Branding

It's important to have a consistent profile that goes with you from one social networking site to another. I always use the same head-shot* and the same short bio whenever I register for a new network site.

I am a cherished wife, blessed mother of two, and an experienced home educator. I love to read, write, and occupy the passenger seat on road trips. Life is an adventure! Come ride along!

This is not the place for your lengthy "about me." Share your life story on your first blog post that feeds your Sonlight page, and on a blog page linked with a tab at the top of your blog.

Another tip I picked up is to sign your comments on others' blogs with your blog name. I always sign as "Karla @ Ramblin' Roads." For some reason, blog names are easier to remember and connect with than people names.

Here are links to my profile on various social network sites. Some of these I don't use very much (or haven't recently) but I do have a profile page set up.

• Blogger
• Etsy
• Facebook
• Google +
• Homeschool Lounge
• Linked In
• Networked Blogs
• Pintrest
• Ravelry
• Shelfari
• Twitter

* One exception: I don't use my head-shot on my Blogger profile. Instead, I use a picture of me with my car, because it ties in the with the theme of my blog. I posted my business card (with my head-shot) just below my bio on my sidebar. I fuzzed out my phone number on the business card before I posted it because I didn't really want that "out there" on the internet. This is just a personal preference, not necessarily a suggestion.

Linking Your Blog to Other Social Networks

Related to building a following, I have found it helpful to have my blog linked to other social networks. Every time I post on my blog, both Twitter and Facebook automatically announce my new post. Many, many more people are hanging out on Facebook and Twitter than are going around reading blogs, so that garners more readers for me than if I just depended on my blog followers alone.

My first recommendation is to sign up for Networked Blogs and have it linked to your Facebook account. You can then set it up to feed to your blog's Facebook page (if you have one) or your personal Facebook page. It usually posts title, the first picture, and the first few lines of text from your post. I have found that often people will leave a comment on Facebook instead of my blog, so be sure to follow up on those comments, too.

You can also set up a TwitterFeed account to have your blog posts automatically feed to your Twitter account. This posts the title of your blog post and a link. Use catchy titles. I've noticed in my Feedjit box that Twitter does bring in readers.

Tracking Results

I really have no way of tracking how my blog affects my sales. I have had people at conventions tell me they read my blog. Usually they had never left a comment, so I had no idea who they were. I also get emails from people who read my blog, asking for advice on Sonlight. So I have to think it helps, and for sure, it doesn't hurt my sales.

There are tools to help track how many visitors your blog gets, and other non-identifying information such as general geographical area and referring URL. On your blog dashboard is a Stats tab that provides a lot of this information. I also like to use Feedjit on my sidebar because it shows visitor information as a live feed.

This information is helpful to me because it shows what blog posts are most popular, and if any changes I make increase traffic.

Building a Blog Following

The key to having a successful social media presence is to build a following. You can have the most professional blog layout and the best content in the world, but if no one is reading it then it's not doing you a whole lot of good.

Be sure and add a Followers gadget to your sidebar to make it easy for readers to follow you.

I also recommend Networked Blogs. This is a great tool for connecting with other bloggers, and also for having your blog posts feed to your Facebook page. You can put a gadget for this on your sidebar as well. The gadget shows how many followers you have and makes it easy for others to follow you.

The only way to build a blog following is to be involved in the blogging community. And yes, it does take a commitment of time.

• Read other homeschool blogs. Leave comments.
• Read other non-homeschool blogs that interest you. Leave comments.
• "Follow" any blogs that you know you'll enjoy keeping up with. (Note: For social networking purposes, I "follow" way more blogs than I have time to keep up with regularly.) 
• Follow up on comments left by others on your blog. Return the visit. Leave comments.
• Link to your blog on other social networking sites.
• Advertise your blog at conventions. 
• Mention your blog in your workshops.
• Mention your blog in SCC Connect mailings.
• List your blog address in your email signature.

Design

In 2009 when I helped some of you set up your blogs in Florida, I recommended customizing the background using a design from Cutest Blog on the Block or similar sites. Since then, Blogger has upgraded their template options, so it's no longer necessary to use outside coding to have a customized look that reflects your personality. A specially designed header is still a nice touch, but not as necessary as it was previously. Look for the Template Designer tool under the Design tab on your Blogger dashboard.

Your blog design should:

• Reflect your personality.
• Look professional.
• Have an easy-to-read font, especially for the body of your posts. Save the fun fonts for titles.
• Not be too cluttered.
• Leave off the music.

Have fun!

Content

In my experience, blog posts should:

• Be warm, personal, and real. 
• Be professional.
• Include personal anecdotes, not just "business."
• Be relatively short. Around 400 words is considered "ideal."
• Include a picture.

Typically, blog readers won't take the time to read lengthy articles. I've gotten the best responses on posts that offer trivial glimpses into my personal life -- activities my family is involved in, decorating and kitchen tips, craft projects, even the weather! I try to maintain a professionalism by not over-sharing with too many intimate details or controversial topics.

Have fun with it. Post about things you are sincerely interested in.  If you're just blogging as a sales tool that will be obvious, and you probably won't get many followers.

It probably goes without saying to use good grammar and spelling. Avoid "text typing" and abbreviations. Spell out words such as Sonlight, Instructor's Guide, and Language Arts. Not all of your blog readers will know what SL, IG, and LA refer to.

I like to include a snapshot I've taken whenever I can. I keep my camera handy and snap pictures often with the idea in mind, "I might want to blog about this." Alternatively, you can find royalty-free pictures on stock photo sites.

It is helpful to add some labels to your post, especially if it's a post you would like search engines to find. I like to have a Labels gadget on my sidebar to help people find the topics they are interested in.

Blog Post #2

This is the second post on your blog, and it's the one that feeds the side-bar on your homepage at Sonlight.com. Be sure and update it with your convention schedule each year. I like to include a picture of my booth at the top of this post, for visual appeal. (Keep the picture small so it will fit nicely on the side-bar.)

I also added a Facebook "Like Box" here so people who visited my homepage on Sonlight could also subscribe to my page on Facebook. (For step-by-step directions, see the How To page tabbed at the top.) In addition, I put the Facebook box on my sidebar, so that's there on my blog even after this post is buried.