Promoting and Popularizing Your Blog through Plug-Ins
Make Your Blog Catch on Social Media with Pleasing Plug-Ins
A blog is particularly useful in publishing content that helps you engage with customers online. Used by entrepreneurs who want to make their mark in social media, a blog is a good way to reach your fans. Share content about industry news, educational advice, interviews, funny pictures, evocative videos and more. This will endear followers who are looking for answers to questions related to your content.
Liven up your blog with pleasing plug-ins that will make it popular for customers and social networking sites. Plug-ins will add more functionality to your website and make it easier for your users to surf. Here are some plug-ins you can use:
1. Sharebar – The Sharebar is a vertical rectangular box that appears ona web page you want to share. It persistently moves with the page as viewers scroll up and down, calling attention to share a web page through their social networking accounts. Use this plug-in to allow readers to share your content across the social media universe.
This enables readers to quickly distribute your content on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Buffer, and other sites.
2. SexyBookmarks – This plug-in allows you to customize which social media sites you want your content to appear. It features 89 social networks so bloggers have a myriad of choice. Try it now so your followers can share your content in different social accounts.
3. Follow Me – This plug-in can be placed on the side of your web pages. It has a pop-up functionality, which displays all your business social profiles in large icons. This allows viewers to follow a blogger’s social networking accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, Slideshare, and other social media sites.
Customize a Follow Me plug-in. Here are subscription buttons from Mashable.com:
4. Thank Me Later – it can be nice to receive a ‘Thank You’ note after commenting on a post you found interesting. Make people feel the same appreciation every time they post comment on your entries. Write the thank-you note in a humorous manner to make it more pleasing. Take this as an example from Blogtyrant.com:
Injecting a humorous note on your thank-you note will help persuade the commenter to subscribe to your RSS feed or check out your blog for new content.
5. Email-list subscription – Some users prefer to receive updates, freebies and content links through email. Accommodate their preference with a box asking for their email on corresponding web pages. You might say, “Want to receive updates by email? Please enter your name and email address to be included in our mailing list!”
Want to create a customized email inquiry box? Here’s an example of what Social Media Examiner has:
Notice that this email list subscription box offers a freebie in return for encoding your email address? This is actually a promotional move to persuade other users to subscribe to email updates. Why not utilize this technique as well? You’re sure to get more subscribers this way.
6. Gravity Forms –These are contact forms which allow bloggers to learn which content users like to receive updates for. Let’s see Mashable.com’s gravity form to illustrate further:
With this plug-in, bloggers can gain insights on which pieces are the most and least popular among subscribers. Use gravity forms to allow subscribers to choose updates only on categories they prefer.
7. RSS Feed button – Don’t forget to add this basic button to your blog. Place this on every related web page to entice readers to subscribe for updates every time you post a new entry.
Make your website more interactive with these plug-ins. This will not only improve the look of your website; it will also promote user-friendly features that will endear the site to your followers. Come take another look at the plug-ins listed above or research more to see which ones better fit your website. This will encourage followers to engage with your content more and share it to their own friends.
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