What is the best way to promote Hubs/Website? Social Media or Forums?

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   NateB11posted 11 years ago

   So, on the one hand, it is said you should promote Hubs on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Google+; and of course, don't get spam-tastic. Maybe use hashtags so the content is more easily found. The other option often suggested is to comment on forums and have your signature there or something along those lines to get a link to your content. Of course, no spamming and do it appropriately, not just to post a link. Also, suggested is guest blogging, in which you provide a link to your Hubpage or website. The other suggestion is bookmarking; probably a year ago, I first read suggestions for using RedGage, which I found to not do much, but maybe I've used it incorrectly. Should you do all these things or is one better than the others?

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      Greekgeekposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Posting on forums only gets members of those forums, which can be a rather small slice of the web.
      
      Posting on social media has a potential audience of thousands, if you are posting things other people are interested in and find fascinating.
      
      That's the key. It's not how many places you post. It's how well you establish yourself as someone who contributes or participates meaningfully in the places where you're active.
      
      Somebody on Twitter posting ME ME ME VISIT MY PAGES isn't going to get any traffic. Whereas someone who builds up a Twitter following by retweeting and sharing interesting stuff related to his/her niche, supporting other users, holding conversations and really being a part of the community will build up followers who may then be interested in reading more of what you have to say.

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         NateB11posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Makes a lot of sense.

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      marieryanposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      As a relative 'newbie' to site, but 'oldie' as in OLD  (BAD combination!) i need some advice.
      I have a facebook page where I get posts from my friends and family. Would it be useful for me to send my hubs to my facebook even though I only have a few close friends, family and work colleagues on there? How does the sharing work and who actually sees it?
      I am quite shy. I don't mind strangers reading my humble literary efforts but I am not sure if I want to share with close friends and family work colleagues! Am I being oversensitive?
      Perhaps facebook is not the way forward for me.

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   3. 84

      Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think it depends on the audience you're trying to reach, and what you're trying to achieve by promoting.
      
      Social media works if you have an audience of genuine followers who are interested in what you write. If your only followers are your family and friends, it's not much use.   If you want social media to be useful, you have to be clever at promoting your brand there, and build up your audience which takes a lot of effort. 
      
      Whereas if you can find a really good forum on your topic which has a large membership, you can reach a lot of people fairly easily and in a way that doesn't require you to blow your own trumpet quite as much!
      
      Guest blogging and commenting on blogs isn't done just to get real readers clicking on links, it's done to sprinkle links around the internet to impress Google, which some people think is more important.

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   Mark Ewbieposted 11 years ago

   I have been 'sharing' my stuff for two years.  Reddit, Pinterest, Facebook mainly.  It is an absolute waste of time - for me.  Yes, the odd friend visits and that is it.
   
   So my angle is to let other people share.  They share if it is any good.
   
   So....
   
   If you write something that really is worth sharing then maybe, fingers crossed, eventually people will share it.  It seems to me that is the only way.  I am not there yet, maybe I never will be, but apart from posting pics on Facebook because I like it (no links, not spam, just friends see them and largely ignore them and that's fine)... I having given up promoting my garbage.
   
   Step one.  Write something that a searcher might find and might be inclined to share.
   
   That's my theory.  I'm making a dollar a day.  Ignore me.

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      marieryanposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for reply Mark.....I never was a fan of FB anyway........I can't bear reading the one-liners : "Wish it were Friday! " or "Oh, it must be wine o'clock! (LOL)" 
      My real pet-hate is one of my few 'friends' posting  "Goodnight everyone!"  Who is she talking to? As if the whole world was waiting up for her to say "Goodnight!" before finally retiring, knowing she is safe and has gone to bed....(Of course she must have been taking to ME because I read it ...er...not sure who is to blame here!)
      I understand FB works for millions of people...it all just depends what you want to get out of it....
      Each to their own but it's just not for me

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   2. 85

      NateB11posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Makes sense, Mark. I've been thinking about hashtags, though. There might be something to hashtags; people can look them up or find the same one on another Tweet or even Google+ post. I thought they got indexed, not sure. But you are right, it's best to let others share, and write good stuff people find. I'm totally with you on that.

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   WriteAngledposted 11 years ago

   Post your self-promotional crap on my timeline and watch how I either block from sight anything you post or defriend you altogether.
   
   I will visit the occasional article friends post, if it interests me. However, this only applies to friends who self-promote maybe once every couple of months or so.

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      marieryanposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah 'writeangled'....I can see now that FB is not really an appropriate site for this self-promotion stuff! I personally never click anything that looks promotional myself, so why would anyone else I know?
      
      It just seems that as at the end of the hubs there are all these little icons to click on to 'share' 'like' 'tweet' 'pin' I felt I was being encouraged to do so, I was sort of thinking that it was the 'usual' thing to do.
      Oh well, back to trying to write engaging, quality content for the love of it then, which is fine!

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   toptengamerposted 11 years ago

   Marieryan - this really all depends. I have a facebook site and YouTube Channel that I use for my website and branding myself and it seems to work very well. This is very much along the lines of having a twitter following or even a YouTube following.
   
   Understanding how to actively participate wherever you're putting your efforts in is key.

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      NateB11posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Makes sense. You have to be a part of the community, interact, get known, so to speak.

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   Kangaroo_Jaseposted 11 years ago

   Ask yourself which question is appropriate for you.
   
   Do you use social media to post unknown garbage for others to read? Or
   
   Do you engage on social media with other likeminded groups and individuals and share conversations about like minded topics and build relationships.
   
   When you know the answer then you can ask yourself the right question!

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