose interest quickly and may never click on your blog links.If you want people to read your profile and click on your blog then make your profile concise, compelling and value driven throughout.  Complete your profile 100%, add a great picture of yourself, and take the entire process very seriously.  The more complete and compelling your profile is, the more people will read and visit links you have posted.This advice goes beyond driving traffic to your blog.  If someone were to Google your name (which most people do when they are researching you) your LinkedIn profile is one of the first things that pop up.
2. Find People  build Your Connections;Search for people you know and send them a connection request via LinkedIn.  The more connections you have in your LinkedIn profile, the more people can see your LinkedIn status updates, make additional connection introductions for you, and so on.  You can connect to people if you work (or have worked) at the same company, attended the same school, know their email addresses, know from LinkedIn group,who are introduced to you by your current contacts,have met offline at networking events,have connected with you on other social sites,are your customers,or are your business partners. Even if you don't know someone, you can connect with them through LinkedIn by requesting an introduction from one of your existing connections who is directly connected to that person.  It can get a bit confusing, but the important thing is to simply continue working on making new, relevant connections.
3. Be Active;Once you create your LinkedIn profile, don't forget about it.  In order for LinkedIn to be an effective tool to increase traffic to your blog, you need to actively participate by joining group discussions, answering questions, making recommendations, and so on.  You also need to make sure your status is frequently updated.This ensures that your friendly face and/or company logo is seen often by your business network. The more you’re seen by your connections, the more trust you build, and the more likely they will click through to your blog. Additionally, this trust can develop into potential clients or partners.Don’t spam your network. Use your judgement (or analytic s) to determine how many times a week you should be posting.Post article links to your blog. Use LinkedIn to nurture relationships further, by inviting your contacts to connect with on your business blog too.  Post links to other articles. If you don’t have two or three articles in a week to post, post links to other articles too.
  Be sure to take the time to link your blog feed to your LinkedIn status, which is easy to do from your LinkedIn account.
4.  Answer Questions:This is a great way to drive traffic to your blog.  The more questions you answer, the better the chances are of that person asking the question to click on your blog to learn more about you. Not only will that one person be more interested in learning more about you, but also others answering that question.  Additionally, when someone rates your answer as “The Best” of the mix, it will improve your thought  leadership status. It moves you up the rankings as a “featured expert” in the category you answered in.  When you are a featured expert people become more aware of your profile, and the chance they will click on your link to learn more about what you have to offer improves.
5.  Create a Group:This may be one of the most powerful things you can do on LinkedIn.  ,  I am assuring  you that owning a group drives a lot of traffic to your site.If you go this route, you’ll have to spread the word about your group. To reduce spam on your group, and make it truly a place for networking and discussions, you’ll also want to have clear guidelines for members on what to post, and what you’ll remove. You’ll need to moderate the group, too. So, be prepared to make this time. Check out more tips on managing a LinkedIn Group.
    When a new person joins the group, they see a brief description of the group, your name as the owner of the group, plus your blog url www.yourblogname.blogspot.com.
 6. Join Targeted Groups;One of the key features on LinkedIn are groups. There are over 1.5 million groups on LinkedIn, and 81% of LinkedIn users belong to at least one of them.You’re sure to find your niche networks with whom you can share your blog articles.
To find groups on LinkedIn, click on your “Interests” tab, and then “Groups” in the drop down menu. Search for topics. LinkedIn will also offer you suggested groups based on your current activities, profiles and so on.When you find groups you’re interested in, check them out first. Assess whether they will be a good fit for your business. Check out the guidelines. Check out the number of members, and activity within the groups. If it is an open group, you can check out the types of posts and if it fits with your target market.Join groups that have genuine engagement.
7. Follow LinkedIn Influencers;LinkedIn Influencers was implemented recently. It gives you a chance to find, follow and learn from top influencers in your industry.
(You can apply to be one, but unless you already have a strong following elsewhere and directly on the site, you’re probably not even going to hear back from LinkedIn about it.)
So how can you use Influencers drive traffic to your blog?
Create a list of Influencers to follow. Share their articles with your connections. While this doesn’t give you direct hits to your blog, it does show you as an industry leader to your followers. This builds your reputation by association, and develops trust within your networks, which will then drive more traffic to your blog.
Comment on Influencers’ articles. Develop your network by commenting intelligently on Influencers’ articles. They are some of the most read articles on LinkedIn, so get more visibility for your blog by engaging on them.
Additionally, get ideas for future blog posts from the most popular Influencer posts. Link back to their original post, too. Give them a shout out, too. You really never know how far this could go in developing your networking.
 8. Share Your LinkedIn Profile Link;Make sure you promote your LinkedIn profile in an effort to boost your connections.  Include the link in your blog's sidebar, your email signature, and anywhere else you can
9. LinkedIn Share Button;Last, but far from least, make sure you have a LinkedIn share button on your blog posts.Share buttons makes is easy for your readers to share posts with their own network, too. People who are interested enough to share your articles likely have a LinkedIn network who will be interested in your articles too.Additionally, the LinkedIn share button makes it easy to share your article to groups, all in one go.
Important: If you use buttons as the way you post your own articles, make sure you’re checking in to LinkedIn throughout the day, to respond to comments and questions about your links.
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