How To Use Facebook To Boost Blog Traffic And Sales

Guest Post - Our host is Alicia, here she looks into using Facebook to help your blogs traffic and sales.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Is investing time and money on Facebook really going to help increase your traffic and sales?

Or is Facebook as a social media marketing leader overrated?

I’m sure these were some of the questions that had come across your mind before, regardless of whether you have used Facebook as a social media marketing platform or not.

Is the ROI really worth the effort we put into Facebook?
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Neat Triangle Design Social And Rss Icon Gadget For Blogger And Wordpress

I know we all like to have a unique look to our blogs and some unique icons to display our social profiles and feeds.So here I have a Subscribe and Follow section for your blog using a neat set of triangle social icons.You can add the icons with links to your feed and profiles to your sidebar on Blogger and Wordpress.

The icons are from Design Cauldron and look fantastic,Included in the gadget we have the code for are icons for your Rss Feed, Email Feed, Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Pinterest And YouTube.You can easily remove any of the icons if your not on one or more of the sites.

Below you can see the icons (All connected to our profiles so you can use them to connect with Spice Up Your Blog if your not already), further below that you can follow the link to see them live on a demo blog.

Add Trinagnle Social Icons Gadget To Your Blog

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Facebook Release New Official Facebook For Wordpress Plugin

Yesterday Facebook released a very cool and multi purpose Facebook For Wordpress Plugin.Rather than simply auto posting your latest Wordpress posts to Facebook you can fully integrate your Facebook and Wordpress activity.With just a few clicks you can auto share Wordpress posts and pages to your Timeline and with Mentions you can also share them to friends timeline's.Facebook buttons and widgets can also be quickly added to your blog such as Like buttons and boxes, activity feeds, a recommend bar, Facebook comments below your Wordpress posts and more.



Mentions
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One Time Facebook Pop Up Like Box For Blogger

Last September i published a post showing How to add a one time Email Rss subscription pop up on Blogger.Since then i have had a number of requests for a similar gadget but with a Facebook page like box instead of the Email form.So in this post we have just that.When a visitor lands on your blog a pop up box will appear with the option to like your Facebook page.The gadget will only appear on the first visit so your readers or you wont have to see it every time.
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The Significance of Social Media, Author Verification and Engagement

Guest Post By Erik Braunitzer

One of the biggest things bloggers and columnists are hearing about today in regards to their products, services or writing is authorship.The search giant’s Google’s results now filter with images representing authorship for each individual blog entry. This is especially helpful for people wanting to know who’s writing about what. Inherently, these writers are establishing authority. But not only can you simply establish authorship/authority through an site-specific author-bio, you can also do it through social media.
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How And Why To Log Into Facebook As Your Fan Or Like Page Not Your Profile - Video Post

In this Video Post we look at a feature of Facebook some of you may not know, I didn't know myself until recently.Most of you will have a Facebook Fan Page or Like Page for your Blog and If you have not you should create a fan page for your blog.Did you know you can log into Facebook as your Fan Page Or Like page (I keep saying both Fan and Like as Facebook are trying to have them referred to as like pages but many still know them as fan pages).Now the advantage of logging in as your Fan Page or Like Page is two fold, the notifications and other updates that are displayed are for the page not your profile and as you navigate your way around Facebook any comments or information you leave will also be left as your page not your profile.Confused Yet ? In the video i show exactly how it's done and the advantages, it can even help you get more fans !

How To Log Into Facebook As Your Fan Page Video Tutorial

Have You Liked Spice Up Your Blog Yet ? Click Like Below Now !

That's it, make sure to check out more of our Facebook Tips For Bloggers.

Drop Your Comments And Questions Below.

