Hundreds of thousands of blogs are on the internet now, and most likely there are many in your own industry, too. How do you stay above the curve, bring in more traffic, convert that traffic and attract new readers?
Where do you struggle with growing your blog?
Here’s some thoughts from the past, which I can definitely relate to.
1. Don’t lose momentum. Anyone can start a blog but to keep going for weeks, or months without any positive reinforcement (visits, shares, etc) takes a lot of patience. Eventually with hard work and great topics your blog will pop but it most likely won’t be overnight.
2. Network. Your blog is part of your branding, or at least it can be. The more you build relationships the more success you are going to see. I can’t stress that enough. Comment on others’ posts, on their Twitter shares. Share for them.
3. Stay ahead of the curve. Don’t read blogs from people in the same industry as yourself (peers, like-minded, whatever you want to call them). There’s a tendency to gravitate toward those because you can speak the language and add your own experience in the comments, but there’s a very good chance the community around that blog is the same community you’ll build yourself, so why would they want to follow you? Instead, look for blogs that help you develop the skills you need as a company or marketer. Focus entirely on sales, marketing automation, CRO, and email marketing, because those are areas that will make you money.
4. Bring in traffic. Building legitimate relationships with people in your niche that have a strong social presence will get your content distributed and actually clicked on.
5. Convert traffic. Don’t publish something unless you know how it’s going to fit into your complete content marketing plan. Only then will you be able to add in the proper calls to action that will ultimately lead to conversion. I’ve also found that social teasers about new blog posts can earn you a few new subscribers each time you do it.
6. Attract new readers. Again, step outside the circle of like-minded people, and start networking. Don’t be afraid to send someone an article either, especially if it ties into a conversation you’re currently having with them. You can use social listening tools to find ongoing discussions and chime in.
Write > Publish > Promote > Measure > Learn > Repeat. Practice makes perfect!
