Juicy Blog Topic No. 47: Blogging and Social Media
I can’t believe I’ve been sending out weekly blog topics for nearly 11 months and have never used one as a blog post here on the Breakfast Blogging Club! So without further ado, here is Week 47 of your Juicy Blog Topics…
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Hi <put your name here>,
“How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?” – Seth Godin, Seth’s Blog
Ready for Week #47 of your juicy blog topics to spark your writing?
Today’s blogging topic: Your Blog’s Relationship with Social Media
What: Love it or hate it, using social media to expand the reach of your blog – and your business – is worth taking a look at. In fact, your blog itself is a social media tool. It’s a platform for you to engage people in a 2-way conversation, which is what social media is all about.
Why: When it comes to in-person social situations, people have a range of different personalities and behaviors. Some folks are wallflowers at parties, or they’re uncomfortable when attending networking functions. Others are gregarious and flirty, and can smoothly hold a conversation with anyone. This applies to online social networking as well. And many of us want to either overcome the former, or validate the latter.
So when you blog about your relationship with social media, you appeal to people’s curiosity about ‘how you do it.’ And if you don’t do it, why? If you blog about how you use social media, or why you don’t use it, you can be assured that your post will strike a nerve with someone…probably multiple someones!
How: You can take a few different tracks with writing this post. Let’s categorize them into 3 stages according to your own proficiency level with social media: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.
Beginner – If you’re a novice with social media and recently (within the last 3 months) just started on Facebook or Twitter, then write about how and why you got started? What were some of the reasons that spurred you to jump in? What educational resources, if any, did you use to get started? Did you read about it on selected websites and blogs, or in some articles or books? Did you take a class, or learn from someone who helped you get started? What’s working so far and what mistakes have you made?
Intermediate – Perhaps you’ve been at this for a little while – even if it’s been off-and-on. You’ve got your friends, followers & fans (Likes). You’ve integrated these social outposts with your blog to improve reach and efficiency. And now you’ve got some stories, or results to show for your efforts…….or not. Maybe you’ve had some wins and good experiences — received some good PR, met a great new vendor or supplier, attracted promising leads for your product or service, or gained a fabulous client or customer! Your readers would love to hear about your happy day.
And then there’s the flip side. Maybe you’ve felt frustrated and keep wondering if you’re wasting your time. Are your struggling with things like technology, staying organized, or managing your time and activities? If so, you’re not alone. And chances are your readers can relate only too well! Write about your social media journey up to this point.
Advanced – You feel pretty adept at using social media. You may have learned or developed a system. You can share about what works and what doesn’t, do’s and don’ts, and the tips and tricks you’ve picked up along the way. And it would be a HUGE bonus if you had a way to measure your efforts quantitatively, which would put you in realm of “SUUUUUPER-GENIUS!” You blog about that; prepare to get a lot of attention.
Now, tell us you social media story!
Tip 1) Don’t be concerned about whether or not you’re an expert. Most folks are figuring this out as they go along. Your authentic story is what will thrill people.
Tip 2) If you mention a particular source that’s been helpful to you, be sure to link back to it in your post. It’s good blog etiquette, and your readers will appreciate it.
Tip 3) Just a friendly reminder to use a hook at the beginning of your post to get the attention of the reader and create curiosity to keep reading.
Until next week……Blog On!
Cheryl
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A few of things:
#1) If you decide to write about how you use social media, please share it with us by leaving a comment along with a link to your post.
#2) If you want the previous 46 juicy blog topics, along with the rest of the year’s worth of no-repeat blog topics, then sign up for the Quick Start Guide To Writing Your Blog. You’ll get the 26-page Guide followed by a weekly email with that week’s blog topic.
#3) Stay tuned for a list of the topics that have been covered so far. I’m in the home stretch and could use a little help and inspiration for the remaining 6 – 8 (thinking of including a couple of bonus weeks…..)
Thanks for visiting.
P.S. I know, the kitteh picture really doesn’t have anything to do with this post, but sometimes I like to find funny pictures from I Can Has Cheezburger.
Comments
3 Comments on Juicy Blog Topic No. 47: Blogging and Social Media
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Beth Barany on
Tue, 16th Nov 2010 12:37 am
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Lis Golden McKinley on
Wed, 22nd Dec 2010 3:10 pm
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Jenny Hansen on
Thu, 13th Jan 2011 1:15 am
Cheryl, You know that I LOVE social media, and have written lots about it here: http://www.writersfunzone.com/blog/?s=social+media. I love that you posted Week #47 here. Thanks!
What a great blog topic suggestion. I consider myself a beginning and late blooming blogger. Not sure what the ROI is/will be but enjoy the opportunity to share my experiences and observations.
Lis Golden McKinley
Oakland organizer
My first blog on Twitter: http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/becoming-a-twitter-freak/. I am a newbie and have been on for just under a week. I’ve used Facebook forever but Twitter is brand new.
