In 1994, a college student Justin Hall created a website Links.net to share his writing and thoughts. And who knew this digital diary would evolve into a powerful marketing tool. In fact, the content marketing industry was projected to be worth $400 billion by the end of 2020.
Whether you are a small business owner or a freelancing artist, a well-curated blog can be a valuable asset for your brand. For photographers, graphic designers, video editors, and other creatives, starting a blog is an excellent way to showcase your portfolio to the world and attract new clients. Blogging can also help you establish yourself as a credible authority in the industry.
Are you planning to delve into the world of blogging? As of 2021, there are well over 570 million blogs across the internet! So just uploading a post and sharing a link on your social media is not enough to make your blog stand out.
Well-researched content isn’t going to drive traffic without the right promotion tactics. In this post, we’re sharing our all-telling guide to promote and grow your blog. Let’s get started.
Optimize Your Website
If you are planning to add a blog to your website, it is imperative to ensure your website is up to the mark. From choosing a reliable host to optimizing different aspects of the website, your website should deliver a seamless user experience. You cannot afford a slow-loading website. You should also consider website personalization to create the best customer experience.
Create High-Quality Content
Even paid promotional tools can’t make a poorly-written blog successful. The first step to attracting readers is creating high-quality content. Do your research to draft blogs that offer value to your audience. Rather than exclusively promoting your product or service, focus on sharing useful content.
Improve Your Blog’s Searchability
When your audience is searching for a term related to your industry, ideally, your blog should be on the first page of the search results. And that won’t be possible without Search engine optimization (SEO). Do both on-page and off-page SEO to ensure your blog performs well on SERPs. It is also crucial to include relevant keywords in your content.
Employ Email Marketing
Don’t underestimate the potential of email marketing for your blog. Sharing blog posts directly with your target audience is a powerful way to promote your blog. Take the necessary measures to continually grow your email list by asking visitors to sign up for your newsletter. Also, adopt email personalization best practices to ensure your emails don’t end up in spam.
Repurpose Blogs
Whether you’re running a business or managing a full-time job, frequently coming up with new blog ideas may not be possible. If in the past, you’ve created a well-researched post that didn’t gain much traction, it’s worth repurposing it into a short video or an infographic. Visual content is easier to comprehend than text-heavy posts. Moreover, there are many free tools to let you create intuitive infographics for free.
Promote on Reddit
Reddit has emerged as a hotspot for different dedicated communities. Look for subreddits relevant to your niche and share your knowledge. However, refrain from spamming or blatantly promoting your product. That will take you nowhere. Participate with the intention of actually adding value to such communities.
Cross-Promote on Social Media
With so many blogs on the internet, a stand-alone blog is unlikely to gain a significant following. Support your blog by cross-promoting it on different social media channels. Every time you post new content, make sure you let your audience know by sharing it on your Instagram stories, Twitter, Facebook groups, and other platforms.
Incorporate Videos
As previously mentioned, videos and other visual content often does better. Start creating content for video platforms such as Youtube and TikTok to increase your reach. Going viral on these channels will attract more readers to your blog.
Additionally, videos can also help attract more followers on the platforms as they are highly in-demand.
Start Guest Posting
Guest posting on established blogs in your industry is a golden opportunity to attract traffic to your blog. Reach out to other bloggers and pitch them your ideas. In exchange for a high-quality blog post, you’ll gain a backlink to your website. That being said, persuading bloggers isn’t the easiest task. Follow the best practices to draft outreach emails and consider hiring a freelance writer if you’re short on time.
Engage with Your Audience
When readers comment on your post, make sure you always respond. You can also use social media to interact with your followers. It’s also a good idea to hop on various viral social media trends to get your blog noticed.
Participate on Quora
Just like Reddit, Quora is an excellent platform to promote your blog. Create an account on Quora and start answering questions relevant to your niche. Again, don’t spam or post overtly promotional content that might get you banned on the platform.
Post on Niche-Specific Sites
Just posting on major platforms like Reddit and Twitter is not enough, especially for a new blog. Look for niche-specific sites to share your content. Because such sites target the same audience as you, your blogs will gain more readers and shares.
Collaborate with Influencers
Collaborating with influencers is a great way to get your blog noticed. Even simply mentioning a top-influencer in your blog can boost its reach. Connect with industry experts and ask them to contribute to your blog or consider interviewing them.
Connect with Top Bloggers
Building a valuable relationship with authoritative figures in the industry is pivotal to take your blog to the next level. Start by commenting and leaving valuable feedback on other blogs. Not only will this encourage readers to check out your blog, but it also catches the eye of the blogger. And who knows, they might ask you to dofollow guest post on their blog and share valuable advice.
Explore Paid Promotion
There is only so much you can do without spending. If you have exhausted all free promotion tactics, it’s time to explore paid channels. There are quite a few options, from paying bloggers to guest posts on their blog to running paid ads on social media channels.
Wrapping Up
If you don’t see immediate results, don’t let that discourage you. Like many things in life, growing your blog will take time and consistent effort. It is also important to understand that implementing every strategy mentioned above at once is not feasible. Start with a few that are the most relevant to your brand and determine what works best.
About the Author:
Becky Halls is a Co-Founder of Hyperise, a Hyper personalization toolkit for B2B marketers. She’s an experienced Growth Marketer, passionate about product design/development and online marketing.
