Should You Focus on Facebook, a Blog or Both?
Feel as though there’s not enough time to focus on both Facebook and a blog? With multiple social media sites all vying for your time, it’s no wonder you may be considering simplifying. However, blogs and social media sites can complement each other as well as drive traffic back and forth. Because of this symbiotic relationship, a smarter approach is to become more efficient at both disciplines.
Why Continue Blogging if You’re on Facebook?
For starters, you have greater control over your website than you do over Facebook. Each blog post attracts traffic in its own right and brings visitors to your site where you can use conversion optimization techniques to turn visitors into email subscribers and buyers. While you can put opt-in forms on Facebook tabs, marketing on Facebook is far more limited than it is on your own site.
In an addition, blogging gives you something to post on Facebook. By posting links to your blog, you can start conversations, encourage sharing, and drive targeted traffic back to your website where, once again, you can work on conversions. 
Not only that, it’s getting harder to stand out on Facebook. Many of your followers simply won’t see your Facebook posts. Unless you have the budget for sponsored posts, the majority of your followers won’t see all of your updates.
Why Go on Facebook if You Have an Active Blog?
If blogging gives you greater control, why bother with Facebook? Integrating your blog with Facebook exposes you to a much wider audience. As users interact with blog posts that appear on Facebook, their followers see that interaction. Thus, some will click through to read your blog post resulting in more traffic to your website. From there, some will convert, others will share the post with their followers, and so on.
In addition, you can activate Facebook comments and like and share buttons on your blog. With over 1 billion active Facebook users, enabling Facebook comments and placing like and share buttons on each blog post makes it easy for your visitors to comment, like, or share your blog posts via Facebook. They can do so without having to leave your blog. Again, this means that other users will be exposed to your blog posts simply because their friends engaged with you.
Becoming a More Efficient Social Media Business User
Social media doesn’t have to consume all of your time. Use the tips below to become more efficient at both blogging and Facebook marketing.
- Use Facebook’s social plugins to link your blog with Facebook. These social plugins are found at Developers.Facebook.com. At the very least, add like and share buttons. Consider adding Facebook comments as well. One of the benefits of Facebook comments over the generic options offered through your blogging platform is that over a billion people already have Facebook accounts. In addition, your comments may get fewer spammers because they must use their Facebook accounts in order to leave comments.
- Schedule time for blogging. In order to be an efficient blogger, you need to commit to it. Whether you spend an hour a day or an hour a week, make sure to schedule time to get it done.
- Schedule time for Facebook. The same is true of Facebook. While you’re at it, go ahead and preschedule a week or two’s worth of updates in one sitting. In another sitting, preschedule posts for all of the major holidays and industry related events for the entire year. This will ensure that your Facebook page has a steady stream of updates without requiring you to spend a lot of time each day.
- Set a timer. Whether blogging or updating your Facebook page, use a timer. Knowing that you have a limit will force you to work more productively and keep you from wandering off track.
- Keep a list of go-to topics handy. Overcome writer’s blog by maintaining a list of topics to write about. Either work your way through the list of assign a given topic for each day of the week.
- Use a different approach for the same topic. Let’s say your topic is window washing. You might approach it on your blog with a post titled “How to Wash Windows.” However, on Facebook, you might ask a question such as “What would you rather do, wash windows or mow the lawn?”
- Cross post. While you may not want to link to every single blog post, it’s smart to cross post periodically. After all, you want to drive traffic back to your website where you’ll have a better opportunity to convert visitors.
Using a blog in conjunction with Facebook is a win-win choice. Instead of choosing one over the other, work more efficiently and use them both.
Watch out elephants! This slayer of business challenges comes with 30 years of record breaking sales, marketing, operations, training and leadership experience . He has worked face-to-face with 100’s of small business owners as well as large firms. His love of creating, communicating, developing and executing results for clients shines with each project, publication and training event. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion, industry experience, education, problem-solving prowess, charismatic personality and been-there-done that attitude leads his client focused approach.
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