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As we've talked about in the past, blogging is an incredibly important digital marketing tactic. According to research from our partners at HubSpot, companies who blog regularly generate nearly 2.5x more leads than companies who do not blog.
However, a blog cannot stand alone. Think about it in terms of the age old phrase, "if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" If you write a blog and no one can find it, does it make a noise? Does it matter? Is it worth your time? No! If you write a blog and no one reads it, then it's not a valuable resource for your prospects and it's not a good use of your time. But if there's no one reading your blog, that's not their fault, it's yours. In addition to writing blogs, you have to promote them and help people find them. So how do you help your prospects find your blog? Let's look at 4 ways:
1. Optimize for search
As outlined in Dustin's blog post, 5 Reasons Blogging For Business Is A MUST, blogging is a crucial component of SEO because Google values new content in search engine rankings but also because you have the opportunity to target keywords that prospective customers are already searching for.
In order to get more people to find your blog posts, you want to focus on high value keywords that your prospective customers are searching for. (That means you NEED to do your keyword research!) Targeting these keywords in your blogs will help you get in front of these people while they are searching for information, potentially before they even know your business exists and can help them!
For more tips on how to optimize your blogs for search, check out my recent blog post, How to Start Writing Blogs That Will Positively Impact Your SEO.
2. Leverage social media
Content is king on social media and if you've already built a following on your social media channels, this is a great audience for your blog. The people following you on your social media networks have already identified themselves as people who are interested in what you have to offer. They have shown you that they are interested in your content and want to consume more. Promoting new blog posts on your social media channels is the perfect way to get in front of these people with relevant information. It's a win-win!
EXPERT TIP: Getting your employees to share the blog on their personal pages will increase your reach and help new people find your content.
3. Email marketing
Much like those who follow and engage with your business on your social networks, people who agree to receive emails from your business have self-identified as people who are interested in what you have to say. Promoting your blog posts through a monthly newsletter and/or on other marketing emails will help bring these people information they might find valuable and help bring them to your blog.
4. Send customers and prospects
The blogs you're posting should present information relevant to your customers and prospects. A lot of your blogs will serve to answer frequently asked questions or help back up some of your recommendations for your customers and prospects. If someone asks you about something that is explained well in one of your blogs, send them there for more information.
Blogging for the sake of blogging will not get your the response you're hoping to get or the response that you have the opportunity to get. Similarly to the way you have to market your business, you have to promote your blog and help people find the information you want them to have. If they don't know it's there, there's a good chance they will never find it.
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