Social media can help bloggers in three key ways: awareness, interaction, and stickiness. It should be part of an overall marketing strategy. While it takes time, social media allows for engagement with readers through conversation and feedback on blog posts and changes. Popular tools include Twitter to engage readers, Facebook Pages and Connect to demonstrate authority and allow fan interaction, and Delicious to share links. An effective strategy and schedule are important to develop for social media.

2. Social media for bloggers

3. Why?
• Awareness
• Interaction
• Stickiness

4. Keep in mind…
• Social media should be used as
part of an overall marketing
strategy for a blog.

5. Remember…
It’s about the conversation!
(online and offline)
&
It takes time!

6. Tools you can use
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Delicious

7. Twitter
• Great way to engage readers
– Find blog post ideas
– Get feedback (posts/changes)
• Stickiness
– A gentle reminder

8. How?
• Third party interfaces
– Tweetdeck
– Seesmic Desktop

9. Facebook
• Fan Page = Public Profiles
– Demonstrates authority
– Allows for bulk mail notification
– Provides for fan interaction
– Example – Gapers Block
• Facebook Connect
– Easy integration/movement of conversation
– Example – bhamweekly.com

10. Delicious
• Allows you to share links
– Share supporting posts/websites
– Use others shared links for ideas

11. How?
• Develop strategy
– Different tactics for different channels
• Develop schedule
– Will take time initially (20-30
minutes)

12. Examples
• Colonel Tribune
• McWane Science Center
• bhamterminal.com

13. Other ways?
• Make it easy to share posts
– Bookmarklets
• ShareThis
• AddThis
• MyBlogLog
• LinkedIn profile
• StumbleUpon

14. Questions?