Sometimes I wonder why I do this? When I look at my analytics and dont see sizeable numbers reading my blogs … Are you in the same position?
Well, there are thousands of blogs in the search results leaving us to really have to think outside of the box – not only to get visitors to your site but also to have them create some sort of action once they get there.
This is my solution ::
Here are 6 basic blog marketing ideas that I think simply go hand in hand right now in making a blog successful in any niche.
Forget Free Blogs
If you are getting serious about turning your blog into something more than a hobby you are going to need to move beyond the free blogging platforms. Blogger, WordPress, etc. are not going to make the cut if you want to turn your blog into a business endeavour. Purchase a custom domain name and have a personal self hosted blog. Today you can get one for $10 – $15 per month.
Clean Design
As marketers we know that design is very subjective and you won’t please everyone but good design elements are always very important, things like the types of buttons that you use or if all your images are sized properly make a difference in the eyes of your audience. Keeping things clean and consistent without a great deal of clutter is important for good overall design.
Easy Calls to Action
If you want someone to do something on your blog, leave a comment, share, reply, etc. you have to give them the opportunity to do it. Don’t assume that your traffic is going to find what you want them to do. You have to display it all times regardless of what page they are on. If it is an online store or a newsletter sign up make sure it is clear and visible in the right location on every page of your blog.
Search Engine Optimisation
SEO is very important because the search engines need to be able to ping your blog and pull in your posts for others to find in search queries. Most blogging platforms have many plugins you can use to make this process very easy. Key to a success SEO strategy is understanding your industry keywords and introducing them into your writing as you go. Be patient, this will help you out over time. If you want your blog to rank in search results eventually you will have to perform some sort of link building activities. Be careful not to get in trouble with this one!
Social Media Marketing
Social media and blogging go hand in hand so if you want to build up an audience and start getting followers coming to your site you will have to push out your blog posts a little further. This means using LinkedIN, Twitter and Facebook along with other social bookmarking websites out there designed to help you market your blog.
Engaging Content
Content is the key driving force to a blog so you have to make sure it is engaging. If you don’t enjoy writing and you are forcing it quite a bit you might want to rethink starting your own blog because you have to really enjoy the writing part … a lot!
Approach your blog like a business rather than a hobby and over time you will see it shift gears quite a bit. Nothing in life is easy and owning a successful blog takes time, patience and passion to make it successful. Don’t get frustrated just keep putting out good content and over time things will pan out. Good luck!