The key to blogging is NOT just doing a weekly blog about stuff, it is about spending your time figuring out who you want to target with your blog, writing content directed at them and then putting it where they already are.
In the words of Social Triggers marketing guru Derek Halpern, spend 80% of your time planning and 20% of your time writing it.
GOAL of this TASK: At the end of this task is to have you write a top 5 blog piece that will attract a lot of eyes.
3 steps from for creating blogs that get traffic from Noah at OKdork.com:
- Find Content (blogs, guides, top 10, infographic and videos) in your niche that has done really well.
- Take what you find and make it even better.
- Promote your content directly to people that would be interested in it!
Step 1: Find Content in your niche that has done really well.
If you sell products, take a look on pinterest for a specific product type and pick out things that have been re-pinned the most. For example, if you were on pinterest and you sold calendars, you would search for calendars. You can see that one of the topics that got a TON of re-pins. This would then be a topic you could write a top 5 on that you know has interest.
For example it appears that printable calendars are something people love!
If you are a professional and consult in a specific niche area, you can build a blog integrating what people find interesting and fascinating about that area. Such as if you are a designer, you could blog about the top 5 elegant designs and add your take on how you get elegant design in your niche space.
While you could find Pinterest entries, such as the calendar example above, another strategy would be to look on LinkedIn, in a group in your niche for a discussion that created a lot of buzz. For example in the Design thinking Group on LinkedIn there was a lively discussion about courses in design thinking. Why not turn it into a top 5 places to take classes on design thinking and add your training and experiences. The best part, you already know where the people interested in this hang out.
Step 2: Take what you find and make it better.
Take the time to organize the thoughts that are out there into something more easily read. Be sure to make your blog look visually attractive, by adding as many photos wherever possible. Use one font throughout the blog. Pick a header colour that matches your website. Keep the blog short, sweet and deliver the topic that people found so interesting. Don’t have time to do this, no problem. There are professional writers that can write this blog for you for a small fee. Contact us to find out more.
Still with me? Last step. You have the content written. You know people are interested in it, and you have created a visually appealing article.
Step 3: Promote your content directly to people that would be interested in it!
This is a BIG topic and another area where it just takes TIME. The key here is that if you just “post and pray” you won’t get any more traffic. You need to find out where the people interested in your post go.
One approach is to profile your target audience and find out where they fish. Follow this blog to profile your customers.
For those professionals that found a topic in a LinkedIn group discussion, go there! You already know where those people hang out so go ahead and share it. Especially if you have summarized a discussion with 20+ comments into something succinct.
If you have a product you will have to be more clever as to where you post it. Ideally you can find a blog that is on the niche area you blogged about or where there is a subtle connection with the group. For example, if you were to do a top 5 blog on personalized printable calendars, you might find a crafting forum, or a Christmas do it yourself blog. If you are to join a forum, you will need to build a reputation for a week or two, adding valuable comments or helpful tips to other questions they have.
For blogs, if you mentioned someone else’s blog, let them know. And then be bold to let them know what you have written and ask if they would be willing to mention it on the page. Always finish up with a thank you note.
Need more guidance? Ask away or comment below.