This time around at the Guest Posting segment here, I am very excited to introduce Michelle from A Dish of Daily Life. She specializes in social media marketing, photo management and she is also a lifestyle blogger. Her hobbies include sports photography, running and enjoying outdoors. When I invited Michelle to write for us, I already knew what I was going to request of her. I wanted her to share with us any tips on social media marketing that could benefit one’s blog or one’s business- both online and off. The blue print she lays down encompasses all the ground rules but if you want to learn more, you could always visit her Blog, Face Book or Twitter. So, here we go!
Hi! It’s Michelle from A Dish of Daily Life
I’m very excited to be guest posting here today for A Momless Mom! I’m a soccer mom with 3 children, and have been married to my college sweetheart for over 20 years. I’m also a WAHM, helping small businesses find solutions to their social media needs. In addition to blogging, I love helping people find ways to organize, share and enjoy their memories. If you visit me on my blog, you’ll find posts about my family, photos and memory keeping, and social media. Recently I wrote a post on how to create a successful tribe of online friends on my own blog; today I’ll be sharing some tips on how to formalize that tribe and set ground rules for success!
3 Steps to a Successful Tribe
Many of us have unofficial tribes…fellow bloggers whose posts we comment on frequently. Some of these unofficial tribe members we can even count on to pin or tweet our content. But have you ever considered taking the next step and making it official? Formalizing your tribe can go a long way towards helping you grow your blog and achieve specific goals.
In order to have a successful tribe, you need to:
Choose like-minded bloggers to work with.
When I say like-minded, I mean people who are in a similar place and have a similar mindset. Your blogs don’t have to be in the same genre. But you wouldn’t want to pair up with someone who posts “when they feel like it” a few times a month if you’re blogging 3 times a week. You want to work with people who are prepared to give the same effort to the “tribe” that you will. Most likely someone who isn’t making it a priority to write frequently isn’t going to spend the same amount of time on engagement that you will, which brings us to point #2.
Engage with tribe members on all social media avenues.
That means:
- liking, commenting, and sharing from each other’s Facebook pages
- sharing content and tweeting with each other
- pinning relevant blog posts
- liking and commenting on Instagram pictures
- +1’ing and engaging on Google +
- and of course, commenting on their blogs
Sound like too much work? It’s not. You can set up systems to make this easy.
- Use Bloglovin groups to organize a group for your tribe.
- Create interest lists on Facebook or set up a private group.
- Create a list just for your tribe’s tweets on Twitter using a program like Hootsuite.
By streamlining like this, your tribe’s information will be in one place and you can comment, share, tweet and engage quickly and efficiently! As a result, more people will see your Facebook posts (and hopefully will engage as well), your Twitter presence will grow, and your traffic WILL grow as a result.
Another little tip…. if you want to tag someone on Google +, you can mention them by simply adding the + sign before you type their name. If their notification setting allows it, they’ll be able to see the mention. With Facebook, you’d use the @ symbol before typing the name. Generally even if you are friends with them personally as well, you’d tag their blog Facebook page, because that is where they are most likely looking to increase traffic. And on Twitter, you will want to make sure you use their Twitter handle, which also starts with an @ symbol.
And this goes without saying, make it easy for your tribe (and everyone else) to share by making sure your share buttons work properly!
Guest blog for each other.
This is a great way to introduce one another to each other’s fan base! The day your guest post goes live, write a little post introducing your guest post and directing your traffic over to the post that you wrote for their blog. That way you are each introducing your fans to each other that day!
If you’re not quite sure how to meet other bloggers, here’s some tips on how to build a tribe of online friends.
Do you have any tips to add? Please share them with us!
Great info, Michelle, and I know you practice what you preach! And I’ve seen it work! Thanks for sharing tips like this, I find them really helpful.
Stephanie recently posted…Kids Sports & Self Worth, Monitoring the Self-Talk
Thanks Steph! Glad you found it helpful!!
Michelle recently posted…How Having an Official Tribe Can Make a Difference in Your Blog’s Success
As a proud member of your tribe, all of these tips are SO true!
