Source:Christian Schnettelker
According to Hubspot, nearly 40 percent of businesses in the United States use blogs for marketing purposes. That may be because in 2013, 79 percent of businesses that blogged reported a positive ROI for inbound marketing. However, blogging does not automatically guarantee traffic.
A successful blog features amazing content to establish strong readership, but this sometimes isn’t enough to get quality backlinks or traffic. Thankfully, there are some steps you can take to not only increase overall traffic, but generate qualified traffic that leads to lifelong customers.
Target Your Content Toward Your Customers
Get in touch with your customers’ interests and create blog posts that appeal to them. Using demographic data, put together buyer personas and use them as guiding principles when planning your editorial calendar. While narrowing your base seems counterintuitive, speaking to your target audience’s interests and pain points will show your blog has merit to people who actually matter—your potential customers.
Vary Your Content
Straight text is not enough. To keep readers interested, mix up your content by adding images, infographics and videos. If you do not have the budget to create your own media, curate content from the web and provide commentary as to why it’s relevant to your customers. Also, include statistics and cite authoritative sources to build your own credibility and to make posts more sharable.
Advertise Your Blog
There are many ways to advertise your blog without spending money. For example, add a link to your blog in your Twitter bio or send out a blog article in an email or newsletter to your current contacts. Your email signature is another great place to add a link to your blog. If you see an active forum that is relevant to your business, join the conversation—but be sure to take the time to add value and build your character in the community before casually linking to relevant posts on your blog. While this can be a useful tactic, be careful. Remain genuine and add value—nobody likes a used car salesman on their forums. Other ways to advertise include posting articles on your professional and personal social networking accounts and sending other websites relevant native content.
Become SEO-Friendly
In 2014, Google fielded more than 6 billion searches daily, and that number is expected to increase significantly in years to come. Before publishing your post, spend five minutes doing keyword research and look for terms that are relevant to the post and have adequate search volume. Use these keywords within the copy (but don’t stuff!) and within meta data. There are many CMSes that allow easy on-page integration through SEO plugins or widgets.
Install Google Analytics
Google Analytics is free to download and is a goldmine of useful information, such as which keywords bring traffic, where visitors are coming from, demographic data, and engagement metrics that can tell you if your content is resonating. Using Google Analytics can help you decide which paths to pursue and which to avoid.
Make and Accept Guest Posts
Pay attention to popular sites and other blogs that contain information similar to yours. Chances are some of your current readers are checking out the same sites, so there is likely an abundance of potential readers lurking there. Research a blog you would like to be featured on and pitch titles that would resonate with its readers. Be sure to accept guest posts on your blog as well, since the guest poster will more than likely promote his or her article on your blog, increasing your traffic even more.
Generating traffic can have a significant impact on the success of your blog—and, in essence, your entire business. Remember, companies that have created successful blogs are 13 times more likely to experience a positive ROI. While promoting your blog can take a substantial amount of effort in the beginning, the payoff is well worth it.
Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorieclark/2013/11/01/how-to-drive-more-traffic-to-your-blog/
http://moz.com/blog/21-tactics-to-increase-blog-traffic-2012
http://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics