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Marketing

  • 3 QUICK & EASY Steps to Promote Your Blog

    Posting fresh content on your website is critical to growing your reach and consistent blogging is a great way to get the job done!  But unless you’re actively promoting your posts, chances are you aren’t going to get a lot of traffic.

    Joseph Jaffe, Founder and CEO of Evol8tion, LLC, recommends spending 90% of your time promoting the blog you wrote during the other 10% of your day.

    So where do you start??

    If you have unlimited time to read and implement complicated strategies, there are hundreds, if not thousands of blog posts on the matter.

    But I’m betting that’s NOT the case. So THIS post is written with YOU in mind; the solopreneur or small business owner who needs a quick and simple process to get their content seen.

    I’ve read DOZENS of those lengthy blogs and realized I’m not their audience. 

    I don’t have the time or inclination to implement “107 Content Promotion Tactics.” I don’t know anyone who does!!

    I’ve developed a simple, 3-step system I KNOW I will follow through on each and every time I post, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

    barnwood cover for blog post

    The content is written … now what?

    Do you blog like me? Once you psych yourself up to start writing you leave it ALL on the keyboard!

    YEP! The blood, sweat, and tears on the keys are evidence of how much of yourself you poured into your post.

    Writing may not come naturally to you, it’s not my superpower, for sure. You probably have to work at it and when you finally hit PUBLISH on that blog post, there’s this sense of accomplishment, relief, and calm …

    Until THIS thought creeps in …

    What if no one reads it other than your mom and BFF?

    I’ve been there!

    I don’t mean to discourage you …  I think you should keep sharing your genius with the world on your blog.

    But that means you have a few more steps to accomplish before you can pop-the-top on your favorite beverage and bask in the afterglow of  hitting PUBLISH.

    Step 1 – Send an email to your list

    The subscribers on your email list should be the first to know you’ve published a piece of content. They are your patients, customers, your loyal followers, and they deserve some special attention. 

    It doesn’t have to be lengthy, in fact, it should be just a quick paragraph or two that lets them know you have a new post up on your website: A quick greeting, a link to the blog post, a quick excerpt, and close with an invitation to comment or email you with any questions or feedback.

    Don’t overthink this. It doesn’t have to be fancy!

    Step 2 – Post to Social Media 

    Whether your followers are on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter (or all of them), knowing when to post and how to say it is key. 

    These tips work across all social platforms:

    • Include your blog link in your social media profiles.
    • Share your blog as soon as it’s published to create buzz, then share again using slightly different graphics/captions according to the following schedule: later same day, next day, 3-days later, one week later, 2 weeks later.  
    • Repurpose snippets of your blog content into your social media posts. Use small excerpts that will tease the reader into clicking over into your website for the full blog post.
    • Network with other bloggers  to share and re-share relevant content that you believe your followers will appreciate. 

    Facebook

    There’s A LOT of content vying for the attention of your audience on Facebook. And they expect to be entertained, so do your best to make your posts funny, humorous, inspirational,or just super informative.

      • In general, the best times to post to Facebook are early afternoon (1-4) on the weekdays and around noon on weekends. Check your analytics if you want to really zero in on the best times.
      • Post once per day with < 10K followers or twice per day  with > 10K followers.
      • Entertaining posts get MUCH better engagement on Facebook. Quick and funny are winners here!
      • Emoji’s – YES!!! 👍
      • Hashtags – #hashtagsrule on Facebook. They categorize your content so more people can find it. Not #hashtagsavvy? Don’t worry … you’re not alone!  Read this CoSchedule blog.
      • Important posts can be pinned to the top of your page to make sure it’s the first post visitors will see. 
      • Keep in mind that ONLY 6% of your audience will see your posts in their feed. Don’t forget to share again according to the schedule mentioned above.

    Instagram

    You may think it’s challenging to promote your blog post on Instagram with the limitations they impose on clickable links, but there are ways to make it work for you.

      • Share your blog post to Instagram Stories. 
      • Spread out important information over several stories to gain more traction with followers. On the last frame tag yourself in your post using the @mention sticker so followers can get to your bio with just one tap! 
      • Use AMAZING images and videos to promote your blog
      • Start telling your followers about your blog and leave them hanging … they’ll have to get the full post on your website.

    LinkedIn

    LinkedIn shares a lot of best practices with Facebook, with these exceptions.

      • LinkedIn is most active Monday – Thursday, so plan on posting once a day during the work week. Fridays don’t get a lot of tractions, so if you post that day don’t expect a ton of engagement.
      • LinkedIn is a social network for business professionals, so it makes sense to promote blog content that builds skills, inspires, or relates to a specific industry.

    Step 3 –  Schedule SIX pins to Pinterest

    Pinterest is often lumped in with the other social networks, but it is SO MUCH MORE! It is one of the most robust search engines out there.

