how to create polls to increase blog, social media traffic

I’m experimenting with posting simple polls on social media. 

Not the political or statistically perfect variety.  I’m talking quick-hit, kinda-fun options that help me know my followers better and build community.  This post shows how to set up a poll in 30-minutes or less on a blog or social media sites.

I became intrigued when I saw how polls attracted followers in one of my Facebook groups.  Plus, it was fun to weigh in and instantly see how my thoughts stacked up with others’.  For authors, polls can gather instant feedback on topics of interest to book lovers.  Which title is the best?  What’s the best book cover?  Select the best character name from this list.

Alas, Facebook's polling app wasn't available for my business page, so I searched for inexpensive, easy alternatives and discovered polldaddy.com. 

So far, I’m pleased using the app's free version.  Poll-embedded posts on my business Facebook page and blog scored positive feedback and increased reader engagement.   Here’s how I incorporated a simple question-and-response set on my social media sites.

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1.     Log onto polldaddy.com

• Create an account through Wordpress and log in.  
  I don’t use Wordpress, but I created an account there and selected polldaddy's free plan to start.  You may also want to take the brief site tutorial.
• From the dashboard, select create new and then poll.
  

1. Log on; create new poll from your dashboard

2.  Create the poll question and responses

• Write a strong question in the poll question box that appeals to your followers.
  
• Type responses below, adding more or using the delete button.
• Make public -- or not -- by checking the box under the poll question.  (As an author, I want my polls to be public, so I checked that option.)
• Consider uploading images (via media button) to draw visual interest.  Morguefile and Pixabay have oodles of free, creative commons photos you can use.

2. Create a strong question and response set

3.  Adjust Settings
Settings are at the bottom of the question screen, so scroll down to find them. I selected these free setting options:

• Allow multiple selections: people can select more than one response
• Allow users to enter their own comments (typically must be on polldaddy site)
  
  Advanced Poll Settings
• Poll closing:  Keep Open
• Sharing: Allow sharing …Please!
• Restrictions: all restrictions require paid accounts, so I didn’t use these
• Repeat voters: I picked block by cookie and expires in 1 week. I don’t mind if someone wants to return in 7 days to vote again.  This isn’t a giveaway or scientific poll that demands accuracy!
• Results: I selected show results to voters because I want everyone to easily see the results.

3. Select settings and click 'create poll'

4.   Select style, size; Preview

• Pick a simple style in a medium size that’s easy on the eyes and good for general use @ 300px.
• Scroll down to preview  If your poll looks great, select save style setting  or return to settings to edit.
• Next, pick the language preference. Mine was English, but it’s nice to have options if you live in a multi-language culture.  I didn’t change any default language prompts.

4. Style, Language and Preview

5.    Publish Link, Embed Code
Almost done! From the dashboard, click collect votes to find links and embed codes for your social media platforms.  

• Copy the embed code for a website, Wordpress, or Tumbr 
• Post a link for IM, twitter 
• Send a poll via email
• While you can link Facebook to Polldaddy, Facebook won't link the app to a business page.  Instead, copy the hyperlink to post on a Facebook business/author page.
  

5. Collect Votes: Select social media platforms; post links

6.  View Results
Ahhhh… the fun part.  Sit back and watch your answers sort themselves out.  Enjoy a lovely pie chart or bar graph to share or use for future posts.

6. View, share results

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 I love adding polls to my writerly toolkit and hope you find them useful, too.  I want to test polls on Twitter next and create silly quizzes for kids about my books for my website and e-books. A final thought: my polls are neither scientific nor statistically significant AND, like all good things, are best used in moderation.

Please give the poll we just created a test drive, and let me know what you think in the comments section.  Happy polling!

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We're all on this writing journey together.  
Please join the conversation in the comment section.
How might polls work for you? 
What additional suggestions or resources can you add?

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