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Polaroid Icons Blog Subscription Gadget With Rollover Effect

The other day i posted 3 very cool sets of icons you could use to let people subscribe to your Rss Feed, Twitter and Facebook Page.In that post i gave you the code for the icons ready to use, you just had to add your URLs then copy and paste.Two of the icon sets were very similar both having a Polaroid Picture Design.One was fresh and bright while the other had a vintage worn look.This lead me to thinking wouldn't it be cool to have the worn vintage Polaroid icons in your sidebar and when someone hovers over them they switch to the bright clean icon.This is called a rollover effect. I'm sure you have seen image rollover effects before and this is a great way to use it.
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Three Cool Blog Subscription Gadgets With Unique Icons

This week while doing a few jobs on blogs i added some very cool subscription icons to the sidebars.The icons link to the Rss Feed and Facebook and Twitter profiles for the blog.Pop the new Blogger Follow By Email Form gadget below the icons and you have all the main subscription options offered to readers.Anyway the icons look great one set is in the design of Polaroid photographs, the second set is the Polaroid Photograph Design but with a worn vintage feel and the third are very bright and colorful with a slight 3d look.I thought some readers of Spice Up Your Blog might like them so i have the code here and instructions to add them to your blog.The demo icons are connected to our Rss, Facebook and Twitter so you can check them out and subscribe, Like and Follow if you ain't already.

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Add The Brand New Facebook Send Button To Your Blog

Facebook have just created a brand new shiny button you can add to your blog for people to share your content.The button was released just today so it's not even a day old and you can be one of the first to have it on their blog, Yep people will be seeing it for the first time and checking it out on your blog ! So what is the new Facebook button and what does it do ?

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Text Wrapped Twitter And Facebook Buttons At Top Of Posts

Today as i was replying to the Emails from my contact form i got a bit of a surprise.One Email asked "I like to add Facebook share and tweet buttons to my blog post same like your blog (share and tweet buttons at the beginning of the post text). thanks:)".So i went to my list of posts page for Spice Up Your Blog to get the link to the tutorial for this to send back.Then i realised i have never actually covered it in a post.

I have showed how to have a Twitter counter at the top of your posts and even a Ttwitter and Facebook button in a fixed floating position, but not how to have the Twitter and Facebook Counter Buttons at the start of posts wrapped in text.It's actually quiet an easy tutorial..

So lets do it !

The Twitter button i will be using is the Most recent updated Twitter Button that includes a link to your Twitter Profile.You will see if you use the Twitter button on any of the posts in this blog the link you post on Twitter includes a link to my Twitter Profile and once you share the link you are given the option to follow me (If Your Not Already).So the button not only gets people sharing your posts but also gets you more followers.The facebook button is the standard counter button not the Like Button.

I am using these buttons at the time of writing the post but as you know I'm always changing so for future reference i have a live demo below.

Live Demo - Twitter And Facebook Button Demo

Add Twitter And Facebook Buttons To Blogger

Step 1. In Your Blogger Dashboard Click > Design > Edit Html > Tick The Expand Widget Templates Box.







Step 2. Find the following piece of code in your blogs Html : (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code - More Info)

<data:post.body/>

Step 3. Copy And Paste The Following Code Directly Before / Above <data:post.body/>

<div style='float:left; margin-right:10px;'>
<a class='twitter-share-button' data-count='vertical' data-via='PaulCrowePro' href='http://twitter.com/share'>Tweet</a><script src='http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js' type='text/javascript'/><br/>
<a href='http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php' name='fb_share' type='box_count'>Share</a><script src='http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/connect.php/js/FB.Share' type='text/javascript'/><br/><a href='http://www.spiceupyourblog.com'><img alt='Best Blogger Tips' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwDQBkV-dP7LhydxyuxCOyhOTRw_6jtGHxR0_MtA9n_IuR4Fp2ZZ1KSoVo1tFQoDaSGMEYUeuPBUUA1-8YVoXRmqjHEsMNDgjiBZf9cqVbslomIFuB4irXi45b_YW4LTKRwKcmM5CAV0P/s1600/best+blogger+tips.png'/></a>
</div>

Important - Replace My Twitter Username In Red PaulCrowePro With Yours, If you don't have one Leave It Blank.

Step 4 Save Your Template.

The buttons will now be at the start of all your posts for readers to share your content, we have lots more Social Bookmarking Gadgets for you to check out.

Drop Your Comments, Views And Questions Below.

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Add The Compact Facebook Like Icon Button To Your Blog

Back in April i wrote the post 'Add The New Facebook Like This Share Icon To Your Blog Posts' showing you how to add the then new Facebook Like Icon to your blog.This has been a very popular post and in this post i will show you how to add a New compact version of the button to your blog.The great thing with the Facebook Like Button is how easy it make it for readers to share your posts on Facebook.All that's required is one click and readers don't need to leave your blog, or get a pop up and have to fill in details.The differance between the default button and the compact button is the Compact button does not have any text just the button.

