600 million. That’s the number of blogs worldwide.
That doesn’t even count the millions of TikTok channels or Instagram and LinkedIn accounts. That’s simply blogs.
Before you fret that getting your blog in front of readers is a hopeless cause, it really isn’t.
You must find your audience. Not those of the other 600 million.
There are steps you can take to bring readers to you and your thought leadership.
Content Matters
That content matters seems obvious, but content really does matter! To generate any kind of traffic, you must have content people want.
With so much content across so many channels, you need to say something that matters to your audience. And that means you must understand who your target audience is.
When you know your audience, you know their concerns and their problems. Now, solve them. Say, “Hey, I know how you can fix this!”
Or tell them about something new. “Here’s a shiny new product or something interesting happening you don’t know about, but I’ve got all the details!”
Educate. Entertain. Don’t be boring!
Be consistent. Publish regularly enough that your audience knows to expect it and keeps coming back for more. These updates might be weekly, bi-weekly, or even quarterly. Follow a schedule that benefits you and update when you have good content. Don’t just throw out fluff because, remember, content matters!
Let me Google That
If you want to get more people to read your blog, you’re going to need to make your SEO all that it can be. That will likely include a presence on Google.
But first, let’s talk about keywords. Yes, you need them. They work. Are they a pain? Yep. But, again, they work. The easiest way to take the pain out of generating keywords is to use the tools that find them for you. This is a great time to use AI or programs like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush.
For example: Blog traffic generation. Thought leadership. SEO tips. Generate Organic Traffic (the irony!).
Thanks to ChatGPT for these recommendations.
Those AI suggestions can provide a starting point to brainstorm your own ideas for keywords.A
dd these important phrases to your titles, subheadings and meta data. Everywhere a search engine looks and can grab from helps. Take the time to fill in the metadata when you post. It doesn’t have to be long or fancy, but it should be there.
Link to reputable sites to further your points and increase your credibility. Like this blog post from Hubspot on the Ultimate Guide to SEO in 2024. It is a great blog about SEO. You should read it after you finish this one.
See? A good link from a credible source.
Make sure your blogs load quickly and are mobile friendly. Ain’t nobody got time to wait for something that’s slow to load or hard to read on any device.
Now, Let’s Get Social
Facebook? Use it. X? Throw Elon a bone. Instagram? Get that image ready. Linked In? Make it look professional and have a little fun.
Use whatever social media you have and promote, promote, promote!
“We’ve got a smart, funny, fantastic, informative blog! Please come read it!”
And you’re going to have to read the comments. Yes, I’m sorry. You must read the comments someone leaves on the internet. Remember, don’t feed the trolls, just delete and block (that’s a different kind of satisfying), and then have fun and respond to non-troll comments. Participate in discussions. Build relationships. The more the audience feels engaged, the more they’ll come back.
Use hashtags! Not sure what the hashtags should be. Again, there’s no shame in asking AI for help.
You’ve Got Mail
Like the AOL of old, you probably have a built-in audience: your email list. Add your blog to your signature line when you email relevant items.
It works the other way too. Add an email sign-up to the end of your blog. This gives you additional names for your e-mail list and lets readers know when you post and keeps them engaged.
Offer incentives for signing up for updates. You provide your info, I will give you updates on content or resources and thought leadership expertise. Every little bit helps.
Occasionally send out a newsletter with exclusive content just for those who signed up for the newsletter. People like to feel special even with the blogs they read.
By the way, you’re awesome. Thanks for reading!
The Special Guest Star
Connect with other bloggers and cross promote each other’s blogs. If there’s a popular blogger in your specific area, consider promoting them and ask them to write a very special guest post and then write a guest post for them
Give them ideas from your area of expertise that may benefit their readers—a you scratch my blog and I’ll scratch yours kind of thing. Then, always include a link back to your blog in your post on their site.
Connecting with other influencers gets the word out. Cross promotion benefits everyone and grows the audience in ways you could never do for yourself.
What Happens on the Blog Doesn’t have to Stay on the Blog
Use your content on more than one place to reach more people.
Have great stats on a blog? How about making it an infographic for LinkedIn, Instagram, or Pinterest? Just make sure everything has the blog address included. Have a podcast? Go even more in-depth about a blog topic.
Take an interesting tidbit and make it a video. Kids these days (old and young) love YouTube and TikTok. A successful blog is simply a piece of a larger marketing puzzle.
See if there’s a tidbit on Instagram or TikTok that you can expand into a blog post. Blogs allow the writer and the audience to go much deeper into a topic than a quick hit social post.
Don’t forget to occasionally go back through your blog and repurpose an old post with updated information.
Let’s Talk About the Numbers
Now that you’ve got good content and you’ve used the tools to build your blog, how can you know if it is working?
Checking your traffic data tells the tale of what works on your blog and what doesn’t. Use Google Analytics to track traffic sources, which posts resonate, and what users do when they visit. It’s a quick hit or are they actually reading?
Watch industry trends and adjust accordingly.
Remember there’s nothing wrong with a little experimentation. Try different headlines. Switch up images. Change out the formats and see what works. Listen to feedback from your audience. They’ll tell you where you are and what could be better.
Your blog is a tool and when used and marketed correctly is a huge thought leader asset for your organization. Create great content, manage SEO, collaborate, repurpose and study the data and your 1 out of 600 million can shine.
