Lately, it seems like everyone has something to say online, and many people express themselves through blogs. With so much content to read online, it can be frustrating trying to entice people to read yours. Business blogs are a great way to connect with potential and current customers. However, if you don’t know how to market your blog, all the time you’ve spent writing great content will be wasted. Follow these business blog marketing tips to attract potential readers to your blog.
1. Update your blog as often as possible. It is important to be consistent with how often you post to your blog. The reason for this is that your readers will get used to checking your blog every few days for new content. If you post three times a week during August and then only post once in September, your readers will suspect that you’re not serious about providing them with quality information, and they’ll stop coming back to your site. Also, if you don’t post regularly, your content won’t be the most up-to-date content possible, and who wants to read outdated stuff? Your best bet is to post every other day, once a week, or even every other week. However you decide to do it, just make sure it’s consistent so that when your readers come to your blog expecting a new post, they don’t come up empty-handed.
2. Use links as much as possible. One main feature that separates online writing, like blogging, from print writing is that you can use links to point your readers in the direction of even more information on your topic. Links to pages on your website (or even external sources) in your blog posts show readers that you care if they get as much information as possible on the topic. If you can find current news or articles on your topic and link to it in your posts, people will start to trust you as a new source for that particular topic. When you link to other articles or websites (non-competitors) that you think your readers will find interesting or relevant, you are building trust. This is important to build customer loyalty and convert them into advocates of your product (ie people who suggest your product to other people). Bloggers often summarize someone else’s article or blog. This is allowed as long as you link to the original source to avoid plagiarism issues.
3. Respond to comments from your readers. When a reader leaves a comment on your blog (not spam), it’s important to respond, especially if the comment is a question. This shows the reader that you care about their thoughts and comments and encourages them to comment again in the future. Online writing is meant to be interactive, which means that the reader can interact with you (the writer) and vice versa. If you have tons of comments but haven’t responded to any of them, chances are you’ll start getting fewer and fewer as time goes on. People like their thoughts recognized, so keep your readers happy and respond!
4. Leave comments on other blogs. This helps you become part of the blogging community. Look for blogs that focus on the same topic as you and leave a thoughtful comment. Include a link to your blog to encourage others to visit it. Link to other blog posts as well. If you bond with theirs, they are more likely to bond with yours. Leaving comments allows you to build relationships and exchange ideas with other bloggers, which can help you keep your content fresh and expose it to a whole new world of readers.
5. Always write in a conversational tone. Blogs are meant to be educational but also fun. Even if you’re writing a business blog, it’s important to keep it light and conversational rather than using confusing (and boring) corporate jargon. Write so everyone can understand, not just experts in your industry. Some readers may depend on you to explain things they don’t yet understand, it’s important to keep those people in mind as you write. Also, keeping it conversational allows people to feel like they’re having a conversation with a real human being, not a company. This will help increase trust in the relationship.
Following these tips will not only help you attract new readers to your blog, but it will also help you gain more credibility as a blogger. Since anyone can blog, making sure you present yourself as an expert in your chosen topic is crucial. You want to build a trusting relationship with your existing readers, as well as engage them and attract a new audience.