     In fact, this social platform is chosen by 60 percent of online users over other search engines. 

    We live in a visual world, so let’s take advantage of that by posting SIX images to Pinterest for each blog. 

    Here are some tips for creating the most effective Pins:

    • Pin to multiple boards – For example, this blog about blog promotion could be pinned to boards designated for my entire brand, my blog, email marketing, content marketing, blogging tips, and social media. 
    • Embed creative images into your blog posts – Optimal Pinterest aspect ratio for images is 2:3 with a minimum 600px width. Images should relate to the topic of the post.
    • Write descriptive copy for each Pin – Include a catchy headline and brief, interesting description. Just enough of a teaser to entice the pinner to click through to the blog. Add a call-to-action to your description, like “Click here to read more …” or “Check out …”
    • Get your timing right – Do some research to figure out what time of day is best for your industry. 

    Pinterest is a platform that LOVES content, with a recent CoSchedule study concluding Pinning nine times a day is best. 

    So go ahead and show some of your older posts some love and curate some cool content from other accounts you follow while you’re in the scheduling mode.

    Easy as 1-2-3, right?

    If you follow my QUICK & EASY 3-step system for promoting your blog post, you’ll see that getting visitors to your website isn’t difficult, nor does it need to include costly ads or paid followers. 

    Go ahead and BOLD-type that Call-to-Action!!  

    If you believe you have created valuable content, that you’re helping others by sharing your experience, that  you’re improving your reader’s life in some way, own it! 

    Shout “go read my blog” from the rooftops!

    Not feeling it yet?

    If you need help implementing these steps, schedule a free 15-minute consultation with me here. 

    If you need help with the visuals for promoting your blog, I’ve got you covered there, too! 

    Head on over to my SHOP at https://lisaannmarie.com/shop/ and grab a set of 26 completely editable Canva Blog Promo Templates. These coordinating images are designed in the proper aspect ratio for each platform mentioned above. 

  • What’s Your WHY?

    I think every business coach asks “What’s your why?” when you begin working with them. I always struggled to answer … ermmmm, *shrug, *loud exhale, *long, awkward pause.

    My answers were wishy-washy, vanilla-flavored; they were all … SAFE. 

    I’d answer, “To be my own boss, to help others in their business, to work from home with my dogs.”

    Technically ALL TRUE, but they weren’t really specific enough or meaningful enough to inspire me to take my business to the next level. 

    The Excuses

    So I dabbled in business. I gave myself “grace” to gain traction. 

    I provided quality work to a few people that knew me from the community, but I never stretched myself beyond that sphere of influence. Not surprisingly, that led to very tepid success, and for a short time I even shelved my business and got a … *gasp … 9-5 job. 

    When I look back, my business was, in fact, more of a hobby. 

    My Why Revealed - I Still Love Horses

    The Vision

    Well, that’s now changed, because yesterday I rode a horse … for the first time in 25 years. 

    And it provided me with a clarity of vision I didn’t have before … I NOW HAVE MY WHY, my inspiration, my drive to make me take action and see my business thrive! 

    I can see now that my WHY was the missing piece of the puzzle; and how important it is to have clarity in your goals.

    I want my business to provide the financial security and the flexibility to support a lifestyle that includes owning my own horse again.  

    BAM! 

    My WHY is now crystal clear … and measurable. Now I can use that goal to drive my business to an income at that level. 

    The Backstory

    You see … horses WERE MY LIFE when I was a girl. 

    I started riding  when I was 7 or 8. My slightly-older-than-me aunt had a horse, so naturally I followed suit.

    Casey …

    My first love, Casey, was a 10-year old Welsh Pony mare with ATTITUDE to spare. And she was WICKED SMART! Too smart!! Funny story … the police escorted her home one night after she escaped the pasture fence! But that’s a story for another time. 

    Most weekends when the weather was nice my aunt and I would saddle up and leave the house right after breakfast. My grandparents’ 7-acre property was at the base of an undeveloped hillside that was FULL of deer trails, logging roads, and even a natural arena … it was just a flat, sandy clearing in the forest, really. But it was HEAVEN to young girls on horseback! 

    I joined 4-H and learned the basics of horsemanship. I still remember giving that presentation about worms (yuck), and learning about conformation, shoeing, and feeding during our monthly meetings. 

    My father was in the Navy, so we didn’t stay long in one place. I had to say goodbye to Casey when we left Oregon for my dad’s next duty station, Haverfordwest, Wales, UK. 

    Casey stayed in the family with one of my cousins.

    Domino & Jerry …

    My father was stationed in Wales when I was 12 to 14-years old, and I became a stable-rat at the RAF Brawdy stable. Every weekend during the school year and ALL SUMMER LONG I’d ride the bus out to the stables first thing in the morning and not come back until the evening. 

