A Successful Blog Requires More Than Writing
Writing by Brick Marketing in Content Marketing
One of the most important things to understand about business blogging is that it can be a challenging endeavor. It takes time to brainstorm a post topic idea, research the topic, write a post, edit a post, publish a post, and then monitor the post once it’s gone live. All of that may seem like enough work, but if you want your blog to succeed, it’s really only the tip of the iceberg. Even though you may be writing lots of great content, there is no promise that “if you write it, they will come”. There is no guaranteed audience for your business blog, which is why many bloggers give up after a few short months. The work has only just begun once you hit “publish”. If you want to generate traffic to your blog you will need to make people aware of its existence by promoting it. Here are 5 ways to market your blog to target audience members:
Comment on other industry blogs
Spend some time researching other blogs that are related to your niche. Reading these blogs regularly will not only improve your knowledge and provide you with topic ideas for your own blog, but also provide the opportunity to network with others that are interested in something similar. If the blog allows comments, write a thoughtful comment that includes your stance on a particular topic and include a link back to your blog in the URL field of the comments section. If the blog author or others reading the blog think that what you have to say is interesting, they will click over to learn more.
Submit guest posts
As a blogger you understand how difficult it can be to create quality content on a regular basis. Many bloggers supplement their own content with content that is provided by others. During your blog commenting, look for industry blogs that offer guest posting opportunities and reach out to the blogger. Guest posts typically include a link back to the guest author’s own blog.
Utilize social media
If you want to get new social media followers that would be interested in your blog content you will need to work at it. Join LinkedIn groups that are related to your niche and share content there. On Twitter, use appropriate hashtags, search for others with similar interests and follow them, and post at appropriate times of day. Encourage others to share your content too by including social sharing buttons on every blog post.
Submit to blog directories
If people are looking for blogs on a particular topic or within a particular niche for their research, they may browse a blog directory. Submit your blog to all of the major blog directories and be sure to include a link to the blog as well as a detailed description of the kind of content that you provide.
Optimize posts
Blog posts that are well optimized can appear in the search engines as they gain trust over time. This ensures that your blog posts “have legs” and continue to generate traffic to your site/blog over time.
