It’s time to join the digital marketing revolution and recognize the eminent power of blogging. Did you know marketers that prioritize blogging are thirteen times more likely to see a positive return on investment? In fact, 47% of buyers actually read three to five blogs on a company’s website before contacting a sales rep for purchase. That’s how important your blogs are.

And don’t think people aren’t reading blogs anymore. Quoracreative reported in 2019 that over 75% of internet users say they read blogs regularly. Blogging isn’t just another weekend hobby; it’s become a powerful means of connecting with audiences all over the world. Leveraging your knowledge and experience into blog form can take your web traffic from a trickle to a flood in a matter of months.

But what’s the best way of getting your content out there for users to see? Promoting your blog may seem like an unwieldy task, but there are some simple strategies you can apply immediately to drive traffic to your site. At Twiz, we’re passionate about empowering companies with the knowledge they need to increase traffic and foster growth. Check out our 15 best strategies to promote your blog.

What are the benefits of promoting your blog?

Source: Hubspot

It’s a proven fact that websites with blogs get substantially more inbound links, indexed pages, and visitors, which invariably lead to more leads and sales. Marketing studies have shown that companies with blogs generate 55% more website visits than companies without blogs. Whether you’re a business, non-profit organization, community group, influencer, or just someone with a passion, promoting your blog will help you reach your intended audience in the most efficient way possible.

By promoting your content across a digital platform, you’ll be able to reach more people at once and allow them to learn more about what you do. Because your content is customized to express your core values, interests, and mission, you’ll be in control of what you put out into the world and the message you’re communicating to your audience. Finally, promoting your blog can drive sales, increase viewership, augment the value of your work, and make a difference in your community, all through the power of your authentic voice.

Strategies to Promote Your Blog

Some of the strategies below can be implemented right away, and some may take more time, but as you incorporate these into your blogging repertoire, you should start to see positive results. Keep in mind that it may take a few months for you to see a change in web traffic numbers. You’ll have to give your audience time to discover your content organically. But once they get there, half the battle is won, and all you have to do next is win them over with your fantastic blog content. Be sure to post regularly and frequently to keep them coming back for more.

Share Your Post on Social Media

Sharing your post on social media is one of the quickest and most affordable ways to promote your blog. You probably already have a good number of friends and followers on each of your social media outlets, such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Snapchat. Not only do you already have an audience to promote to, but social media platforms also enable your friends and family to share your blog with their followers, thereby increasing your audience at an exponential rate.

Don’t be shy about promoting yourself on these outlets with people who are already familiar with your voice and your interests. You’re killing two birds with one stone when you share your post on social media: keeping your friends and family updated on your activities as well as making new friends in the process. Finally, you may discover some other bloggers on your list of friends, which leads us to our next tip.

Collaborate With Other Authors on Cross Promotional Content

Cross-promotions are everywhere now, and it’s no wonder why. Louis VuittonxSupreme, Levi’sxGoogle, and FentyxPuma are just a few collabs that have taken the marketing world by storm. By drawing upon the strengths of each other’s brand, these labels were able to generate a vast increase in leads and sales they could not have achieved otherwise.

You can do the same with other blog writers in the digital space. Even if you’re not selling sneakers or jeans, a cross-promotion puts you in the running for increased traffic because the other blogger’s followers will get a chance to check out your blog. You can start by considering some blogs that have followers you’d like to promote to. For example, if your blog is about products for pets, you might reach out to a blogger that fosters animals. This blogger may have hundreds of animal-loving followers that are interested in your content, so a cross-promotion can work wonders for increasing your own following. Get creative and make some friends (that’s what social media is for!) so that you can broaden your audience with a collaborative mindset.

Research and Implement the Proper SEO Strategy

Source: Neil Patel

Blogging is a nifty tool for improving the SEO quality of your site. This is because the content of your blog can be picked up by search engines like Google as a relevant answer to a user’s question. For example, if you have a blog called “Best Ways To Unclog Your Sink,” you’ll likely have a lot of content relating to ways to unblock a sink.

A user who enters that exact question into Google will get a list of results, and depending on how your site is indexed, your blog will show up somewhere in that list of results. The goal is to get Google to put your blog high up on the list so that people with clogged sinks will see your blog first and click on it. Part of SEO strategy involves figuring out how to get search engines to do that for your site.

Even before writing your blog, it will serve you to come up with a list of terms, phrases, or questions that your audience might be interested in. For example, “how to unclog my sink,” “blocked sink,” “broken sink,” and “Drano for sink.” Then you can use Google Keyword Planner to get more keyword ideas. You’ll also learn the volume of those keywords and the difficulty level of those searches. In general, using long-tail keywords will help your audiences get specific about what they want and find your blog quicker. If you can incorporate some of these into your blog, there’s a better chance Google will put your blog higher up on the results list when a user asks for ways to unclog their sink.

By the way, SEO strategy is kind of our thing, so check out our related blog posts to learn more about optimizing your site and making your blogs SEO-friendly. Here’s one to start with: The Ultimate Beginners Guide To Showing Up On The First Page Of Google.

