Alrighty-roo, are you ready to continue the second part of my Who, What, When, Where, and Why series of Blogging?! If you missed part 1, you can check it out here: Part 1: “The Who, What, When, Where, and Why’s of Blogging.”
So, now that you have found your niche and have hopefully signed up with the BlueHost link I gave you, it’s time to move forward! This part of our series is titled, “The Who’s of Blogging.” I’m going to show you who you should follow in order to gain more traffic. In other words, the groups and websites I particularly think you should be involved in.
The next thing you’re going to want to do after you have written a couple of posts is to join a few social groups. Facebook groups that include your niche is what you’re looking for. I have found that they help drastically with the growth of your blog. It helps draw people to your writing, it helps you gain followers, and gets your name out there. All great things! These groups are what have helped me to gain followers fairly quickly.
Below I have listed the groups I am currently involved in along with their set of rules. That’s right, these groups have rules, but they make it fun! Of course I have other ones that I’m involved in, but these go along with a wide range of niche’s. I encourage you to look up some groups that are in your niche as well. There’s a ton of groups out there but trust me, you’re going to want to pick your favorites because there is a lot of time and effort that goes into maintaining the upkeep within each group.
Below is a list of the groups. If you click on the link it’ll take you directly to their group. Make sure you read the directions before joining! You MUST follow their rules if you want to stay within the group. I’ve attached a little definition from each group to give you an idea of what each one entails.
Facebook Groups:
Lifestyle Bloggers – “This is a group dedicate to bloggers writing about lifestyle, fashion, food, travelling, health, motivation and blogging.”
Blogging Newbs – “This group was created for all blogging newbies! (2 years or less) Here we will all support one another and help each other grow.”
Bloggers Supporting Bloggers – “This group is a place to ask questions, share knowledge, make connections, and pass along opportunities that may not be the right fit for you. Another purpose of this group is of course to promote YOUR blog.”
Social Media Network Group – “Do you like to cross promote social media platforms for maximum impact ? Then this is the place for you! As a group we help promote each other’s website, links etc. in social media through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, SEO , Stumbleupon, Friendster etc.”
Blog Promo Community – “Blog Promo Community is a space for bloggers to share and gain exposure for their blogs. This is also a community for people to meet blogger friends, ask questions about blogging, and share in our wins!”
Like I said above, MAKE SURE you follow their rules that will be posted in the description or else you will be deleted from the group. It’s a lot of rules to follow and I have a Word document that helps keep me organized, but if you’re looking to grow you’re blog then most definitely try them out.
Submit Your Blog Posts To These Websites
Another way to increase traffic is to submit your blog posts to online discovery search engines. Below are a list that I would consider.
Stumbleupon – This is a discovery search engine that allows you to submit blog posts or websites that people will be able to, well, stumble upon. I don’t recommend that you put too many of your own blog posts on their as their admin will more than likely catch on that you’re promoting your blog. Which I know that’s what you’re trying to do, but it’s frowned upon. I have a couple of blogging friends and we help each other out by uploading each other’s blog posts that way it’s more pleasing to the company.
Digg – This is a website that allows you upload your own blog articles. I try to submit every post that I write. Eventually, if you’re lucky, you will see your article on the front page!
Tiberr – This website is perfect for the bloggers who are looking to join a community and get connected with other bloggers!
So, there you have it! All the websites and groups I am currently using and involved in that are helping me to gain more followers and readers.
What about you? What groups are you in? What kind of techniques are you using to help promote your blog? Let me know in the comments down below!
