Create A Sensation: How To Build A Blog Audience
Blogs are important for any established website. They work wonders for increasing the time spent on your website, which can translate into some pretty great SEO benefits. Whether your goal is to add followers, boost sales or reap the search engine optimization benefits, a blog can help you reach your milestones. That is if people actually read your blog…
Many blog administrators spend hours writing flawless content, picking the perfect images and designing the optimum call to action, only to find that just a minimal amount of traffic ever reaches their masterpiece. These blog owners are usually not following the best rule for creating engaging, well-received content: build a blog that you would want to read.
Hopefully, you are running a business that is also your passion. All that’s left to do is show your passion to the rest of the world! Below you will find helpful tips on how to be sure that your business blog is being read and appreciated for the creative genius that you are:
Know who you are writing to.
Understanding your audience is crucial to creating outstanding content that is actually read. The question is: how do you find out who is interested without a research team? The easiest way is to simply ask. Take advantage of your social media interactions and start chatting. Consider creating polls or other surveys to initiate conversation. You will be surprised how many people are interested in talking with you one-on-one.
Also, take a look at what others in your industry are doing, and what their results are. Don’t follow blindly, of course, instead, use their efforts as an example of what works and what doesn’t. Also, remember to engage with every comment you receive on your page. Keep your tone light and playful, and as always, don’t feed the trolls. Before long, you will develop a strong sense of who is reading your content and what they are looking for.
Focus on your expertise.
As the old adage states, write what you know. Determine what it is you are the best at and tell readers what you know. Take a small topic and dig in deep. Be thorough and add value to your website. Discover what questions are being asked that you know how to answer and create a knowledge base for website visitors to take advantage of. By helping your customers, and potential customers find the information they need, you will create a brand awareness and a loyal base of readers.
Put content where readers can find it.
Putting information where your audience can find it relates back to understanding who you are writing for. For example, which social media platform do your readers use most? Are they a visual crowd that tends to head towards Instagram? Or do they prefer to read articles on LinkedIn? Knowing which platform is best for readers helps you focus your effort and your funds.
Similarly, make sure that anyone you interact with knows that your blog is full of helpful advice. You can raise awareness and traffic with a homepage button or a signature link at the end of outgoing email. There is most likely an audience searching out the information that you provide, but just needs a push in the right direction.
Keeping an eye on search engine optimization is another great way to help readers find your posts. Following the general rules of keywords, meta tags, image descriptions and proper headings can boost your search engine results when readers are searching out your site. Take a look at these great SEO tools for a little extra help.
Be original!
It’s tempting to discover what is already being well received and try to mimic the posts for your own blog. However, replicating content isn’t a great idea. Instead, try to find out what makes you unique. Use your own voice as you write and let your personality shine.
Readers love someone they can relate to, so don’t be afraid to use humor and demonstrate that you are a real person. Just be sure to always keep topics positive and respectful. Don’t fall into the temptations of clickbait or sensationalism to get clicks.