There is no doubt that blogging has become one of the most popular  vehicles for gaining attention online. Blogging gives a voice to those things you may have trouble expressing in any other way. And blogging is a great way to get noticed by the search engines and more importantly by our target audience.

You can make money blogging. You can build credibility blogging and more importantly you can become the thought leader in your industry thru blogging.

Social networking is a dominant force in the media. It dominates online news distribution. Social media can help your blog get seen, and more importantly followed and read. And shared with others.

With blogging you can promote in a way that is subtle and sincere. Create great content and your social networks will promote it for you. In order for your blog to get noticed, you need to have a constant appearance online.

How do you do that? How do you increase traffic to your blog to become the thought leader. You MUST get really good at networking online. Maximize your networking skills.

WRITE. A lot. And then write some more.

Then share it. Everywhere.

So how do you start?

Post your blog titles on Twitter with links to read the entire article.

Post excerpts of your blog on LinkedIn. Update your status on LinkedIn often. Your updates show up on your timeline and the timelines of those who follow you. Connect with others that complement what you do.  Build a collaborative network. The saying “one hand washes the other” is indeed true on social media. Help others promote their stuff and it will increase your chances of them promoting yours.

Create a Facebook page for your blog. Share your blog content there. Be sure to include links to read more. Make it easy for our audience to share your content with social buttons, “like” buttons and more.

When people comment on your posts on social media, comment back. Create a dialog. Interaction is the key to success in social media and it will go a long way to build your blog audience.

Invite your followers to share your content on Reddit, Dig, StumbleUpon and others.

Visit other blogs  to let other bloggers see your blog entries as well. Comment on content you find interesting or have an opinion about. Link back to your blog (if its relevant to the topic). Use commenting tools like Scrapebox, Disqus or Intense Debate sparingly. It is better to manually comment on blogs than to use tools that will spin the blog comments.

Let the media know about your blog posts. Follow leaders in your target media. Interact with them. Ask their advice. Find out what their readers like.  Give it to them.

Write for other blogs and link to a blog post you write.

Chat with other bloggers online.

Participate in blog forums.  Recommend your blog to those people who are seeking the type of information your blog provides.

List your blog in blog directories. Be sure and claim your blog on Technorati.

A blog is a never-ending story.  But you have to begin the story for readers to want to read more.

Social networking can and should be a driving force to improve your blog’s traffic.

Heidi Richards Mooney is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of WE Magazine for Women, a WordPress Web Designer, the author of a dozen books and a social media consultant and trainer. Heidi has interviewed hundreds of experts on Social Media Around the World. In 2003 Heidi was named one of 50 women shaping the Internet by the International Virtual Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In 2009 she was named a Twitter Woman to Follow by Only2Clicks.com. She works with solopreneurs, professionals and small businesses in ecommerce, direct sales and retail. Follow Heidi on Google Plus