When I first started blogging, I was unbelievably shy about mentioning my blog to anyone. Don’t get me wrong, I was proud of Phee’s Makeup Tips and the stuff I was putting out there, but for some reason I just couldn’t bring myself to do some self-promotion.
But some shameless self-promotion is what can really drive visitors to your blog and get you noticed. Whether it be on Twitter, Facebook or any other social media platform, if you go about it the right way being a bit self obsessed can do wonders for your blog.
First off, find other bloggers. By doing this you’re talking to people who share the same interests as you and who are probably going to be interested your blog. For me, talking to other beauty bloggers made me realise what I was doing wasn’t all that weird, and gave me more confidence to talk about my blog to other people.
There are plenty of ways to get involved with the blogger community, some you might know of, and some you might not. Twitter is massively popular with beauty bloggers and pretty much every other blogger out there. It wasn’t until I signed up for Twitter that I really became involved with the blogger community and got talking to other bloggers. You can find weekly chats that use hashtags which give you the chance to talk about specific topics, get some advice about your blog and find new blogs to read. More often than not brands keep an eye on these too.
Including brands when you’re thinking about how to promote your blog is pretty important too. As a blogger you’re providing impartial feedback and advice on what a brand has to offer. No matter how big or small you are, what you’re writing is going to affect someone’s decision on whether to part with their hard earned cash. This is what makes you valuable to brands.
If you’re on Twitter, mention them; on Facebook, post to their page; on Instagram, tag them. Be persistent about it too. If a brand has say, 45k followers, they might be flooded with mentions and tags. Keep at it and you’re sure to attract attention, if it’s a positive post they might share it, if it’s negative they’ll probably ask you why. Joanne Heggie, who looks after social media at Benefit UK, told me that Twitter and Facebook are a great way for them to find feedback on products, because these are people’s true opinions.
These are only two ways I connect with bloggers and brands, there are plenty of other websites that you can use - such as Hellocotton or Baobella - to promote your blog. But Twitter and Facebook tend to be the most commonly used by brands and bloggers alike to get out there and get connected. All you need is the confidence to get tweeting, sharing and posting and you’ll get noticed in no time!
