Top 5 Tips to Make The Best Out of Your Blogs
You pour your heart and soul into crafting a brilliant blog post, with the certainty your audience will love it. After looking over every detail, you finally hit publish. And then… crickets.
Your super informative blog gets no traffic, no shares, no engagement. Frustrating, right?
You’re spending time, energy, and even money if you’re outsourcing your blogs, and get nothing in return. You keep reading how much value blogs bring… but it’s not your experience so far.
Well, fear no more. I’m here to help you out.
Blogs bring a lot of value (and traffic!) to any type of business, but you’ve got to do a little more than hit ‘publish’. A successful blog also requires effective sharing and marketing.
There are a whopping 4.4 million blogs published every day. Crazy, I know. But don’t feel intimidated. There’s space for everyone in the blogging world, but to make sure your post doesn’t get lost in the noise, I have some techniques for you— and they’re good. 1
First, don’t create content just for the sake of posting. Instead, focus on providing value, and make sure your blogs are useful and informative.
People get their facts from many sources, and by giving them high-quality information, you become their go-to source. And they’re likely to share it with their friends or family.
These are the best ways to ensure your blog gets the attention it deserves:
1. Focus on Relevant Topics to Your Niche or Brand
You can use your blog in whatever way you want, but always make sure the information you’re sharing is relevant to your audience. If your blog has a focus on sustainability, you shouldn’t be posting about car insurance. Your target audience is most-likely not interested.
To hit the nail on the head when it comes to what to write about, do your research:
What are your potential customers or audience asking on Google?
Which topics are being talked about right now?
What is your audience interested in learning?
What topics are relevant in your niche?
Are current global or local affairs affecting your niche? How?
Knowing your audience is key to writing engaging content— but we’ll talk about customer research.
There are other ways to find interesting topics. Think about the last blog you read… What was it missing? How would you have written it? Use other content for inspiration, but don’t plagiarize it. Instead, bring something new to the table, give it your unique voice.
Great topics usually include how to’s, lists (5 things you’ll love about…), step by steps, guides, myths VS facts, etc. Make sure to craft and attention-grabbing headline. It’s vital for your blog’s success.
If you’re feeling stuck on what to write about, HubSpot has a great tool to get content ideas. Simply write a noun, and they’ll throw some good ideas your way.
A key point worth mentioning is, when writing a blog, make sure you’re passionate about it. If you’re not interested in what you’re writing about, the outcome is likely to be bland. Passion gives your writing a unique twist, and keeps readers engaged.
And always use high-quality information, of course!
2. Share Effectively in Different Social Media Outlets
This is one of the most important aspects of a successful blog, taking into account the amount of information that’s published every day. If you want people’s eyes on your work, you have to put it in front of them.
And I don’t mean just sharing it on Facebook and forget about it. The beauty of blogs is you can optimize every single post and turn it into content for all your social media.
Turn your awesome blogs into posts for all your social media outlets:
Growing Your Blog Through Pinterest
Pinterest is an amazing way to boost your blog’s traffic. A single blog gives you many opportunities to create content for Pinterest and drive people to your site.
One way to make your blog pin-worthy is creating an infographic from all the information you have. They’re engaging and visually appealing, but they can be tricky to make.
If you want an easier way to promote your blog, try turning headings and subheadings into images. Make sure to use images related to the text, keywords, and hashtags— like the examples below.
A single blog can give you enough content for at least 3-5 pins.
Growing Your Blog Through Facebook
Sharing your posts on your personal or business account is a stat— but there’s more you can do. An amazing way to grow organic traffic from Facebook is by posting your blog in groups related to your niche.
As long as you’re not self-promoting, group administrators allow you to post blogs, if they think it’s relevant or useful. Offer valuable information in your blogs, and you ensure moderators will allow them. And the people in those groups are the ones you want landing on your website.
Find active groups related to your niche and let the organic grow begin.
Growing Your Blog Through LinkedIn
LinkedIn often gets overseen by many businesses… and it shouldn’t. LinkedIn is a great place to make more meaningful connections with like-minded people. It’s a very supportive community, and since it’s not as cramped as Instagram and Facebook, expect your content to perform superbly.
