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• Not Sharing Enough -
Check out the average social media users feed and you'll see messages flying by at the speed of light. As social media consumers, we experience a lot of messages every day.
Although bloggers don't want to contribute too much "noise" to the marketplace, sharing a post once on Twitter or posting three times a week to a Facebook fan page isn't going to reach your fans and followers. Think about sharing more often - at least twice a day on Facebook and several times a day on Twitter - and at peak traffic hours on each individual site.
• Sharing Too Much -
While it's possible to get lost in the fray of social media, it's also possible to share too much. There is a fine line between being courteous (think, "thank you!" for every RT or message you get) and being a nuisance.
Make sure everything you tweet out has some kind of meaning. Stay away from messages that include just a link, constant participation in Twitter parties, or promoting your blog posts an excessive amount.
• Not Visiting Other Blogs -
The best way to foster the blogging community is to support other bloggers through commenting. Comments are like the currency of blogging; it's the best way to grow your readership and bring traffic to your blog.
Don't' expect other bloggers to keep coming back without any response from you. If they comment on your blog, respond to them in the comments or visit their blogs and leave a comment there. You might also consider sharing their posts on social media as another great way to show support to fellow bloggers.
• Auto DM -
If you're thinking about direct messaging your new follower with a link to your blog, take your finger off that send button and reconsider. Auto DMs, or DMs thanking new followers, lead to an outrageously high amount of unfollowers immediately after (upward of 80%!).
There are better ways to thank your new followers, like by engagement, sharing their blog posts or retweeting their interesting tweets. They will see you've acknowledged them, and you'll be adding valuable context to the conversation.
• Comment Captcha -
With more people reading blogs and surfing the web on mobile phones, one of the worst things bloggers can do to actively decrease the amount of comments (and regular visits) they receive on their blog is to put a captcha code on their comments.
Originally, these funny letter and number combinations were a way to keep spam from your comments, but as spammers became more sophisticated, the captcha codes on your average blog have become obsolete. It's a widespread annoyance for blog readers, who don't' want to type the random letter combinations in order to leave a comment. Unless you're receiving hundreds of spam posts a day, take the chance and remove comment moderation.
• Post Irregularly -
Readers don't' want to guess when your next post will pop up in their reader. You'll have more success as a blogger if you stick to a schedule. Your schedule doesn't have to be daily blogging - many popular bloggers do quite well with a handful of posts a month - but you should have a consistent posting schedule that lets you readers know when to expect new content from you.
Think about setting up an editorial calendar and matching your content up with certain days of the week (for instance, posting tips on Monday and photos on Wednesday.)
• Inconsistent Brand - Do you think branding is just for business? Think again! Even bloggers should be focused on having a brand that carries through to all social media platforms. Create a logo that defines who you are as a blogger and represents your blog, and carry it through to Facebook fan pages, Twitter bios and more. Set a tone for your blog writing that is reflected in Twitter and Facebook messages too.
Jennifer D’AngeloAbout the Guest Author:
Jennifer D’Angelo is a small business professional who specializes in digital marketing solutions. When she’s not writing, you can find Jen assisting real estate agents in suburban Chicago. Click here to see more of Jen’s work!