As I always do, the end of the year is a time to look back at what we’ve accomplished together over the past 12 months. I say together because, without you, none of what I do would be possible. (And do stay tuned ’til the end, when I have a special treat for you.)
This past year has been a very good year for The Social Media Hat.
In 2016 there were…
- 83 articles and blog posts published;
- Nearly three quarters of a million readers;
- Over 3000 new email subscribers;
And The Social Media Hat was awarded a Top Ten Social Media Blog by Social Media Examiner.
The following most popular articles were…
- 80% How To vs. 20% News
- 3 on Instagram, 2 on Facebook, 2 on Twitter, 1 each on LinkedIn, Blab and Vine.
That’s actually quite stunning to me, as not a single article about Blogging or Email Marketing or SEO cracked the top ten. Which tells me you probably want more social media content in the 2017! So noted.
Without further ado, here are the Top Ten Posts for The Social Media Hat from 2016:
Coming in at #10…
10 – You Can Grow Your Email List Using LinkedIn, But Not This Way
LinkedIn offers an incredibly easy way to move your LinkedIn Connections into your email client, or even an email marketing software like MailChimp. But should you? What are the alternatives?
09 – The Facebook Hack That Will 10x Your Reach
If you’re like most businesses using a Facebook Page, the vast majority of your posts reach just a fraction of your fans. The good news is, I’ve found a way to turn the tides, and get back some of your hard-earned fan exposure!
08 – Stop Losing Track Of Instagram Comments
When you have a flood of likes happening on your Instagram posts, it’s easy to miss important comments. Never again!
07 – Instagram Business Accounts: What Marketers Need To Know
Instagram is rolling out upgraded accounts for businesses that include additional features. They may be a great opportunity, but not without risks.
06 – How To Build A Massive, Engaged Twitter Following
I’ve been growth hacking Twitter and have added thousands of new, targeted followers each month, and have seen marked improvements in engagement, traffic and subscribers. Now you can too.
05 – How To Attach Images To Tweet Buttons
Learn how to automatically attach an image when other people tweet out links to your content.
04 – What’s Happening With Blab?
Blab, one of the most popular platforms today to create live video broadcasts and recordings, seems to be moving in a new direction and that has marketers extremely worried.
03 – How To Schedule A Share Of Someone Else’s Facebook Post
It’s great to share content from other businesses and Facebook Pages, but how do you schedule and space those shares out?
02 – How To Schedule Instagram Posts
The best way to maintain an active, engaging, successful Instagram presence is to schedule your activity throughout the day when your audience is most receptive.
And the #1, most popular post for 2016 was…
01 – What’s Happening With Vine? Twitter Is Shutting It Down.
Not surprisingly, this post that broke the news of Vine’s closing and offered distraught Vine users a way to save their Vines came out on top. Despite getting a late start on the others since it was published mid-November, it surged to the top thanks to high search ranking and steady interest.
In fact, interest in the topic and search engine traffic continues to grow as we end the year thanks to recent updates from Vine. (To learn more about the machinations behind this post, including what I did to optimize it for search, read, “Benefits of Newsjacking – A Case Study Into 2500% More Traffic.“)
So that’s it! The best we had to offer last year.
In addition to thanking you, my readers, for your ongoing support, I would like to thank each of the authors who contributed over the past year, as well as the brands and vendors who continue to work with me. You have been and continue to be a blessing to me and my family.
What about that treat?
This is your BIG CHANCE to get your most pressing questions and concerns answered. Ask me anything you want in the comments and I’ll either answer right there, send you off to a resource (if I’ve written about it previously), or queue the topic up for a future article that I’ll write.
So this is it! What do you want to know about social media and blogging? Leave me your questions in the comments below, and let’s make 2017 a great year together!
~ Mike
