5 Tips on How to Use Facebook to Increase Your Blog's Traffic

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For newbie bloggers such as myself (I have only been doing this for 4 months), the main problem is promoting your blog and your published posts to the public to create TRAFFIC. It would be nice if all of our posts would go viral in an instant such as videos on YouTube but, unfortunately, it isn't the case. Sometimes, in a spark of a trending topic, we may be able to write a post that goes hand-in-hand with whatever the public is currently interested in. If, for example, we are able to publish a post at the height of all the hoopla, then we are able to derive some traffic for our blog. I did that during the beginning of my blogging journey and fervently wrote topics that piqued the Filipino masses interest (at that moment of time) such as Fake News, The Difference between Journalists and Bloggers, and The Philippine Anti-Drug War. I posted my links in threads of news sources in hopes of generating traffic. I actually did gain some traffic. Unfortunately, one of the posts was used by a known Philippine internet media group. Never again.

I became tired of writing about trending topics and decided to write exclusively for my niche but, since the topics I write about aren't exactly "trending", I had trouble generating traffic. Fortunately for me, I found the beauty of Facebook. No offense to the others who are Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr or Tailwind connoisseurs, I have gained much more in terms of traffic through Facebook than Instagram (I still can't figure out how to create links for a published post), Twitter (difficult to get followers, plus I'm new), Tumblr (they seem to go for what's trendy), and Pinterest (follower hardship again). When I started, I was only receiving a maximum of 1000 page views a month but, because I have learned to use Facebook's resources, I have gained a fair amount of traffic which I am forever grateful. I do want to get myself out there and not just rely on family and friends to check out my blog.

Contrary to what Google analytics has charted/graphed and deduced, my use of  Facebook's resources has helped me attract visitors to my blog and has given me hope that my blog will flourish. More established bloggers have said that without a daily 250 page views to a post, a blog may not be able to subsist within the world of competitive blogging. I believe if you write great content, evergreen articles and are unique and consistent with your brand and niche, you will persevere as a blogger. As one blogger said, "Something unique takes time to bloom". Just make sure to continue publishing posts so you will never leave your blog dormant.

Facebook offers a blogger valuable resources.
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So how can you (as a blogger) tap into the valuable resources that Facebook has to offer? Here are 5 tips on how to use Facebook to increase your blog's traffic:

1. Create a Facebook Page.

A blogger asked if a Facebook page is important for his blog. It is. Why? First of all, our blogs are our "business" and our published posts are our "products". And for every "business", it is important to promote whatever "product/s" you want to sell/market. A Facebook page promotes your "business" and allows you to promote your "products" as well without much entanglement with your personal account if you would prefer to keep your personal account private. Also, Facebook allows you to advertise your page for a minimal fee. For extra promotion, you may also link your Instagram account if that is a more optimum a scenario for you.

Second, Google takes your Facebook page into account meaning your Facebook page is included in its search engine. This in itself promotes your blog.

Thirdly, depending on the amount of "likes" and "follows" on your page, Facebook uses this for their algorithm to spread your posts for organic reach. Although, it has been said that Facebook's organic reach has diminished and its new algorithm now focuses more on friends and family, I have found that Facebook still takes our posts into consideration and provides an amount of organic reach. If you have money to spare, you can boost your posts so, it may reach more people. 

A tip: I have heard that Facebook is trying to regulate the number of written posts on its site because they are promoting the use of video. Don't overdo it. Space your posts. Also, you can manipulate the type of audience you want for your page through the settings. Facebook will take this into account and spread the love where it is needed.

2. Join Facebook Blogger/Blogging Groups or Facebook Groups related to your niche.

When I started blogging, I didn't know about this valuable resource until another blogger invited me to his group. When I joined, I was astounded by the number of bloggers around the world, the number of new bloggers just like me, and the intel or information that the members of the group provided. This enticed me to go on and search for more blogging-related groups. Currently, I am active in 6 blogging groups. These groups have helped me grow as a blogger with all the valuable information they offer embedded in their blogs. I have read so many how-to-blog posts; it's as if I am a veteran. I know...I still have a lot to learn about blogging most especially with HTML and SEO. I wish there was an SEO plugin for Blogspot. It's confusing to do it all on my own.

A tip: Please be aware that each group has its own set of rules and regulations. Make sure you read them before posting anything in the group. Some groups regard incessant posting as spam.

3. Make your own Facebook group and link it to your Facebook Page.

I discovered that one blogger made her own Facebook group to exclusively promote her blog posts alone. No one else can post in her group. That made me think she was on to something.

Another blogger also mentioned that he receives a great amount of traffic from a group that he created exclusively for his blog as well. He said by doing this, he was able to gain followers and even customers for affiliate marketing.

By using their own groups, they were able to reach plenty of people thus, gaining traffic, followers, and clientele.

4. Join "share-a-post"/"share-a-link" threads offered by your Facebook Blogging groups.

To tell you honestly, this is where I get most of my traffic. There are various blogging support groups that offer you to share a link to a post for click-through or comments or a social media link to gain followers or likes on a thread that the admin provides. Before you join these threads, make sure you read and understand the instructions and rules posted by the admins or moderators. Admins and moderators are very strict with implementing the "terms and conditions" of each thread and any violation may mean your link being deleted or ultimately, you being banned. Also, make sure you have time reciprocate to all members that have joined the thread. If they have time, then you should make time.

A tip: Be consistent in these groups and interact with the prompts posted by the admins or moderators. Try being the first to comment, post, or in the case of a "broken link", the first to call it out. I posted a broken link once by mistake and a nice member commented that it was broken. I was very grateful for that.

A "like" is valuable to your posts.
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5. Interact with the members, answer questions, ask your own questions, and be kind and supportive.

I have seen some established bloggers help new bloggers with various problems out of the goodness of their hearts. One created a post and asked if anyone needed help on their blog and that he was free for a couple of hours. One by one, he looked at each blog and gave his opinions. He was very constructive with his criticisms and made sure that everyone who asked for help received his help. I was fortunate to be one of those bloggers.

Now, when I see a post of a blogger searching for answers that I may have some knowledge of, I comment. It's my way of giving support aside from liking and following Facebook pages, Instagram accounts, Pinterest accounts, and Twitter accounts. I know we all need as much support that we can get. I have no qualms about giving it. I root for the success of everyone. Some of those bloggers that I have interacted with are now part of my friends' list on my personal Facebook account. 

Before I end this post, I would like to thank all of you who have provided me neverending support. To all the Facebook Blogging groups that I am currently a member of, bloggers, thank you from the bottom of this Tired Mama's heart. ☺

I hope this post will be helpful to new bloggers who have problems generating traffic. Facebook is a big help. Remember though, it is prudent that you provide content that your users/audience can learn from, utilize, or incorporate into their lifestyle. These articles will be the foundations of your blog and will never go out of style.

Happy blogging!