How to Get Your Blog Out of Obscurity
Do you want your blog to stand out from the pack? Getting your blog or other content marketing noticed requires three distinct elements: developing the best content you can, leveraging your resources to promote your blog or content and making your blog sharable so that readers persuade their friends and colleagues to read it. This holds true for B2C, B2B, not-for-profit and personal blogs.
Here are thirty-one ways to increase your blog (or other content marketing) visibility.
Create strong content that stands out.
- Use killer headlines to lure readers in. Face it. Without a strong headline, your posts’ chances of getting read are greatly diminished. It’s worth your effort to spend time crafting the best headlines you can.
- Have a professional looking blog design. First impressions count! Regardless of whether you use your blog for personal or professional reasons, show readers you’re committed to blogging by incorporating strong blog design.
- Write about juicy topics. Think trending topics. Boost your content’s talkworthiness. There’s a reason that gossip and politics are hot blogging topics.
- Tell great stories. We’ve all been taught to listen to stories since we were young. Integrate stories into your posts to make them memorable.
- Incorporate keywords in your posts. Content, especially when delivered via a blog, supports search optimization. Focus each post on one keyword.
- Add visuals to attract attention. Humans are visual beings. Take advantage of this by using photographs and graphics in each post.
- Include other media formats. Use of video, audio and presentations helps get attention and supports your search. Of course, it critical to associate related text.
- Make content easy-to-scan. Big blocks of tiny text scare readers away because they look onerous and require extra work to read. Use short paragraphs and bullets to help readers.
- Link out to other blogs. Pointing to other relevant information and sources is integral to blogging. It also helps you get noticed by relevant content creators.
- Cross link to other relevant information on your website and blog. It’s also good to link to appropriate product information or articles on other parts of your website.
- Keep a consistent publishing schedule. Many new bloggers follow a laissez-faire approach to blogging and wait until the spirit moves them. While it’s your blog, if you don’t have a regular publishing schedule, readers will think that no one’s home.
- Invite guest bloggers to write for your blog. This is particularly helpful if they have strong writing skills and large followings that compliment your point of view.
- Interview well known people in your field. Find a good reason for interviewing someone well known in your category to get visibility. You can get their input via email or video as well.
- Review new books (books and e-books) in your category. Give your take-aways on the latest reads in your target segment.
Promote your blog. Let prospects know that your blog exists.
- Let readers receive posts via email. Offer readers the option of reading your content via email. This helps you expand your reach.
- Offer RSS feeds. Make it easy for readers to get your content via the method of their choice.
- Share your posts via social media platforms every time you publish. Use all of the major social media sites but avoid the me, me, me syndrome by also sharing other content relevant to your followers.
- Add your blog’s URL to your social media profiles. Take advantage of getting your blog seen by more people.
- Write guest blog posts for other related, non-competitive blogs. The idea is to give away your best writing to get your name in front of other bloggers and their readers.
- Acquire blog bling. Get your blog recognized as top in its category. (For example, this blog was short listed as one of the top social media blogs by Social Media Examiner.) Let your readers know by displaying the badges you’ve earned.
- Use other forms of internal media. Promote your blog across all of your internal communications and promotions. Think company emails like customer service, catalogs and flyers.
- Add a link in your email signature files. Instead of your company website, include your blog address.
- Include a link to your blog on your business cards. Promote your blog while you’re handing out your card. It’s a subtle way to get colleagues to pay attention.
- Run a contest. Have a special give away to get potential readers engaged.
Socialize your blog content. Make it easy for other people to share your content.
- Spotlight customers and others on your blog. Give your readers their fifteen seconds of fame. This gets people in your audience involved and spreads your name across their social media connections.
- Incorporate social sharing in every post. Place social sharing at the top and bottom so that readers can share it with their colleagues.
- Comment on other blogs. Don’t just leave spammy comments with links to your blog. Instead, contribute to the conversation. Build a relationship with the blogger and his readers.
- Respond to comments on your blog. Answer people who take the time to read your content. This shows that you’re part of the social media ecosphere. Go beyond just saying thank you for your comment.
- Participate in Twitter chats. Don’t push your blog posts, but rather introduce yourself when you enter the chat. For example, I say, Hi! I’m Heidi and I blog at HeidiCohen.com. Then your blog is part of the transcript of the chat.
- Answer questions on Q&A sites such as LinkedIn and Quora. Use question and answer sites to show your expertise.
- Advertise on social media networks to drive readers. Use advertising on selected platforms such as Facebook to engage prospects.
To get your blog (or other content marketing) noticed takes a combination of great content, letting people know your blog exists and making it easy for readers to share it with their friends and colleagues.
Is there anything else that you’d add to this list to get your blog greater visibility?
Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen
Big tip of my hat to Mack Collier, Rosie Taylor and the #BlogChat gang for suggesting this topic.
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- 50 Questions To Determine Social Media Marketing Success
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/6228420376/
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