Live Demo - Here is a working version of the button i will be showing you how to add to your blog.

Try It Out :

Add The Compact Facebook Like Button To Blogger

As with the default Facebook Like Button i will show you how to place the button At the top of your posts and below your posts.

Step 1. To have the button anywhere on your blog you must first add a little javascript to your template.Find the following piece of code in your blogs Html : (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code - More Info)

</head>

Step 2. Paste This code Directly Above/Before </head>

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js"></script>

Step 3. Find the following code in your blogs Html :
(Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code - More Info)

<data:post.body/>

Note - If this code is in your template more than once find the last occurrence.

Step 4. Copy the Like button code below :

<a href='http://www.spiceupyourblog.com'><img alt='Best Blogger Tips' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwDQBkV-dP7LhydxyuxCOyhOTRw_6jtGHxR0_MtA9n_IuR4Fp2ZZ1KSoVo1tFQoDaSGMEYUeuPBUUA1-8YVoXRmqjHEsMNDgjiBZf9cqVbslomIFuB4irXi45b_YW4LTKRwKcmM5CAV0P/s1600/best+blogger+tips.png'/></a><a class="addthis_button_facebook_like"></a>

Above Posts - To place the Compact Like Button at the top of your posts paste the button code Above <data:post.body/>

Below Posts - To place the compact like button at the bottom of your posts paste the button code Below <data:post.body/>

You can also add the button code to a Html/Javascript gadget in your sidebar or elsewhere in your design page.

Tip - If you have Images, Video or other media in your posts add the button code below them in the post.This will get more people sharing yor posts, however add the button code just before you publish and publish when viewing the post editor in Html view.

That's you compact Faceook Like Icon, check out more great Facebook tips for your blog.Let us know what you think or if you need extra help in the comments.

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Rss Graffiti - Automatically Share Your Posts On Facebook

In previous tutorials we have seen how you can automatically share your latest blog posts on you Facebook profile and Pages.One of the options we looked at was Twitter Feed which has since added a 'Paid Pro' option making the free option poor at best.Twitter Feed and other options we previously looked at were outside websites that you granted permissions to update your wall.In this post we will see how you can use Feed Graffiti to automatically grab your latest posts and share them on Both your Facebook profile and Fan Pages.Feed Graffiti is an application on Facebook making it much easier to use and more reliable and in my opinion the best auto update app available.Rss Graffiti give you the option to share three types of update to your profile and pages walls.Standard - Publishes a text excerpt and any available media (image, audio or video).Compact - Intended to publish short stories from microblogs like Twitter without changing your Facebook status.Status Updates - Similar to "Compact" style, but instead of just writing on your wall it will also update your Facebook status.

How To Connect With Rss Graffiti On Facebook

1. First make sure you are logged into the Facebook profile you want to automatically update, or the account that controls your Fan Page.

2. Follow this link to the Rss Graffiti app page - Rss Graffiti On Facebook.

3. You are now required to grant Rss Graffiti permissions to your profile (You can add your pages later).Click the authorize button and follow the steps.

4. Once returned to the Rss Graffiti page you can choose to update your Profile or Pick a fan page from the sidebar (If you choose a fan page you need to grant some extra permissions).

5. Once you have selected your page or profile click the 'Add Feed' button then add your blogs Rss Feed, Name, URL and choose the style.You can generate a preview of the way the updates will appear on your Facebook profile or page.

6. Once everything is entered save and your Latest Blog Posts will be automatically shared on your Facebook profile and pages !

That's it now all your Facebook friends see your posts as soon as you publish, you might want to check out How To Automatically Digg Your Blog Posts.Let us know what you think of Rss Graffiti or if you need more help, we have lots more Facebook Tips To Help Your Blog.Enjoy !

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Auto Share Your Posts On 35 Social Networks

When you add a new post to your blog you want to update your friends and followers on Social Networks and Social Bookmark sites.The more sites you share your latest post on the more visitors you get to your blog but updating lots of sites often takes longer than writing the post in the first place.

That's were ping service Ping.Fm comes in.Ping.Fm can automatically update 35 social network and bookmarking websites with one click.So when you publish your latest post you can auto update Facebook, Facebook Pages, Twitter, Google Buzz, Myspace, LinkedIn, Posterous, Delicious and more..