Nellie @ Brooklyn Active Mama recently posted…Weekly Wednesday Workout: Dumbbell Reach
I feel very lucky to know you Nellie! Thanks!!
Michelle recently posted…How Having an Official Tribe Can Make a Difference in Your Blog’s Success
Thank you for sharing what you learned and I try very hard to do this myself with others like yourself and so happy to have gotten to know some really wonderful bloggers this way also. And I know you also do very much do most of this yourself, but what I have seen!! 🙂
Janine Huldie recently posted…Zinc Door: 15% off Worlds Away
I have a pretty strong informal network as well, and I am so thankful for them! I try to do all of these things for that group as well. I’m a firm believer in “to make a friend, you have to be a friend!”
Michelle recently posted…How Having an Official Tribe Can Make a Difference in Your Blog’s Success
Great tips, Michelle! I had heard making about a Twitter list a while back and then didn’t set one up. What a great way to increase interaction! 🙂
Kim@Co-Pilot Mom recently posted…Three If By Sea
It really does help, because then you can just scroll through and see what people are tweeting. Otherwise if you follow a lot of people, they can get lost in the shuffle!
Michelle recently posted…How Having an Official Tribe Can Make a Difference in Your Blog’s Success
As always, thanks for the great advice Michelle! Love the idea of formalizing my tribe! Now I just need to figure out some of the other social media tools and get started.
Nicole @ Work in Sweats Mama recently posted…Survival Tips for Flying with Children
Don’t wait Nicole! You can fine tune as you go along!
Michelle recently posted…How Having an Official Tribe Can Make a Difference in Your Blog’s Success
This post just reminded me about the Bloglovin groups. Gotta do that! Streamlining makes everything so much easier!
Thanks for the tips, as per usual, Michelle!
another jennifer recently posted…Old School Blogging, Another Jennifer Style
It really does!! I have gotten much better about streamlining lately! And the amount of time it saved me is amazing!
Michelle recently posted…How Having an Official Tribe Can Make a Difference in Your Blog’s Success
Okay- how on earth do I streamline???? I need HELP! (I just love the font on this blog btw-:) Nice to meet you “Momless Mom!”)
I just go by my email subscriptions (can you say 400 emails right now in my inbox?) Or stroll down FB and catch posts there… What am I doing wrong? how can I save myself time and effort?
I can barely manage the few bloggers I adore and want to support let alone adding more that I really want to add- can’t imagine!
Chris Carter recently posted…Collective Blog Hop!
Great tips Michelle! I definitely feel like my tribe is coming together, but it’s certainly not “official”. I’m going to take these tips and implement them so that we can all continue to grow our blogs.
Kristen recently posted…Top 4 Things Bloggers Should Never Do
I have a really great unofficial group and they are all awesome! (You are one of them of course!). I’m just suggesting a smaller group that we are even more conscientious with, on all social media, may be beneficial as well. I will continue in my efforts to help everyone in either my unofficial or official tribe – I am appreciative of all of my tribe members! And I feel I am very lucky to have them all in my life too!!
Michelle recently posted…How Having an Official Tribe Can Make a Difference in Your Blog’s Success
All truth and very good tips! I would add that on that working properly (share buttons), make sure the @ on twitter is your twitter handle so you know when someone is sharing your content. I didn’t make that change until like a month ago!
Joi @ Rx Fitness Lady recently posted…Tick Tock Goes the Clock…When Should I Workout?
Yes, thanks Joi!! I need to check those on my blog actually! I know they work, but I need to see if my handle shows up. Most of the time I have to fix that when I tweet for people, but I wonder how many people are like me and actually go in and make that change. You are right, it should be made easy right up front!
Michelle recently posted…How Having an Official Tribe Can Make a Difference in Your Blog’s Success
Help – I don’t know how to change that – I know mine isn’t set right but don’t have a clue how to change it!!!
Kim recently posted…Home Alone
Your tips are always so good. I need to get on Hootsuite. And bloglovin. And just do more of the awesome things you’re doing. Period.
