Tools for Social Media

Do you want to learn how to use WordPress to promote your business or interest? Whether you’re promoting a new smartphone app or want to share your experiences as an extreme mountain climber, blogging and publishing platform WordPress is an ideal way to reach your target audience. Here are potential ways to tap into the power of WordPress:

Generate traffic to your primary website.

If you’re learning how to use WordPress, keep in mind that the platform is a great way to promote your primary website. Include links within blog posts to generate traffic directly to your site. For example, if you’re in the dog training business, write an entry with tips for training older dogs, and then embed a link within the post to a web page containing a schedule of your dog training classes.

Rank higher in search engine results.

WordPress blog posts are easy to post on Facebook or Twitter. This is important because search engines give increasing weight to content people share on social networks. The more Wall posts or Retweets a blog entry receives, the higher search engines like Bing and Google will rank the entry.

Establish yourself as an expert or thought leader.

Online marketing often involves more than just directly pitching a product or service. Many successful online business pros have established credibility by sharing their knowledge with others. Learning how to use WordPress as a blogging platform is an easy way to communicate that expertise with an audience eager for top-level information. Start learning how to use WordPress to promote your business or interest by sharing your insights into industry news or commenting on current issues or controversies.

Start a discussion.

The blog format is a smart way to leverage WordPress. Switching on the comment feature allows visitors to ask questions, share insights, and leave comments. But remember, you need to make an effort to reply—nothing will send a visitor to a competitor’s site faster than finding out that no one is reading their comments or answering their questions. Schedule a time at least once a day to check for blog entry comments.

Become THE resource.

Part of how to use WordPress effectively is realizing that you can make your blog the go-to resource for an industry or interest. For example, if you’re an avid knitter, your WordPress site might include your blog entries, guest blog posts, links to other knitting blogs, email newsletter archives, and beginner’s guides or how-to’s. How do you know what to include? Put yourself in your ideal visitor’s mind and imagine what questions or interests they might have. This allows you to plan relevant and engaging content.

Engage visitors with video.

Video streaming is becoming a critical part of online marketing: it makes up 39% of mobile traffic and 75% of one demographic, the Gen Xers, regularly watches online videos. If you want to learn how to use WordPress to promote a business or interest, learn how to post video. What can you post? Consider:

• Video blog posts
• Interviews with industry or subject matter experts
• How-to’s, tips, tricks, or beginner’s guides
• Behind-the-scenes footage

Is WordPress right for your business or interest?

Online marketers, hobbyists, and experts are successfully using WordPress to promote websites and engage readers. If you want to blog and publish online, it might be time to start learning how to use WordPress.

If you need a good resource on WordPress for beginner or intermediate level users, check out these free wordpress videos.  You will need to enter your email address, but there are quite a few very helpful, totally free videos.  The videos have helped me to really understand and manage my WordPress site.

Dianne Shaddock is a self proclaimed  HR nerd who loves all things relating to Social Media and the Internet.   That’s why she created Tools for Social Media, your source for free articles on all things related to social media, the Internet, Web 2.0 and WordPress for the newbie.