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Add Fixed Scroll Twitter, Rss And Facebook Icons To Your Blog

One of the things all bloggers strive to achieve is building a following.Be it getting readers to subscribe to your RSS Feed, Email Feed, Follow on Twitter or become a Facebook fan.Here on Spice Up your Blog we have published lots of posts with tips and tricks to make it as easy as possible for people to connect with your blog and get the updates.In this post i have a smart gadget that will display icons for your Rss, Email Rss Twitter and Facebook on the side of your blog.The icons have a 'Follow' message above them and are Fixed so when the visitors scroll the gadgets moves down the page also.

The icons are in a great position making it as easy as possible for readers to avail of any of the options.I have also chosen Social icons that are big enough to grab the attention of the reader yet small enough to not get in the way or block any content.So this is the perfect gadget for your blog and it's really easy to add, lets add these fixed icons to your blog.

Screenshot :



Live Demo - Fixed Social Icon Gadget.

How To Add The Fixed Icon Gadget

Step 1. In your dashboard click 'Design' > 'Add A Gadget'



Step 2. Choose A Html/Javascript Gadget



Step 3. Copy the code below and paste it into the Html/Javascript gadget :

<div style='position: fixed; bottom: 30%; right: 1%;'/><a href="http://www.spiceupyourblog.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8rgpTMgN5mE0tX76UnfIkThHIyNbQSFfJP3trgCzv-XDxCrLaTccaqaDiq_dRoN6pvY43pzXMCzChyphenhyphenRgK1TwN8UMHoNATaSW-oXUpS7Hbqza82DmYiMIFxO8-gxXIttMBf9fTag8GxGS/s1600/follow-word-f00-right.png" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/TWITER USERNAME/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjTJmlV4uu1DP43WohtVk5I-NJR0CBOcsE8p_gEz7sWyEd_5I8zGgTm_UeTEF287aNkGY9h06dZ6OXIGtAc6RPLxVFPcstXHIvmdY-wxkGsgUcjW9bL6rNcRLIZ-70W8ufHjCrv5CIXKi/s1600/icon20x20_twitter-blue.png" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/FACEBOOK USERNAME/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPlUFERkd8wJrLcGmObDFI00hWBt5NQa1fx0axF6PCQCbiPCQ89EYsNxTzbkkOZsMzWQFd6O9kBAd2xDMY_w0ixCtB41vHbGNnE7bGVANws5IOy3zpIzBKX3uVBzWFErcbn6DG7X72I5_/s1600/icon-facebook.gif" /></a><br /><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/FEEDBURNER ID" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Yq9wc8OksOWfvDrrJfc6O1HyDWWsmD09XBO0dELVsSGUZquT0O5Nq7R-wiuMyo8E9y9LC2F3nM-zFY5V51mhE_48Tos0hnYIOUqfjmlzyiXOnWM1UPwuojxBMPLOurjwgQ3bWfKMmqMB/s1600/icon_rss_small_pc.png" /></a><br /><a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=FEEDBURNER ID&amp;loc=en_US" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstmloxsC3wF5AFW8hKehSC_a6NMwxiNvhSgUQhbiVfBBoEKFZqS_7k7JaF89ohX7h_DWsN6H4_HhPPCsbvdrS8XzxjIakGapQ36f4C3RL8C746LJU2iIVVOn9N9pYvUbc6x_BmU3Jpne4/s1600/rss-email.gif" /></a></div><a href='http://www.spiceupyourblog.com'><img alt='Best Blogger Tips' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwDQBkV-dP7LhydxyuxCOyhOTRw_6jtGHxR0_MtA9n_IuR4Fp2ZZ1KSoVo1tFQoDaSGMEYUeuPBUUA1-8YVoXRmqjHEsMNDgjiBZf9cqVbslomIFuB4irXi45b_YW4LTKRwKcmM5CAV0P/s1600/best+blogger+tips.png'/></a>

You now need to add your Twitter and Facebook Usernames and you feedburner ID were shown in red.Once you have made the necessary changes to the code you can save the gadget.

Drop Your Comments, Views And Questions Below.