Build a Loyal Following for Easy Impressions

Building a loyal following creates a beautifully symbiotic relationship for your blog and your followers. Your followers will gain significant knowledge from your blog on a regular basis, and each time they return to your site, you’ll have an increase in views. This promotes the health of your blog while keeping your followers informed. In addition, loyal viewers will engage more frequently on your site and are more likely to recommend your blog to others to view.

How can you build a loyal follower base? There are many ways to do this, but some basic suggestions are:

• Post regularly so followers can depend on a weekly or bi-weekly post.

• Build trust with your followers. Research and cite your topics carefully.

• Establish a consistent voice throughout your site. Decide if your voice is casual, informal, or professional and stick with it.

• Let your passion shine through in your writing. Followers will connect with this because they share these interests with you.

• Tell stories through your blog. Readers love a narrative they can follow and relate to, and they’ll return to hear more.

• Spend time cleaning up your writing. Make sure your grammar and spelling are on point. Readers will appreciate that you took this time to make the blog easy to read.

Implement CTAs Throughout Your Website for the Blog

Call-to-actions (CTAs) on your website keep your readers engaged while navigating your website. CTAs can be in text, buttons, or landing pages that link to your blog. CTAs can be sprinkled throughout your website, from the homepage to pages showing products for sale.

For example, if you have some hardware products you’re selling on your website, you can include a link on the products page with the CTA “Learn how to unclog a sink yourself.” It’s likely that anyone shopping for sink hardware products may be interested in how to unclog a sink themselves and will click your CTA to read your blog. You can also put CTAs in your social media posts and ads, with language like “Learn How To Fix Other Household Appliances Here.” The key to a good CTA is giving your viewers motivation to click the link, so consider what they might be looking for and give them the opportunity to find answers in your blog.

Related: Website Migration Checklist

Syndicate Content on Different Blogging Networks

Get your content seen through various channels by adding your website to different blogging networks. There are blogging networks for every niche on the internet, so take some time to research which ones relate well to topics you like to cover. By including yourself on several blogging networks, you are able to syndicate your content across a wide audience that is already interested in the topics you write about in your blog.

Beyond reaching a bigger readership, blogging networks also help you connect with other bloggers for cross-promotion purposes, as we discussed above. In addition, certain blogging networks may connect you to opportunities for brand campaigns and sponsored posts. Be sure to review the terms and guidelines for each network, as they are all different and may have certain requirements you’ll need to follow to be a member.

Utilize Powerful Infographics and Other Types of Data

The power of images, graphics, and pictures has withstood the test of time. We are becoming an increasingly visual generation, and knowing this will help you create blogs that engage readers and help you rank high on search engines as well. Utilize relevant infographics and important data in your blog. This will establish you as an authoritative voice on your topics and build trust with your audience. In addition, either linking to an infographic from another reliable website or creating your own infographic will help you rank on search engines. External links are good from an SEO perspective. Creating your own infographic is even better because you’re offering something new and relevant to the topic. Others may link to your infographic, and this will continue to help you rank higher and higher on search engines.

Don’t Wait for People to Come to You (Engage With Them)

Taking a proactive approach to blog readership is one of the best ways to promote your work. Social media, as we’ve suggested above, is a great place to start. This is an easy way to engage with interested viewers and encourage them to check out your blog each time you post an update. Be sure to respond to commenters on your blog with personable and helpful replies as soon as possible. Readers will appreciate your presence on the website and begin to trust you as a reliable source.

You can also take your presence out of the digital space to promote your blog. Create a flyer or business card that clearly states your website and the types of topics you write about. Include any social media handles that are associated with your site as well. Seek out events, conferences, and seminars that relate somehow to topics you write about and meet people who would be interested in your blog. Music festivals, workshops, and food events may also be a helpful place to promote, depending on your subject matter. Finally, ask if local businesses would allow you to place a few business cards at their register or on their community bulletin board.

Genuinely Become an Expert in Your Field

As we’ve already hinted above, building trust and becoming a voice of authority on your subject matter will keep followers coming back to your blog. In order to do this, becoming a genuine expert in your field will give you the confidence and knowledge to continue publishing blogs that are helpful, informative, and relevant to your business, brand, or mission. Your authentic passion and experience will resonate with followers and help establish a loyal following that continues to grow over time.

Implement the Skyscraper Technique to Generate Shares Organically

Source: YouTube

Developed by Backlinko’s Brian Dean, the Skyscraper Technique is a way of generating organic shares and growing web traffic by the thousands to a single blog post. Dean noticed his organic search traffic doubled in numbers within only 14 days of employing the Skyscraper Technique to one of his blog posts. As a result, that single post has generated more than 300,000 referral visitors to his website to date.

