Click here to check out Part 1
Have you created a business blog with lots of great content? Do you post frequently? If the answer is yes, you are off to a good start. Now it’s time for you to increase traffic to your blog.
Get Your Employees and Customers Involved
Reach out to your employees and customers. Let them know what your blog is all about. Invite them to comment on and share your content.You need people to comment and get the conversation rolling. Employees and customers are a great place to start.
Include Your Blog URL Everywhere
Make sure everyone knows you have a blog. Put the URL in your E-mail signature, on the homepage of your website, on your business card, in your print advertising and anywhere else you can think of.
Include a Variety of Content
Make sure your blog is not all text. Include photos, videos (also post on YouTube to reach a larger audience), cartoons, content from your Twitter or Facebook, etc. A variety of content helps hold reader’s interest for a longer period of time and is more visually pleasing.
Write Guest Blog Posts
Find other blogs in your industry and see if they would be interested in having a guest writer. Usually they will let you include a link back to your blog. This will expose you to a new audience and send people back to your blog. It is also good for search engine optimization. Submit guest posts to as many blogs as you can.
Invite Guest Writers
When a guest writer writes on your blog, they will share your blog with their audience. Regularly having guest writers will help bring new traffic to your blog.
Participate in Online Communities
Check out online forums and groups that your target audience is involved in. Provide answers, advice, etc in these forums so members view you as an authority on the subject. Be careful not to directly sell them. You want to establish credibility and let them know that you are there to add value not just to get them to see your blog or buy something. Don’t worry, if they find your information valuable, they will check out your profile which can have a link to your blog in it.
Name Drop
Every industry has major influencers that everyone knows of. Figure out who the most popular/most recognized influencers are in your industry and mention them in your posts. You can include quotes from them, link to their posts, praise for their work, etc. By mentioning their name and their work, you can piggyback on their credibility. Also, Most of these people will have tracking set-up that will alert them when their name is mentioned. They might even share your content with their audience since you spoke so highly of them!
Give Away Prizes
Everyone loves free stuff. You don’t need to give away anything crazy expensive. Think of fun and creative contests to help get your blog out there. An easy example is to give away a gift certificate to whoever leaves the most relevant comments on your blogs. You can also enter everyone who shares a link to your blog into a drawing for a gift basket. Reward your readers for being engaged in your blog.
Click here to check out Part 1