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Fixed Floating Twitter And Facebook Share Buttons

In recent posts we have had a deep look into bookmarking and getting more viewers from social networks and social bookmarking websites.One of the key factors in getting people to share your posts was making it as easy as possible for them to do so.On most blogs there are bookmarking icons below the posts so when a reader is finished reading the post they have the option to share it.But what if the option to share was available throughout the post and followed them as they read ?

After writing the last post on social bookmarking i decided to look into creating floating bookmarking buttons.The buttons i wanted would be positioned in the bottom corner of the page and as the reader scrolled the buttons would stay fixed in position.At the time of writing i have the fixed social buttons on this blog in the bottom right corner.In case i change in the future you can see how they look on the Demonstration Blog Here.

Screenshot

I have used only Facebook And Twitter Buttons, Other could be added.




There are a number of ways to position the buttons but i have found a very easy way that just involves adding code to a gadget on your Layout/Design page.

Add The Social Buttons To Your Blog

Step 1. In your dashboard click 'Layout/Design' > 'Add A Gadget' > 'Choose Html/Javascript'

Step 2. Copy the code below and paste it into the html/javascript gadget :

<a href='http://www.spiceupyourblog.com'><img alt='Best Blogger Tips' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwDQBkV-dP7LhydxyuxCOyhOTRw_6jtGHxR0_MtA9n_IuR4Fp2ZZ1KSoVo1tFQoDaSGMEYUeuPBUUA1-8YVoXRmqjHEsMNDgjiBZf9cqVbslomIFuB4irXi45b_YW4LTKRwKcmM5CAV0P/s1600/best+blogger+tips.png'/></a><div style='position: fixed; bottom: 1%; left: 1%;'/>
<br />
<table border="0"><tr><td>
<script type='text/javascript'>
tweetmeme_url = &#39;<data:post.url/>&#39;;
</script>
<script src='http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js' type='text/javascript'> </script>
</td><td>
<a name="fb_share" type="box_count" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php">Share</a><script src="http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/connect.php/js/FB.Share" type="text/javascript"></script>
</td></tr></table>
</div><a href="http://www.spiceupyourblog.com" target="_blank"><small>Get Floating Social Buttons</small></a>

Move Gadget Position

You can change the position of the buttons by makeing a change to the code.The current position is bottom left as highlighted in red.

bottom: 1%; left: 1%;

To put the buttons in the bottom right corner change like this :

bottom: 1%; right: 1%;
top: 1%; left: 1%;
top: 1%; right: 1%;

Once you have the code entered save the gadget and check out the result on your blog.

What do you think ? Let us know !

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How To Make A Professional Facebook Fan Page For Your Blog

This is the third post in a row on using Facebook to promote your blog.This time we will look at Facebook fan pages, how to create them and how to spice them up.Anyone can create a Facebook fan page and it's absolutely free.All you need is a Facebook account.



Starting Out - Follow this link and go to Facebook Pages.Then click the 'Create A Page' button in the top right corner.Then Choose category Brand, product or organisation, and Sub category 'Website'.Give your page a name and click 'Create Official Page'.That's it your page is live and ready to get spiced.

Create A Landing Page - Creating a landing page is a great option to let people know what you are about instead of sending them directly to the wall.This is a good Video by Pat Flynn showing exactly how it's done..In the video he tells you you need to get the Static Fbml application so here is the link : Static Fbml on Facebook



You can also use static Fbml to create other Html pages for your Fan Page.Here is how the Spice Up Your Blog  landing page looks :

You can check out the Spice Up Your Blog Fan Page Here

Auto Post Your Latest Blog Posts In Fan Page - You will want to update your fan page with your latest posts and you can have this done automatically.A great free service you can use is TwitterFeed, as the name suggests TwitterFeed also auto posts to Twitter.You can see how it's done in this post from last October - How To Automatically Share Your Latest Posts On Twitter and Facebook

Import Your Entire Blog Onto Facebook - You can have your entire blog and full posts available on Facebook.You can see how in this post : Import Full Blog Onto Facebook

Update - Create An Easy Url For Your Fan Page

Chelsea FC-True Blue asked in the comments "Can you tell how to create a separate facebook page for a website? Like www.facebook.com/yourwebsite" .

Great question, the answer is yes and heres how it's done.

