If you’re an avid Internet user and promote your business through a website, you know that enhancing your presence can lead to more traffic and prospective leads. If you’re up with the times, you probably connect with clients and prospects through an informational blog page.
The big mistake many bloggers make is not promoting their blog posts. The purpose of your blog is to share and document your expertise, views, and opinions about the way your products and services solve your client’s problems and challenges. What good will it do if no one is reading it?
When it comes to promoting blogs, there are many blog owners who decide to let the search engines do the work for them. Search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN use special techniques that read the content on your website. That content is then used to rank your website with particular keywords.
This means that if you run a blog on graduating from high school in New York, there is a good chance that your blog will appear in searches done on New York high schools. Although many blogs are successfully ranked in search engines, not all are. That is why I would advise against relying solely on search engines, when it comes to promoting your blog.
Most businesses, including your competitors, have a presence on social media sites. The community social media creates to connect you with your target market is extremely valuable to your overall success on the Internet. Since most social networking websites work to connect internet users who have the same goals and common interests, there is a good chance that your online connections will enjoy reading your blog. But, before they can read your blog, you have to let them know that it exists.
When it comes to promoting your blog on social networking sites, you have a number of different options. Your first option is to include a link to your blog in your community profile or profile page. This will allow other community members to check out your blog, only if they wish to do so.
The other way is to inform your online friends of your blog through private messages. Once you join a social networking site and create or join a network of friends, you should easily be able to communicate with them. Sending your contacts a message with information and a link to your blog tends to be more effective than just placing a link in your profile or on your profile page.
Although most social media platforms are a good way to promote your blog, we suggest you consider, Facebook, a Facebook business page, Twitter, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Groups, and Google+ as the most well respected options for connecting to your target market. Set up a profile on each platform that includes keywords that your prospects might use if they were in need of your products or services.
This will help you to attract those people that will benefit the most from what you have to offer. Be consistent with your blog posts and follow our 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of your posts should be informational and provide resources while 20% can promote your products and services specifically, even in the form of announcing new products or services or perhaps a monthly special or discount.
People who only post information about doing business together will not attract much interest. People do not like to be sold to, preferring to getting to know and trust you before they make the decision to buy. It is much better to let them understand your knowledge and expertise and allow them to come to you when they have a need.
Social media sites are a great marketing tool to gain exposure to your information and resources while building a following and increased traffic to your site.
Jeannine Grich, CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, provides marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. For information about finding a VA, download her FREE 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or to learn why Social Media should be an important part of your marketing plan with her FREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit: https://accbizsvc.com/, or contact her at [email protected]
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