You have helped to make 2017 an amazing year for The Social Media Hat and I. We’ll get into the stats and accomplishments and your favorite articles in a moment, but before we do I wanted to acknowledge that it’s readers like you who make this not only possible, but a worthwhile passion.
I love your questions and your feedback. Those comments inspire and motivate me, and give me fuel to keep writing post after post. So please keep them coming!
And despite devoting full-time attention to Solo Build It! by SiteSell, 2017 was still a banner year for The Social Media Hat.
The year started with The Social Media Hat earning a second Top Ten Social Media Blog award from Social Media Examiner. And by the end of the year, the site has accrued over 800,000 pageviews, up over 23% from 2016!
2017 was also filled with key experiments, observations, and achievements.
As my popup & landing page tests proceeded, the data helped me to realize how high your interest is in Facebook, collectively, and inspired me to create the Facebook Survival Kit – a downloadable collection of Facebook tips, tricks, hacks and resources. And which has been an enormous success – to the tune of over 6300 new subscribers generated over just 7 months.
Throughout the Summer, as I worked on a new book covering advanced blogging strategies and tactics, I started putting together a more essential resource to help folks get started blogging. This article & ebook weighed in at nearly 16,000 words and covers all of the initial technical details and preliminary decision-making that a new blogger needs to consider. This resource was published in November and has been critically acclaimed.
Also in November, I created a presentation based on sections of my new book and taught a class at the University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL). That same presentation was also recorded earlier in the year and delivered to graduate students attending Hochschule Bremen University in Bremen, Germany.
Finally, in mid-December, I launched a printable 2018 Blogging Planner. Designed specifically for bloggers, this planner helps to create a publishing calendar, editorial goals, task lists, influencer marketing strategy, conference networking, and more. Over 40 worksheets and printable pages for just $10, and it’s been incredibly well-received.
I have some plans for the coming year to share, but before I do, let’s take a look at the articles that you found most interesting. They’re ranked in order of traffic, and I’ve noted the social engagement with each article as well.
Top Ten Article Breakdown
- 2 Newsjacking
- 3 Reviews
- 3 Roundups
- 2 How To’s
- 1 on MailChimp
- 1 on Solo Build It!
- 2 on Agorapulse
- 2 on Tailwind
- 2 on Instagram
- 4 on Facebook
- 2 on Social Media in general
#10 – 2 Changes To MailChimp And What They Mean To You
556 Shares | MailChimp, Newsjacking
In October, MailChimp announced that all of their forms would be transitioning from double opt-in to single opt-in by default, and that even your existing forms would be changed. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of questions about what this even meant, and what folks needed to do about it. So this overview and guide received a lot of attention.
#09 – Agorapulse Review: How To Make Social Media Management Easy
2.9k Shares | Agorapulse, Review
One question that comes up often in my conversations with readers is which social media management system to use. While it’s a topic I’ve touched on in various posts before, your feedback once again led to development – in this case, a formal review format. And you really appreciated it!
This first review on Agorapulse, my most popular recommendation and preferred social tool, did so well it rose to a top ten Google SERP for “Agorapulse Review.”
#08 – The BEST Way to Post to Facebook Without Using Facebook
691 Shares | Agorapulse, Facebook, How To
This article combined some tricks I’d figured out with Agorapulse, with the fact that you have a clear preference for articles about Facebook. And it worked, as this article continues to receive interest.
#07 – Top Social Media Blogs To Follow in 2017
452 Shares | Social Media, Roundup
I mentioned earlier that The Social Media Hat was awarded a Top Ten Social Blog by Social Media Examiner – this roundup provides you with all twenty finalists as they’re all excellent resources to follow, along with the judges and SME itself. Be sure to review and bookmark them!
#06 – The Complete Solo Build It! Review – An Insider’s Perspective
801 Shares | Solo Build It!, Review
The only non-marketing article to crack the top ten for 2017, this review contains my personal experiences and perspective with regard to Solo Build It! – the online business-building platform from SiteSell.
#05 – Facebook’s Hidden Gems: Underused Tools for Facebook Marketing
1.9k Shares | Facebook, Roundup
Every once in a while a contributor post does exceedingly well, and this year it was this article by Nabeena Mali. She did a great job reviewing a variety of apps designed to help you grow your Facebook Page, understand your audience, and deliver high-performing ads.
#04 – 9 Ways Tailwind Helps You Crush It On Instagram
1.1k Shares | Tailwind, Review
Inspired by new features that Tailwind had recently added, I created a review that listed all of the ways the tool could help you with your Instagram presence and activity. Visme partnered on the article and created a stunning infographic for it.
#03 – How To Broadcast Facebook Live Video to Profiles, Pages, Groups
1.6k Shares | Facebook, How To
While Facebook continues to promote and encourage the use of Live Video, it’s still not clear or easy to understand where you can broadcast and how. I created this resource particularly for bloggers and businesses who want to use live video to reach their audiences in a more effective way.
#02 – The Complete Guide to Facebook Mentions and Tags for People and Pages
1k Shares | Facebook, How To
Another area of confusion within Facebook is when and how to mention or tag people or pages. It seems like it should be straightforward, but it’s not! And the fact that this article had to be split across 4 pages confirms it.
And the #1 most popular article of 2017 was…
This App Just Became a Game-Changer For Your Instagram Engagement
3.3k Shares | Tailwind, Instagram, Newsjacking
Way back in January of 2017, Tailwind launched Instagram support. Considering how amazing their tool is for Pinterest, I couldn’t wait to dive in and share the news with all of you. And sure enough, you were just as interested as I was!
Every day, folks are finding this article and signing up to give Tailwind a test drive. And the feedback is always amazing. If you haven’t yet tried using Tailwind to help you with Instagram, check it out!
So those were the most popular articles of 2017. What will 2018 have to offer? I have some ideas about that…
First, I’ll be working to finish my new book, The Blogger’s Mindset, so definitely watch for that.
I’ll be speaking and moderating panels on blogging and social media at the following conferences and classes:
- Midwest Digital Marketing Conference – St. Louis, MO
- 3 Day MBA – St. Louis, MO
- Venture Cafe – St. Louis, MO
- St. Louis Economic Development Partnership – Clayton, MO
- University of Missouri – St. Louis – St. Louis, MO
- Social Media Week Lima – Lima, OH
- Incite Marketing Summit West 2018 – San Francisco, CA
I also have plans for additional blogging resources beyond the 2018 planner! (Not to mention an updated planner for 2019.)
As for articles, watch for more content about analytics and email marketing, more social media tool reviews, and more articles about Facebook!
If there’s anything in particular you’d like to read more of, leave me a comment below. And let me know which article was your favorite of 2017!
Happy New Year! I hope 2018 is abundantly successful for you.
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