First you can create more than one fan page (Im not sure exactly how many or if there is any limit).Once you have created your fan page it will have a long URL, the old Spice Up Your Blog fan page url was -

www.facebook.com/pages/Spice-Up-Your-Blog/248465525582

You now have the option to change it to something easier like i did by changing it to -

www.facebook.com/spiceupyourblog

To change the URL of your Facebook Fan Page (You can also change your profile URL) got to this page : http://www.facebook.com/username/
and follow the steps.

Once again great question Chelsea Fan i had never thought of creating a URL for my Fan page until now :D


Inspiration - These are just a few easy steps you can take to make a professional Fan Page for your blog.Make sure to invite all your current friends to be members and keep your Fan Page updated.To get some inspiration why not check out the 30 most popular Fan Pages on Facebook, you can see who was most popular here : 30 Biggest Facebook Fan Pages

Drop Your Comments And Questions Below.

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8 Awesome Facebook Gadgets For Your Blog

In the last post we talked about using Facebook to promote your blog, and how having people share your blog on Facebook is like getting free advertising.I also told you how i have really been working at promoting my blogs on social network and social bookmarking sites, the results really did point to Facebook as the best option with the most potential traffic.I go more in dept in that post and it is recommended reading here's the link : How Facebook Can Turn Your Blog Into An Overnight Success

At the end of that post i promised to give you a few Facebook tips to help you get people sharing your content on Facebook, and to help you create a professional Facebook fan page for your blog.The next post will look at the Facebook fan page but today we will see the options available to get people sharing your blog with their Facebook friends.

Facebook Taking The Lead - Recently Facebook made it possable for Bloggers to add a simple Like Icon to their blog.This in my opinion was Facebook taking the lead in making it as easy as possible for people to share content.The Facebook Like Button just requires one click and the user does not need to go to their account or fill out an annoying Catcha (Word verification).So sharing a blog post, video or any link now takes less than a second.Remember the pop up window, choose an image, add a description and fill the catcha ?

In April just after Facebook released the Like Icon i showed you how to add the basic icon to your blog in this post : Add The New Facebook Like This Share Icon To Your Blog Posts.Since then Facebook Developers have come up with some awesome gadgets, from a box that displays the profile pictures of people who liked the post to a sidebar gadget that shows updates from your Facebook profile.Lets look at the gadgets currently available and how to add them to your blog.

Update 17th June 2012 - Facebook have relesed a Facebook For Wordpress Plugin That allows you to easily add these gadgets and more to your Wordpress Blog.

8 Facebook Blog Gadgets

Like Button - The Basic Button

"..The Like button lets users share pages from your site back to their Facebook profile with one click.."



Recommendations

"..The Recommendations plugin gives users personalized suggestions for pages on your site they might like..."




Facebook Login Button

"..The Login Button shows profile pictures of the user's friends who have already signed up for your site in addition to a login button.."



Facebook Comments

"..The Comments plugin lets users comment on any piece of content on your site.."




Facebook Activity Feed

"..The Activity Feed plugin shows users what their friends are doing on your site through likes and comments..."

Facebook Like Box

"..The Like Box enables users to like your Facebook Page and view its stream directly from your website.."

Facebook Face Pile

"..The Facepile plugin shows profile pictures of the user's friends who have already signed up for your site.."

Facebook Live Stream

"..The Live Stream plugin lets your users share activity and comments in real-time as they interact during a live event.."

How To Add These Gadgets To Your Blog - Your probably wondering were the code is for these gadgets.Well the code for all the gadgets is available on the Facebook developers page.Simply Follow this link and click on the gadget you wish to add to your blog to get the code : Facebook Developers Gadgets

Were To Put The Gadgets

Some of these gadgets will work fine in your sidebar, so just add a gadget, Choose Html/Javascript and paste in the code.However you should add on of the like gadgets or share gadgets at the top or bottom of each post to make it easier for people to use.

