Recently I have begun to experiment with using different social media platforms to drive traffic to my blog, and to say learning how each of them works has been a challenge would be an understatement.
Maybe I’m a bit abby-normal for my generation, but prior to beginning my own blog I had my private facebook page, a Pinterest account with a ton of “secret” boards, and I occasionally got on Reddit for laughs. I have never tweeted (except when imitating a bird to elicit laughs out of my sons), I have never Insta’d (although somehow my EMPTY private account I don’t remember setting up has 300 followers), and I had never even heard of Stumbleupon or Bloglovin.
Tonight, while trying to explain to my husband why each of these posed unique challenges and required different approaches, I came up with a series of analogies. I hope these comparisons will help you visualize the differences and understand why some of your social feeds are booming while others are floundering, and how best to approach each to grow your following.
Pinterest: The Open Air Market
Imagine yourself in an Open Air Market, like a farmer’s market or your local trade days (like the ones in Canton if you are from Texas). You walk past the entrance and all around you are vendor booths selling everything from salvaged knick knacks, to photography, to maybe even a puppy or two. Standing on the main thoroughfare, you can see them ALL from standing in one spot even though you haven’t met these vendors previously and maybe don’t really have a need for what they are selling.
As you walk along the booths you may find something you are truly interested in. Maybe it’s original photographs to hang on your wall, well wouldn’t you know it, there are 10 photo stalls in a row so you can browse through them all and pick the best you want to “buy.” The vendors see what pieces you admire and draw your attention to similar wares. As you browse maybe you form connections with certain vendors and grab a card so you can find them and their art in the future.
This is pretty much how Pinterest works, and is why it such a powerhouse for bloggers. Pinterest allows your posts to reach people you have never met, especially if they have a proclivity for what your posts are about and have pinned similar content before. Then as people who are interested in your niche find you, they can follow you so you are more likely to show up in their feeds.
There are certainly ways to help boost the speed at which you find your audience (like group boards for your niche). Group board expedite the process because as other bloggers in your niche repin your content to their followers, you are more likely to find people who want to “buy” what you are selling. Think of it kind of like photographers passing around each others business cards so that they can see others with different styles.
Instagram: The Mall
You walk into the mall looking for a dress for your date this upcoming Friday night. On your way to Banana Republic you happen to see a cart vendor with an assortment of really pretty earrings, it may not be exactly what you came in for but you cannot help but take a look. You bookmark it thinking that after you find your dress maybe you will come back and buy something.
This is how I envison Instagram. You can get your pictures out there without direct connections to your audience by using hashtags, geo tags, or maybe just sheer luck, and maybe you will get lucky and make a “sale” (gain a follower). They weren’t necessarily looking for you but if you impress them enough they may choose to stick around.
What you really want to be is the store not the cart vendor though, because then people will see your posts and you won’t have to rely on luck. So work on building that follower list so you become part of the main reason they are there versus a passing whim.
Facebook: A Strip Center
I shop at Target a LOT. Groceries, clothes, makeup, dog toys, you name it I’m there. When I go to Target I am solely there for Target and unless I see a huge SALE sign in Sally’s or Maurice’s window chances are I’m not going to deviate from my plan which was to just go to Target.
Facebook is by far one of the hardest platforms to build upon when you are starting out, and personally it is the one I am struggling the most with. It does pretty much require a direct link between you and your audience if you don’t plan on paying. You need followers who are willing to not only visit your page but also share your posts to their friends and family to gain traction, and as someone who doesn’t have a whole lot of friend or family support when it comes to blogging I am having issues making those needed direct links.
Stumbleupon: Mystery Ebay Box
Have you ever watched one of the Youtube videos of those mystery Ebay box openings? I have and let me tell you, you never know what you are going to get. You could have bought a hundred empty candy wrappers or you could get a Playstation, you just never know.
Stumbleupon is the mystery Ebay box or grab bag of the social world. Users put in a general interest such as crafts or parenting and then “stumble” from webpage to webpage looking for something that they like. Much like an Ebay seller, if you have better ratings for a post, you are more likely to get a “sale” (in this case a visit). Stumbleupon is extremely easy to use as a blogger, just be warned that it can increase views while sacrificing your bounce rate and session times.
At this point I haven’t really experimented with Twitter yet, so no witty analogy for that one. But I hope that maybe my thought process will help other bloggers with a similar visual mindset have a better way to understand the challenges each social site presents, so that they can hopefully develop winning strategies to conquer them all!
