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One of the challenges sharing ideas via the web is the constant question of "is anyone listening?" or in the case of blog post, reading. Creating quality blog posts are more important to me than simply driving traffic for the sake of driving traffic. Yet spending time promoting blog views is well worth the effort to add to our professional and personal knowledge base. A couple of methods I have tried recently to promote the Village EduLand site includes:
- Cross posting on my primary website www.cjamieedwards.com
- Using my Twitter Account to link to new postings
- Sending emails to professionals/colleagues
Recently I added a couple of other activities to my marketing efforts.
- Adding the blog url to my email signature lines. Like many in the academic and consulting worlds, email is my main source of interaction with educators and students as well as with current and future clients. On the most busiest of days, I compose and reply to over 150 emails. Each email can be forwarded multiple times to unknown recipients. While adding a link to a email signature may be low impact in the overall grand scheme, the effort to do so is also low expense and takes only a couple of seconds, thus worthwhile
- I started using my blog as a primary resource to answer student questions related to technology. Instead of answering the technical question over and over for students, the blog is being used to provide answers to that current students, future students and the public at large. Anytime the same question comes up during future semesters, the student can be referred to the direct blog page for assistance
- Posting the blog address on course syllabi is a easy way to set a standard of information at the beginning of the semester for students
While there are many more ways to increase traffic using traditional social media efforts, the above provides more of a personal and direct impact to people around me that I have intentional contact with.