Posts Tagged ‘blogging strategy’

11 Ways To Drive Traffic To Your Blog

14 COMMENTS
August 20th, 2008

A little while ago I wrote about how you can get your site/blog indexed in Google in a short period of time.  However, getting your site indexed is not going to drive traffic to your blog (or your website for that matter).  Driving traffic obviously takes time and patience.  So what can you do to drive traffic to your blog?

Comment on other posts related to your industry

If you have a blog that deals with sports cars then find other people that talk about sports cars and comment on their posts.  It doesn’r hurt to branch out slightly to related industries as well, for example car parts, car accessories either.

Try to get syndicated

When I write a post it immediately gets sent to Marketing.alltop.com, Socialmedia.alltop,com, and social media today.  That’s 3 different places that my post appears in addition to appearing on my blog.  This helps increase your reach.

Put the URL in your email signature and profiles

I have my blog URL in my email signature.  I also have a link going to my blog from my facebook profile, linkedin page, twitter account, etc.  Make sure that you make it easy for people to discover your blog.

Use Digg and Stumbleupon

Use these tools judiciously but do use them.  Every now and then when I think I have written a solid quality post about an interesting topic I will “stumble” it and post it/and share it on digg.

Share your posts

Whenever I write a post I make sure to distributed it to my twitter followers and facebook friends, that way people that are connected to me will have an easy way of discovering my blog.

Write guest posts

No guest post is too small or too big.  If you are given the opportunity to write on someone else’s blog then do it.  Don’t be scared to ask to write guest posts either.  In addition to writing my own blog I also write on Brian Solis’s Bubblicious blog and for the Blog World Expo Blog.  Writing guest posts is one of the best ways to get your name out there.  Something is better than nothing so get out there and write where you can.

Write quality and engaging content

This is undoubtedly one of the most important things you can do to drive traffic to your blog.  Write something you are passionate about and use your voice when you do it.  In a nutshell my passion is people and ideas and that is what I try to write about (marketing, social media, etc, all fall under that general category).

Network online and offline

Try to maintain an active online and offline presence.  I try to attend as many events as I can.  These events range from tweetups, to technology get togethers, to conferences, to parties.  Try to get out there and talk to people.  Share your ideas and share your passions whenever you can.

Write Often

As many of you know, I try to write at least once a day, and sometimes more.  People like to see new and fresh content.  If you start off writing a blog post once a week then chances are that people are not going to “stick” to your site.  Try to write as often as you can to keep your readers interested and engaged.

Respond to comments

I respond to every single comment and e-mail I get, even if it’s just a thank you.  Don’t be worried if your blog doesn’t get that many comments either.  Mashable for example has over 1 millions unique readers a month, yet the comments are sparce at best.  Conversation don’t  just happen on blogs, so just because you don’t see comments doesn’t mean people aren’t talking about what you wrote.

RSS feeds

Make it easy for your readers to RSS feed your content.  I have a link at the end of all of my posts that let’s you receive my posts in the RSS feed platform of your choice.  I also have that giant orange RSS feed symbol at the top right of my page.  Oftentimes people just read the content straight from their RSS reader without even visiting my site, it’s a convenience.  Either way, they are reading what I write, and that’s what counts.

I really hope you find the above tips useful, please feel free to email me with any questions or comments, my email can be found on the about page.  Do you have any other tips you would recommend?  Did I miss any?

Thanks for reading

Follow me on twitter

Connect with me on linkedin

Connect with me on facebook

TAGS: blog traffic tips, blogging strategy, drive traffic to your blog, site driving traffic

Blogging Strategy Vs Social Media Strategy

4 COMMENTS
March 25th, 2008

social media strategy vs blog strategyIt is one thing to say you are going to start a blog. It is an entirely different thing to say that you are going to create a social media strategy. Blogging is one part of social media, just as creating a marketing plan is one part of a business. Sure, it is better to have something than to have nothing at all. However, if you are looking to create an overall strategy then you have to employ more than just a blog and more than just a marketing plan. A marketing plan and a blog will only get you so far.

If you are a brand, than you already have a following, people are already talking about you whether you want them to or not. By creating a blog, you are telling your customers that you are willing to take part in some of the conversation. Creating a blog doesn’t necessarily mean commitment though. It’s relatively easy to throw up a blog that has the infamous “comment” link. What people really want, is to know what’s going in with the company and the people running it. They want direct interaction and communication whenever they can get it. Remember, social media is not a marketing tool, it’s a way of life and when people are not out and about they are online and they want to be talking to you.

Believe it or not, people want more than just a blog. Why not include a twitter account? And while your at it, throw in a facebook profile, maybe a Jaiku profile, and you might as well include live streaming videos as well. Jason Calacanis is the CEO of Mahalo. He has a popular blog, tens of thousands of Twitter followers, hundreds of streaming video viewers, a Myspace profile, etc. In fact live streaming videos is becoming quite popular. I recently attended a wine party in Santa Rosa hosted Robert Scoble and Gary Vaynerchuck. Robert Scoble was streaming live video from his cell phone camera to hundreds of viewers who were gladly following along at home. Why? Because people are curious, they want to know more, they don’t just want blog conversations any more. The point is that while your consumers are online, they want YOU to be online, and you should be.

Sure a blog will get you started and may engage your users in a conversation but you have to go beyond that for a social media strategy. Some people don’t read blogs and only use twitter, some people only use facebook, etc. It is important to capture several social media platforms so that you can reach more people and build stronger relationships. Do you think if Steve Jobs or Bill Gates created a Twitter account that people would follow? You bet they would.

Remember, the internet is a very big place, for people to come spend time on your tiny corner of the web is amazing. Attention is priceless, so when you get it, you better do what you can to try to keep it. By creating an overall social media strategy you are continuously engaging and growing your relationships with your customers (readers, etc.). By doing so, you are getting more and more of their attention, which as I mentioned before, is priceless.

So, before you begin creating your blogging strategy, ask yourself if you should really be creating a social media strategy with blogging as one component.

Thanks for reading everyone, you guys are great and I love your comments and e-mails!

TAGS: blogging strategy, social media strategy