    I learned dressage, showjumping, cross-country, foxhunting, and a level of horsemanship WAY beyond what I learned in 4-H. 

    I worked my way up through the levels of classes quickly … after all, I had been riding for years at that point, just a different style. By the end of the first year I had been elevated to the highest classes.

    But the greatest thing I learned in those 2.5 years was how much inner strength I had.

    I was COMPETITIVE for the first time in my life. Once, at the stable’s annual show, I partially bit through my tongue as Domino popped up earlier than I expected over a jump, but I didn’t tell anyone, especially my mom, because I wanted to continue on and WIN the Black Prince Trophy … and I DID! 

    Sidenote: I HAVE to find the picture from the trophy presentation that day because my eyes were lit up with a FIRE and PASSION I long to reignite.I was empowered by my ability to control a MASSIVE animal with just my seat and hands. 

    I was filled with confidence that I now rode at a level FAR above most at the stable and was one of only a handful that were allowed to ride their three best horses … Domino, Jerry, and Amber. 

    My favorite was Jerry, a retired steeplechase Thoroughbred that was a total headcase, but the most fun ride EVER!! 

    Rob …

    After Wales, I ended up back in Oregon for two years, and during that time I had Rob, an 18-year old, bay,  ⅞ Arab, ⅛ QH WONDER-HORSE who had seen everything and done everything and was just WAITING for me to be his next owner. 

    No, really. It was meant to be.

    You see, Rob was a rescue, back before “rescues” were a big thing. And the person who had him wanted him to go to a rider who could challenge him. She advertised him in the paper, but required an essay in the application. 

    So I wrote about being a military child and my riding experiences and it must have touched her somehow because Rob became mine. 

    And we were a great match!

    I boarded Rob at the barn a little further up the hill from my grandparent’s. He LOVED to play hard to get in the paddock, but when we got down to work, we were a fantastic team!

    We still did 4-H … just about every youth rider did back in Southwestern Oregon in 1981! But we also did the local summer show circuit. At the end of our second summer together we qualified for the Oregon State Fair and won the SWOHA All-Around trophy in my age-division. It was a silver belt buckle that I still wear today! 

    No more horses …

    But life is cyclical, isn’t it? My dad got stationed in Alaska, and so Rob went back to the rescuer who found him another great family to live with and I moved to Adak, without horses for the first time I could really remember.

    After that, I rode when I could, but it was sporadic at best. I lived in Hawaii and exercised polo ponies for a stable at the grounds on the North Shore of Oahu. My claim to fame there was handing a warmed-up pony to Jameson Parker (of the Hardy Boys TV Show) during a match.

    I got married, had children, and *poof, like that, horses were no longer a part of my life. I broached the subject with my then-husband several times, but his answer was always “Horses are for spoiled little rich girls.” SO NOT TRUE! I may admit to being a bit spoiled growing up, but we were far from rich! I don’t think he meant to be cruel, but that was just his opinion. 

    I lived in Fallon, NV for four and a half years. During that time I volunteered at a local stable for a few months, but quickly stopped as the busy-ness of family life took over.

    The re-awakening …

    Fast forward 30 years … how is it possible so much time has gone by? My kids are grown, I’m no longer married, and I am in a position to make my own decisions about my priorities.

    For the past year I’ve been kicking around the idea of riding again. But it was all talk and no action. Until two weeks ago. 

    I finally took action. I found several stables online and reached out. Ultimately, I found two that I liked and booked lessons, then ordered about $400 worth of riding equipment. 

    Weta …

    I had my first lesson yesterday … on a beautiful, Palomino QH mare named Weta. 

    She’s not mine … but the memory of my first ride after all that time will forever be linked to her.

    I was so excited the day of my lesson, I showed up 30 minutes early. When I walked into the barn ALL the memories came flooding back. The scent of the stalls, the horses, the leather. 

    I met the trainer and she allowed me to jump in and get Weta ready. 

    I brushed her down … she was already clean, so it was more about getting to know her and her getting to know me.

    When it was time to pick her hooves, I brushed my hand down her leg, gave her cannon a gentle squeeze, and slightly leaned into her as I asked her to pick up her leg for me. Success!

    It came back as naturally as if time had never passed. 

    I knew at that moment I didn’t have anything to be afraid of, even though 25-years had passed since I’d ridden.

    I’m not going to lie. The 30-minute lesson just about wore me out and I had to pop Motrin like they were Skittles for two days. But I left the area BEAMING with happiness.

    What this has to do with WHY …

    You may be wondering what this L-O-N-G post about a girl’s love of horses is doing on her business page. 

    I would argue that it has EVERYTHING to do with my business because it’s my WHY. The reason I will work day-in-and-day-out to make my business thrive.

    I found my WHY!! I will own a horse again and my business will provide the income needed to support that lifestyle. 

    I hope you’ve found your “WHY” for your business. It’s a game changer!