Steps To Add Gadgets To Your Blog

Step 1. In Your (New Design) Blogger Dashboard Click The Drop Down Menu For Your Blog > Choose Template > Then Edit Html > Now Proceed > Tick The Expand Widget Templates Box as shown in the video Below :

Below Post Title - To add the button directly below the post titles Find the following code in your blogs Html :
(Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code - More Info)

<div class="post-header-line-1">

Now paste the facebook button code Directly Below / Under
<div class="post-header-line-1">

Above All Posts - To add the button at the top of the posts Find the following code in your blogs Html
(Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code - More Info)

</data:post.body>

Now paste the Facebook button code Directly Before / Above </data:post.body>

Below All Posts - To add the button directly below the posts Find the following code in your blogs Html :

(Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code - More Info)

</data:post.body>

Now paste the Facebook code Directly Below / Under </data:post.body>

I would recommend checking out all the gadgets and seeing which works best for you.Some of these gadgets can be connected to a Facebook fan page, Have you created a Fan Page for your blog ? Well in the next post of this 3 part Series on Facebook we will look at how to create a face book fan page and more importantly how to Spice Up Your Face Book Fan Page.

Drop Your Comments And Questions Below.

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How Facebook Can Turn Your Blog Into An Overnight Success

Having your blog and blog posts shared on social networks and social bookmarking websites is kinda like getting free advertising.If the right people share your blog it can have a viral effect and could lead to lots of new visitors, members and subscribers.Think of a video one of your friends (We will call him John) added to their wall, you see it on your Facebook homepage and click the like icon below.Now all your friends also get to see the video on their homepage even though they are not friends with John.When one of them also clicks the like icon all their friends also get to see the video and they don't know John or you !.

This is a very realistic ripple effect that happens to thousands of blog posts, videos, links and pictures on Facebook every day.All you have to do is get the ball rolling and have a little luck.I'm afraid i cant help you with the luck but their are steps you can take to get the ball rolling.The first and most important thing you can do is make it as easy as possible for people to share your blog on Facebook.



Share The Love - I personally share a lot of content on Facebook and Twitter, We all like to share a funny article, Picture or video with friends.In fact i share the latest post from one of my favorite Funny Stuff blogs called Oddee every single day.It's possible that i have sent thousands of people to Oddee just by clicking a Like Button.I'm happy sharing funny content with my friends and Oddee are trilled to be getting the traffic.

Oddee like all the top blogs and websites make it as easy as possible for you to share their content.They have links to all the top networking and bookmarking sites at the top and bottom of every post.On the top Tech blog Mashable you can not scroll to any part of the page that does not contain a social icon of some description, they almost over do it (Note - Just had a quick look and the latest post on Mashable has been Tweeted 1339 times and shared on Facebook 258 times - guess it works).

I can say without any doubt that on not even one occasion have i gone looking for a button to share a post or link.In the same vein i never think half way through reading a post "I think i will share this on Twitter".Sharing a post, image or video is an off the cuff decision we make when presented with the options at the end.In fact, silly as it may seem, it's proven that when there is a message at the foot of a blog post with something like "Please Leave A Comment" more people tend to leave a comment.Yes we are like trained dogs when we browse the Internet.

Social Networking V's Social Bookmarking - I'm not a huge believer in the power of Bookmarking sites like Digg and Stumble Upon (Check out the article i wrote on infobarrel last January - Becoming Popular On StumbleUpon Is Like A Bad One Night Stand), but i do believe Facebook can have a huge impact.In fact i believe Facebook alone could turn a blog into a success overnight.The people that hang out on Digg, Stumble Upon, Reddit and the rest are experienced Internet users, how many people go online for the first time and open an account on Digg ? How many would even know what Digg or social bookmarking is all about ? But even your Gran has heard of Facebook.

So whats wrong with experienced Internet users ?

Well on the face of it nothing at all but new or casual Internet users offer much more.

Experienced users scan content and move on quickly they've seen it all before.

Experienced users are already subscribed to too many Rss Feeds and Newsletters so you gotta be special to entice them.

Experienced users have trained themselves to not even see AdSense and other ads (I recon it's a few years since i last clicked on an AdSense ad).

Experienced users are sceptics, before they even start they have the opinion most sites are garbage so you have to prove different and you don't have long.

The new or casual Internet user has no such preconceptions.They are open minded and looking to be informed.You have the chance to make a first impression and just a little effort could see you pick up a life long fan.And Facebook is full of millions of these new users just crying out for a blog they can visit to pass half an hour.Even if your blog is on a subject as obscure as multi colored socks you can be sure there are people with similar interests to be found on Facebook.

From Myspace To Facebook - Being a long time Blogger from the time when Myspace and Bebo controlled the budding social networking landscape i am still struggling to get on board the social bandwagon.Bands and girls on web cams (Not putting both in the same category) were the only people using Myspace to promote.Posting a link to your blog on the Myspace homepage was almost seen as spam, people still have to click a second link on a page warning them your blog could be a phishing website looking to steal their identity!