The Skyscraper Technique consists of three steps:

1. Find link-worthy content

2. Make your content better

3. Reach out to the right people.

This strategy is called the skyscraper technique because you’re looking for the tallest skyscraper and building one that’s even taller. In blog terms, this means finding content online that already ranks high on search engines. The next step is creating content that is better than that high ranking content. You can do this in different ways, such as

• writing on the topic more thoroughly

• organizing your blog better with helpful headings

• creating a better design on your website

• making your blog longer with more words than the high ranking content

• making your content more up-to-date

The final step involves reaching out to the right people. Reach out to bloggers who have already linked to the content you found in Step One and let them know you’ve written an article that is more up-to-date and even more thorough than the one they previously linked. They may want to update their blogs to include a link to your blog. This helps both your blog and theirs because updating a blog gives them a boost in Google rankings as well.

You can find these bloggers by going to ahrefs.com or Open Site Explorer and export a list of sites that have linked to that original content. Once you’ve sorted out the blogs that would be interested in linking to your site, you’ve got an e-mail list to send your blog to.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Word-of-mouth is still a powerful means of marketing despite the existence of digital marketing tools at our fingertips. Shoppers still rely heavily on the advice of their friends and family members and trust user reviews implicitly. In fact, recent studies show that 90% of shoppers who recall reading positive online reviews were influenced by the reviews when it came to buying decisions. Relatedly, 86% of shoppers said negative reviews also influenced their purchasing decisions.

Having a loyal following and engaging with them comes into play again here. A blogger who connects with his or her readers in a timely fashion will have a higher chance of receiving positive comments. In addition, those readers will be likely to recommend that blog to their friends and family, who trust their opinion even more than online reviews.

Related: Conversion Rate Optimization Guide

Use the Right Meta Descriptions to Increase Clicks

Knowing how to optimize your blog’s meta descriptions will make a huge difference in click rates to your blog. A meta description is a description that shows up underneath the title of your blog in search engines. Because only a certain number of characters can show up when your blog comes up on Google, you want to make sure your description isn’t cut off when users search for your blog.

The general rule is to keep your meta description over 50 characters and under 160 characters. In addition, because the title and description is the first thing people see when searching on Google, you want the description to be compelling enough to get them to click through to your blog. Including a question or indicating you have the answer to a commonly-asked question usually works well. In addition, introducing readers to what you’ll be discussing in your blog is also helpful.

Think About Hosting a Giveaway That Involves Sharing Your Article

Giveaways are sure to generate interest because everyone loves a free gift. Giveaway contests also encourage audiences to spend more time on your website, recommend your site to others, and increase engagement on your social media outlets.

Ask your audience to enter the giveaway by sharing your blog article on their blogs or social media accounts. By doing so, you’re essentially getting readers to promote your blog for you and getting the blog out to audiences you’d normally never reach. Use your social media presence to promote the giveaway and get more people involved across multiple platforms.

Leverage The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing (Like Social Proof)

You’ve already learned some of the fundamentals of digital marketing above, through our discussion of SEO strategy. Some other fundamentals of digital marketing include:

• Advertising through Google Ads and/or Facebook Ads.

• Promotions through social media, including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn.

• Optimize your content management system, such as WordPress or Squarespace. Use a landing page to direct viewers to your blog.

• Use e-mail marketing to let subscribers know about your blog post.

• Employ social proof to establish trust. Social proof is the idea that consumers will adapt their behavior according to the behavior of others. User testimonials, celebrity endorsements, and an expert’s stamp of approval are all examples of social proof that work well and compel consumers to invest in a product, brand, or service. A simple example is that of the Lasik eye surgeon who performed surgery on Kobe Bryant’s eyes. Most patients will think, “well, if it’s good enough for Kobe, one of the best basketball players of all time, it’s good enough for me.” Even an indirect endorsement by Bryant, for example, a simple picture with the doctor, establishes trust in the eyes of anyone who visits Dr. Feinerman’s Yelp page.

Don’t Forget to Do Internal Linking Within Your Blogs!

Internal links in all your blog posts will guide your readers to other relevant information on your site. This increases the value and viewership of your blog and keeps viewers on your page for a longer period of time. You can do this by linking within your text to other interesting blogs you’ve already written. For example:

“You may remember my February blog about resurfacing your bathtub. Today, I’m going to share a few more home improvement tips that will help you spruce up your bathroom sink.”

Language like this is your chance to create an internal link that directs the reader back to your February blog. Just highlight the words “February blog” and create a link that connects back to the appropriate link on your website. If you do this throughout each blog post, you’ll be able to improve website navigation, increase ranking power throughout, and define the architecture of your website. And of course, you’ll be promoting your blog in a number of different places on your own website.

Related: Beginners Guide to SEO

Conclusion

As you can see, there are endless possibilities when it comes to promoting your blog. Not only can you adopt many of these ideas immediately, but most of the strategies offered above are affordable and simple to implement. With some thorough research and dedicated efforts, you can increase your blog’s readership by immense proportions.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the wide world of digital marketing? Give us a chance to help. At Twiz, we’ve got a team of SEO experts ready to take a look at your website and analyze just how much help you need to get readers rushing to your blog. Book a free website analysis with us today and get ready to grow your business!

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