The things you post on LinkedIn tend to reach a lot of people… way more than you expect. If one of your connections likes or comments on your post, their connections are likely to see it. This brings good momentum to your posts.
Build relevant connections to your niche and sooner than later you’ll see how your posts reach wider audiences. And, of course, don’t forget to use #hashtags.
With only 310 connections, my posts on LinkedIn reach thousands of people.
It’s important to note you shouldn’t post and ghost. Answer every comment, and even tag someone who you know would like to read your blog. Engagement is important on LinkedIn— If you support others, they’ll support you.
Just like with Facebook, you can find groups related to your niche and post your blogs there too.
Growing Your Blog Through Instagram
The good thing about Instagram is you can use it as a tiny blog. You can either write a smaller version of your blog or simply quote a few paragraphs and post it. If you have over 10,000 followers and can incorporate a swipe up, you should post it to your story too.
But if you want the blog to get traffic over time, make a post about it. Use an image related to what you wrote about, or even a picture of you, if you want. But make sure to include a link to your blog and give your readers some insight on it.
Catch their attention and address their pain points, but don’t give it all away. Leave some room for curiosity, so they head to your blog for answers. And always use those #hashtags.
3. Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience is one of the most important aspects of a successful blog. Learning about your target market’s interests, hobbies, worries, and whatnot, ensures you get good topics to write about. The kind of content they are looking for.
And that’s where those Facebook groups come in handy. Hang out where your potential customers are. Read what they post, write down what they ask, see what are their interests. That’s the content you want to be creating. And then use those same groups to promote it.
There are many ways to learn what your audience’s interests are, and Facebook isn’t your only option.
Reddit is also a great place to hang out with your ideal customer (not into Reddit? Try Quora instead). Check Subreddits related to your niche to find out more about your audience:
What are they afraid of?
What are their concerns or struggles?
Who do they admire?
What blogs do they read? Are they commenting on these blogs? What do they say?
What do they share?
Find out their struggles, and give them solutions through content. And then put these solutions right in front of them. They’ll immediately trust you… you have facts, you have answers, you’re solving their problem. And when you add value to their life, for free, they’re more likely to buy from you.
Sometimes being a crowd pleaser works.
4. Optimize Your Blogs with SEO
It’s no surprise that you need Search Engine Optimization for your blog to perform well. If you know nothing about SEO, you should consider outsourcing your blogs to an expert, or take a course to learn.
Although having an SEO optimized blog doesn’t assure success, it does help— big time. When you optimize your blogs, you let Google know what your blog is about. This allows your content to rank higher, giving you all the organic traffic.
Formatting is big when it comes to SEO. Make sure to give your blog an engaging and easy-to-read format. Do this by using headings and subheadings to highlight important topics.
It’s unappealing having to read a huge chunk of text. Besides, the average attention span of internet users is 8 seconds. Less than a goldfish. So make sure to catch their attention with killer headlines and compelling subheadings.
5. Find Your Voice and Tone, and Stick to it
Consistency is key. Not only in how often you post (which should be at least once a week), but in your voice and tone. Let your or your brands personality shine— nothing beats authenticity.
Blogs aren’t meant to impress your high school teacher. The’re meant to impress your audience, so make sure to use a language they understand and write like you talk. Make it easy for them to understand the content and avoid using jargon.
If you are unsure of your tone and voice, think of it this way:
Voice: This is who your audience thinks of when they’re reading your blogs. You get to decide if you want a formal approach, or more casual or personal. Tone also includes the words you use in your writing. When you talk, people recognize your voice. This also applies for writing, you have your own signature style, which identifies you.
Tone: This is the attitude or emotion your writing conveys. Tone is subjective, and is interpreted in different ways. Think of how you want your brand or blog to be projected… Joyful? Passionate? Informal? Neutral? Skeptical?
Whatever voice and tone you use— stick to it. If you are constantly changing them, people might feel confused, or they might misinterpret the message you’re trying to convey.
Not sure how to find your voice and tone? I got your back. When you work with me, I provide you with a worksheet, allowing you to easily find your voice and tone and other important aspects of your brand.
Ready to organically grow your business through blogging? Get in touch! I help you craft stellar content using your voice and tone (and SEO). Send me a message here.
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