Now that you have planned and begun your blogging, the next stage is promotion. This stage is the easiest to miss out, but it is every bit as important as the two previous ones. Otherwise, you could just have created a great blog that no one is going to read. Perhaps you’re wondering why you have to market a blog if it’s a marketing asset in the first place. Well, a good blog should sit on the receiving end of your inbound marketing efforts. It gives you a place to send prospects where they will be engaged and entertained by what you have written. This article will tell you how you send them there in the first place.
Search engine optimisation (SEO)
Search engine optimisation or working to ensure your site appears high on Google’s listings is a major aspect of a blog. Just having a lot of blog pages with lots of relevant content on them should help your site climb the search engine listings and get found more. The first thing you can do to magnify this effect is to have several keywords planned for each blog. These will be what you expect potential readers type into Google to find your blog, so you are looking for popular keywords with high search volume and low competition. The best way to find these words is Google Keyword Planner.
Choose 3-4 keywords for each article and include them in your blog where possible and natural. The ideal number of keywords is 1-2%. Try to include some in your headers and first paragraph, too.
Links for blogging SEO
Links have a huge effect on SEO. Every link going out from or linking in to a page increases its search engine rating, meaning it gets found more. This being the case, aim to include a couple of links to other relevant and authoritative websites and a couple to other relevant pages on your own site.
When you have these links on your own blogs, you need to start negotiating to get links to your blog pages from other blogs and sites. Social media is one way to do this, as outlined below. However, Google limits the boost that can be gained from social media and your own sites. This means the best way to gain backlinks is to get them from other site owners.
Guest appearances in other blogs and blog swaps are the easiest way to do this. Simply get in touch with the owners and authors of other relevant blogs. Ask them if you can contribute a blog in return for a link and a guest appearance on your own blog.
Learn more: All Things SEO
Social media
When you have an engaging blog, promoting it on social media can be the most natural thing in the world. Not only that, but it’s also easy.
When you publish a new blog, announce it on social media with an interesting summary and eye-catching image. Joining and posting in groups that may be interested in your blogs can provide a boost to your promotion, too.
Picking out interesting excerpts, quotes and statistics to turn into posts can be an effective promotion method. Repurposing content in this way can provide material to post while removing the constant need to create new, original content. Link the excerpt to the source blog and you have another good social-media promo for your blog, too.
As the blog grows and becomes more regular, it can take more of a leading role across your platforms and connect with other content. It’s all about three things:
- Curation – Select the best content that’s going to interest people and get them talking.
- Socialisation – Remember, these are social networks, so chat and interact while you post.
- Calls to action – Make people want to take the next step and read your blog or visit your site. You don’t have to send them to the source blog, but it’s often a good idea.
Note the first thing to do before getting into these strategies is to ensure you are blogging regularly and reliably. This helps your regular readers and fans to know when they can expect something new to read.
Learn more: 7 Things You Should Check to Maximise Your Social Media Marketing Results
Newsletter
Like social media, the newsletter is a natural next step after you begin blogging. If readers decide they like your blog, give them the option to subscribe and get updated with what’s new. A monthly newsletter with a subscription option in your blogs is usually a good place to start. You might notice that I have a little subscription form at the bottom of this blog post. Feel free to copy it (and fill it out), if you like.
Then, you can create or commission a newsletter each month. Use it to update people on what’s new in your blog and remind them of things they might have missed. You can even tell them a little something extra about the organisation and the people who work for it. We have a ‘recommended’ section at the bottom of our newsletter to let people know what we’re enjoying that we think our readers might like.
The newsletter naturally brings people back to the blog when it contains something they might enjoy. More importantly though, it creates a passive relationship between warm prospects and your organisation. There is always that little reminder of your company sitting in their inbox. This means when they are thinking about investing in whatever you provide again, your organisation will be much more likely to get the nod.
Learn more: Writing a Newsletter Using Moosend
Videos
The video is an incredibly popular and easy way to consume information. This is perhaps why the average internet user spends a massive 17 hours per week watching videos in 2023, according to HubSpot.
Your prospects can consume information much more easily and quickly via video. They also feel much more connected whilst doing it.
As a blog producer, your business already has a great basis for scripting videos. Repurposing your blogs to make videos can be as simple as sitting at your computer and talking to the camera. If that doesn’t sound like your thing, ask a colleague with the X-factor to do it for you. Just don’t forget to light the presenter well, have them look interested, and get them to gesticulate to keep the audience engaged.
Videos can then be shared on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, your website and more.
While space is limited here, the best way to ensure your videos are slick, professional and effective is to watch what’s already out there. Copy what works, learn from what doesn’t and take the big leap when you feel confident.
Secret blogging tip
Shooting on two cameras (e.g. a laptop and phone) allows you to cut seamlessly and professionally between each when needed. Trust me, it looks a lot more high-end than it actually is.
Calls to action – A reminder
Remember, we mentioned in episode two of this series that some of your conclusions, if not all, should include a call to action. This is s short line or two motivating readers to take an action that helps you and them to achieve their goals. It should include a link or button to let them do the action easily, too. Here are a few examples
- “If you enjoyed this blog, you may be interested in (a relevant page or blog on your site, e.g your blog sales page)”
- “To learn more about blogging, take a look at this guide”
- “Email me at sam@samhollis.co.uk to talk more about blogging.”
Calls to action are an important final step in running a successful promotional blog on your website. Include them, experiment with them and adjust them to be as effective as possible. This will help you get the maximum value possible from your blog.
From a few posts to a blogging conversation.
Overall, promoting your blog can take you from doing a bit of SEO and adding the occasional social media link to hosting an ongoing conversation on your subjects. It can be a natural progression and if it’s done right, it will provide a reason for browsers to get interested and involved in your business. Follow the advice above, starting with SEO, then social media, a newsletter and possibly a regular video blog, and you will be chatting with new prospects in no time.
Thanks for reading. Get in touch for more personalised advice.
I hope you have found this blog series helpful. If you have any more questions or want some individual advice on your blog, why not email me on sam@samhollis.co.uk – Remember, advice is always free.
Promotional Website Blogging 1: Planning
