Social Media 101 For The Pet Blogger

Guest post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

Whether you're a long time blogger/social media guru or a newcomer to the pet blogging arena, it's
always nice to have a "refresher course" in social media basics. Over time it's easy to forget etiquette, the reasons why you're blogging or are involved in the social media conversation or you may simply be looking for a kickstart or to breathe new life into your social media efforts. 

Here are my social media 101 tips and tricks for the pet blogger: 

• Be a good listener. Social media is a
  conversation. You start it, listen to what your readers say and then respond.
  Start the conversation on trending topics in your niche area.
• Offer help and advice. Consider your
  social media status updates and blog posts as a networking meeting and uncover
  ways in which you can help those that you “meet.”
• Keep up with the popular pet
  bloggers. Retweet their updates. Follow what they say. Share their information
  with your followers.
• Cultivate new friendships. Connecting
  with pet bloggers and pet lovers online is great, but simply clicking “like”
  isn’t enough. Be interactive.
• Be proactive. If you meet someone at
  a conference – like BlogPaws 2013! – make certain you reach out to them. You
  don’t have to wait for them to connect first.
• Don’t take it personally if you
  retweet someone but they don’t retweet you back. Not everyone will retweet or
  share your status updates and you shouldn’t expect them to.
• Use your time wisely. It’s easy to
  get bogged down in social media (Words With Friends, anyone?). If you have
  other tasks to get done in your life, and who doesn’t, set a timer for your
  social media tasks, do what you can within that allotted time then move onto
  other tasks. Don’t let the time wasting properties of social media dilute your
  efforts. 

What tips and tricks have you found to make your social media time productive?