Thank you for your kind words! You do lots of awesome things!! I feel very privileged to know you Ilene!
Michelle recently posted…How Having an Official Tribe Can Make a Difference in Your Blog’s Success
Great post, Michelle! I feel like I have an unofficial tribe but I don’t have a formal tribe – something (else) to work on for sure!
Kim recently posted…Home Alone
Our unofficial tribes are really important too!!
Michelle recently posted…How Having an Official Tribe Can Make a Difference in Your Blog’s Success
I had no idea that I could create a Facebook list. I love lists! I didn’t even finish reading this post until AFTER I created my list and then commented on a few of their pages. This is awesome!
Carli recently posted…How to Detox After a Food Binge
Congrats! You are on your way!! I love lists too!
Michelle recently posted…It’s a Funtastical Summer {Ladies Only Blog Share Link Party}
SUCH great tips. I find that every week or so, I change something to be more connected or streamlined. Or both. It could be ever-changing social media, but it’s also just about reading tips from all you greats about doing great things that hadn’t even occurred to me. Such a work-in-progress and I know it would be a lot faster if I wasn’t off uploading photos and chasing the little ones. I dream about a week of just working on all of this.
Tamara recently posted…Ladies Only Blog Share Link Party: Funtastical Summer.
Wouldn’t that be nice? I would love to just spend a week focusing on all of the things I know I need to get done! But instead I am doing what you are, fixing bits and pieces a little at a time!
Michelle recently posted…It’s a Funtastical Summer {Ladies Only Blog Share Link Party}
Awesome tips as always Michelle!
Leah Davidson recently posted…Quote of the week
Thanks Leah!!
Michelle recently posted…Buffalo Chicken Dip with Texas Pete’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
This is really great information. I think I am slowly building a “tribe” I have at least one person I know is in it!
Kelly recently posted…Making Baby Food and WINNING a Baby Bullet
Building a tribe takes time and I think it also changes and shifts over time too! Always a work in progress! 🙂
Michelle recently posted…Buffalo Chicken Dip with Texas Pete’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
These are really good tips and I think that your idea is really super. There are so many great blogs and bloggers out there, but it’s so difficult to get to them all in one day, sometimes even in one week. I like the idea of having 3 – 5 people that you know, come hell or high water, will be tweeting your stuff, commenting, and sharing away. I have a wonderful unofficial tribe who comment like champs, but we could all be a little bit better at the Social Media promotion. Thanks for these tips.
Alexa (Kat Biggie) recently posted…Change – the only constant
I agree! I try to be as helpful as I can with my “unofficial” tribe – but there are some days I just can’t get to it all!!
Michelle recently posted…Buffalo Chicken Dip with Texas Pete’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
Great advice, for sure, but I don’t want to find out that they don’t feel about me the way I feel about them. And what if they don’t want to be part of a group. I know, I worry too much.
Melissa@Home on Deranged recently posted…It might be naughty, but I’m not sorry
I think we meet the people we want to be in our official tribe over time! You may already know who they are…they comment on your blog more often than anyone else, tweet or share your content more than anyone else, etc. And I think we all worry too much!! Its a mom thing!! If someone doesn’t want to be a part of your group, more than likely it’s not you…it’s them. Everyone’s circumstances are different!
Michelle recently posted…Buffalo Chicken Dip with Texas Pete’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
This is such great advice and so very true!
Thanks, I am so glad you found it helpful!
Michelle recently posted…Buffalo Chicken Dip with Texas Pete’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
Great post! Lots of useful advice, thank you!
Nikki
Nikki recently posted…Lookit What We’re Doing!
I’m really glad you found it helpful!!
Michelle recently posted…Buffalo Chicken Dip with Texas Pete’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
This is a interesting and beneficial part of info. Now i’m glad that you just shared this helpful details around. Please keep us informed in this way. Appreciate giving.
Everything you said is spot on! The problem, for me, is how much time some of the social media exchanges take. I need to find a better balance. Thanks so much for the tips!!