Spice up your blog however is a blog for experienced Internet users, not many new or casual Internet users keep a blog or would know how to.So i have been climbing the social bandwagon with some of my other blogs and the overwhelming evidence is Facebook has the most traffic to offer.On a Guitar based blog i write i was able to turn almost zero traffic from Facebook to Facebook actually providing 25% of total traffic in one month ! Stats that defiantly opened my eyes, also that blog gets similar visitor numbers as Spice Up Your Blog yet it earns 3 times more revenue.

Remember you can get all these tips sent directly to your email and stay a step ahead.Its a quick and easy service Provided for Free by Google.Just fill in the Email form below the post. If you need extra help on this or any tutorial just leave a comment, I love comments and feedback so this Blog is Do-Follow - when you comment here it helps Your Blogs Google rank !

Helping You Get On The Social Bandwagon - So that's my case for really targeting Facebook to promote your blog.In the next two posts i will show you steps you can take to get people sharing your content and also how to set up a professional looking Facebook fan page.


Have you had success using Facebook to promote your blog ?


Do you agree that Facebook is the best social network/bookmark site for getting visitors ?


Have you any tips for using social websites to promote blogs ?


Let us know.And Click The Like Icon Below  ↓↓↓↓↓   :)

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Add The New Facebook Like This Share Icon To Your Blog Posts

Facebook have just made a simple Like Button available for bloggers and webmasters.The Like Button or Icon will be a great help in the effort to get readers sharing your posts on Facebook.Social networks and social bookmarking sites are constantly coming up with ways to make it easier for people to share the content they find online with their friends.From Twitter to Digg and Facebook to Stumble Upon there are lots of buttons and icons available on blogs, news sites and other websites allowing you to share their stuff with others.

While this is great for users to let their friends know what they find interesting as a blogger it's one of the best ways to get your blog content shared and attract new readers.We covered this subject in more dept a while back in a post titled What is social bookmarking /How does it work / How can it help my blog ?.Facebook have just released a new option for people to easily share your blog and in this post i will show you how to be one of the first to make this option available to your readers.

The new button just made available from Facebook make sharing blogs as easy as possible and this is great news for us bloggers.With the New Facebook Like Button Just one click is required in the very same way as you would click like on a friends picture or comment your own Facebook homepage.Unlike other sharing options you don't get a pop up or have to go to the website you just click like or recommend and your done...Nice Ehh ?

Update - We Recently Added A Post With A New Compact Facebook Like Icon You can use.

Update 2 - You can now add the New Facebook Send Button beside you Like Button - The New Facebook Send Button.

New Facebook Like Button Demo

Below is a working example of the Like Button, Try It Out !

How to add the facebook buttons to your Blog

First up i will give you the code for the button and then we will look at were you can add the buttons in your blog posts.

Facebook Like Button Code :

<iframe allowTransparency='true' expr:src='&quot;http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=&quot; + data:post.url + &quot;&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=false&amp;width=100&amp;action=like&amp;font=arial&amp;colorscheme=light&quot;' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:450px; height:40px;'/>

Were To Place The Button

In this post we will look at three places you can add the button

*Below the post title
*At the top of the post
*Below the entire post

First go to your blogs html by following these three steps - In your dashboard click 'Layout' > 'Edit Html' > Tick the 'Expand Widget Templates' box.

To add the button directly below the post titles Find the following code in your blogs Html :
(Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code - More Info)

<div class='post-header-line-1'>

Now paste the facebook button code Directly Below / Under <div class='post-header-line-1'>

To add the button at the top of the posts Find the following code in your blogs Html
(Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code - More Info)

<data:post.body/>

Now paste the Facebook button code Directly Before / Above <data:post.body/>

To add the button directly below the posts Find the following code in your blogs Html :

(Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code - More Info)

<data:post.body/>

Now paste the Facebook code Directly Below / Under <data:post.body/>

Once you have the Facebook code pasted were you want the button to appear and your template saved go check out your new share option.


More From Facebook - Follow this link to check out our recent post bringing you 8 Great Facebook Icons and widgets for your blog !

Drop Your Comments And Questions Below.

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