I wanted to start this blog post off by mentioning it is my 100th post on ForeverSparkly.com! 100! Can you believe it? Just over a year ago, I took a fantastic blogging course and have been writing ever since. Blogging is now an integral part of my direct sales success and I wanted to share the things I do before and after writing a blog post.
If you aren’t at the point of blogging, that’s ok! Check out my 4-part series on microblogging as that is an easy way to dip your toe into the blogging waters.
For my direct sales blogger friends, keep on reading to learn the 10 things to do before and after hitting publish on that blog post.
1. Backlinks
One of the things that Google and other search engines love are links that direct back to your website. When you are writing a post, think about ways to reference other posts you have written. If you have just started your website and you’re unsure what to link to, don’t worry!
As you start to write and publish posts, it’s a great idea to get into the habit of reviewing your posts for backlinks once a month. Take some time to revisit old posts and update them linking to new posts that you have written. This simple task can increase your page views every month.
2. Optimize SEO
If you don’t have it already, I highly suggest finding a great SEO plugin (or extension) for your website. For WordPress users, Yoast is the best plugin to use.
It helps you specify your focus keyword, meta description, and gives a detailed analysis of how to reach a “Green Light” on your blog posts. A green light in Yoast means you have optimized your SEO correctly and the search engines will reward you!
3. Graphics SEO
Not only does SEO matter for your blog content, it’s important to optimize your blog graphics as well. How do you do this? One of the first ways is to make sure each graphic that is uploaded is given a name, preferably in line with the keyword you are using. Make sure your images have a name such as “Keyword.png” compared to “IMAGE.5289.png”.
Another great rule of thumb is to complete your alt text field. Use your keywords and describe the image you have placed in your blog post. These descriptions help your reach on Google and Pinterest.
4. Call To Action
You’re writing awesome posts and feeling good about your content, but what next? Make sure each and every post ends with a clear call to action. Just like your direct sales Facebook group, when you post, you want to direct the reader where you want them to go next. Funneling!
This could be as simple as like my Facebook business page, join my Facebook group, or comment on this post with your thoughts. Whatever it is, make sure each and every one of your blog posts has a clear call to action.
5. Social Sharing Buttons
Now that you have a rockin’ blog post ready to go, you want to make sure others can easily share your awesomeness. I personally use and recommend Social Warfare to achieve this.
You’ll notice at the end of each of my blog posts, I have a social sharing bar. Readers can click on the social media channel they want to share my blog post on. It is also nice to see just how many times a post has been shared. Social Warfare is completely customizable so you can create the share buttons to match your own personal branding!
6. Monetization
One of the crazy aspects about blogging is you can really make money from it! For real! Depending on your blogging audience, you can monetize your blog with ads, affiliates, and even your own products and services.
Before publishing a blog post, see if there are any gaps that you can fill when it comes to recommending products and services. Whether you are an affiliate for Amazon or awesome direct sales training, be sure to weave these in and out of your posts to increase your monthly income.
7. Schedule to Facebook Business Page
You’ve optimized your blog post in the ultimate ways, now it’s time to share! After I hit publish on a blog post, I immediately schedule a post on my Facebook business page. I always use CinchShare to manage my business page posts.
Whether you use a scheduler or not, it’s important to share your blog posts on your business page and share from your public page into your Facebook group. Increase your reach, increase your audience!
8. Schedule to Pinterest
My next step is to work my Pinterest magic. Pinterest is the other piece of my direct sales success and it helps with page views on my site in the same way. Take a peek at my 1-year “Blogiversary” page views! From 0-100K page views in a year!
I personally use Board Booster when it comes to scheduling my Pinterest pins. If you’re interested in how I use this tool, take a peek at this.
9. Schedule to Instagram
Just like Facebook and Pinterest, I use another scheduling tool when it comes to Instagram. Planoly is my go to Instagram tool. The dashboard is simply clean and easy to navigate. Very user-friendly and you can begin scheduling a whole months worth of posts right away!
I even have a short video of how to use Planoly to post to Instagram. Sign up for the Direct Sellers Toolbox to view the video!
10. Share Your Awesome Posts to Key Groups
One of the best things about having your own Facebook group is that you can share your blog posts with them anytime. Say for instance one of your customers, or even a teammate, has a question about your direct sales product or company. You happen to have written a perfect post about that very same thing and all you have to do is share your link!
As you continue to share and your blog content is out there for your audience to read, you’ll find your page views increasing, your income rising, and your knowledge of blogging expanding.
I know what you are thinking, there seems to be A LOT of steps here. And you know what…there is! But like anything, it may seem clunky, awkward, and tedious at the beginning, you’ll soon get into your own rhythm when it comes to writing and sharing your blog posts.
I encourage you to leave a comment about your own blog and how it fits in with your direct sales journey! Then follow me over on Facebook for more direct sales tips and posts!
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CONGRATS on your 100th post! I know that it is a great accomplishment to be able to reach that goal. I am blessed to have come upon your blog. Though I am just starting out, I am excited that you provided great information and that you also talk about microblogging (something I have been hearing about but didn’t understand). Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Aw, thank you so much, Angela! That means a lot! Keep reading, keep asking questions, I’m always around! 🙂
I really enjoyed this post. I have only just started my blog and you have outlined some key areas that I completely skipped over. Thank you!
Thank you so much Stephanie! Congrats on your blog and I am so pleased this list has helped you!
I always forget to change the name (hides my head in shame). I do use alt -text thought!
No need to hide, Lauren! 🙂 I did not do most of these things on this list until I was blogging for a little while. Hope this article helped and yay for using alt-text! That will help your SEO so much!
Oh man! I have so much to learn about blogging. Thank you for sharing your tips.
You are welcome, Angel! Happy to hear this post was helpful!