Lindsey D. Toth
Dietetic Intern, Frances Stern Nutrition Center
M.S. Nutrition Communications Candidate, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University
http://www.HealthyBlogSnack.com
Lindsey.Toth@gmail.com
So you’ve finally started your own website or blog. Congratulations! You’ve taken advantage of a wonderful marketing opportunity the www provides, and put your name out there as an expert in the field of dietetics. Getting started is half the battle. Problem is, the other half is getting people to read what you have to say. Let’s face it, blogging may be fun, but it just doesn’t seem worth it if there’s no one there to hear your cries of “Eat leafy greens!” So how do you increase traffic to your site?
A month ago, I was asking myself this same question. I finally had my first website and blog up-and-running, and couldn’t wait to start posting. Too bad I only had two subscribers – and I’m pretty sure mom and dad don’t count.
As I write this article, the one month anniversary of HealthyBlogSnack.com approaches. Within that one month, I went from zero readers, to over 1,200 site hits and 152 regular subscribers – all thanks to social networking. I experimented with every social networking site under the sun, tracked my site’s statistics, delved into the realm of social networking research, and played with titles and keywords to find the most effective ways to increase traffic. I’ll share some of the tips and tricks I picked up from my experiments and research to help you tweet, poke, and ping your way to increased site traffic!
1. Spread the Word
If you aren’t social networking, I think by now you know you should be. Get out there and make profiles on the big social networking sites. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace are good places to start. Others that may help you spread the word outside of your own social bubble are Reddit (one of my favorites) and De.lic.i.ous. Most of these sites offer a status update area, where you can let the world know what your latest post is about (Facebook, Twitter), or even applications that link your blog directly to your profile (LinkedIn). The more visible you and your blog are, the more traffic you’ll get.
2. Updating, Update, Update Your Status
Every time you post, let the world know! I found that on average, I had 70% more traffic on days I updated my social network status with a link to my latest post, than on days I didn’t. For ease of updating, use a service like Ping.fm to collectively update all of your social personas in one swipe. It will even automatically crunch your big links down into more manageable ones for you. Experts have found (and my experiments concur) that for optimal visibility, the best time of day to update your status is 3:00pm. This tends to be one of the busiest times of the day for social networking sites, as everyone is checking their favorite networks one last time before they head home from work. This makes it a perfect time to update your status with a link to your latest blog post.
3. Tits, Tots, and Terriers
Ok, so while this marketing trio may not be so applicable in what we do, the concept still applies. A post about those chocolate dipped strawberries you made titled, “Chocolate Dipped Strawberries,” is just not going to get the same amount of traffic as the same post titled, “Deliciously Decadent Berry Aphrodisiacs.” Sex, babies, and puppies sell. Remember this when choosing titles and keywords, people will be more likely to find you in a search, and more likely to check out your site because of your intriguing titles.
4. What’s in it for ME?
Remember, people didn’t come to your site to hear about your cute niece Suzie and the latest family BBQ. You are the health, wellness, and food expert, and they came to hear about what you can do for them. When writing, always ask yourself if there’s something in it for the reader. If not, chances are they aren’t going to stick around as long term subscribers. Recipes, diet tricks, power foods, etc. Make sure what you’re posting about is relevant to and useful in your readers’ daily lives.
Now let’s get out there and improve our social networking scene. Tweet me @NutritionTalk (c’mon, set up that profile – www.Twitter.com) to let me know how social networking has helped you. Your blog will be an online hot-spot faster than you can cry, “Eat leafy greens!”
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