Writing and publishing your blog takes up a lot of time, brainpower and resources. And without getting your ideal audience to read it, it all feels like – and probably is – a big waste of your time and efforts.
So while you’re creating that list of things to blog about, you need to also be creating a strategy for how to get people to read it! I’ve got 10 simple actions you can take to get more eyeballs on your content! Let’s go…
1. Use Social Sharing Buttons
When you post your blog, you have to have social sharing icons right on that page to make it as easy as possible for viewers to share it. The mistake I see people make most often is they add social following icons, meaning when clicked, they take the viewing to one of your platforms, versus sharing your blog with their network.
If you use WordPress, here are a couple of easy to install plugins that will help you to do this right!2. Use Click to Tweet
You’ll see on our blog that when we feel a sentence (under 140 characters of course) has tremendous value or really sums up an idea we’re sharing, we make it easy for our audience to tweet it (with a link to the blog) by using this Click to Tweet resource that you can install on your WordPress blog. [clickToTweet tweet=”You can’t just post that blog on your site and think everyone will know it’s there. ” quote=”You can’t just post that blog on your site and think everyone will know it’s there.”]3. Swap out Your Website Link in Instagram with a Short Link to Your Blog
On the day that you launch your blog and are actively promoting it, create a short link (preferably a custom bit.ly link) and swap it with your website link in your Instagram. Just do this for 1-2 days so while you are promoting through posts and stories, you can tell people to just click the link in your bio, since that’s the only active link you have to drive traffic in Instagram.4. Send a Link to the Blog to Your Email List
You can’t just post that blog on your site and think everyone will know it’s there. And social media feeds are pretty crowded. You have to make sure you get that content in front of your most loyal followers, those on your email list! We send our blog out to that audience first because they’re that special, then a few hours later we start promoting it to everyone else.5. Share Links to the Blog All Over Social Media
I know you already know this, but I can’t write this and not remind you! I also suggest you write out a strategy for exactly how you are going to do it so you have a checklist to use each and every time. That will help you to make sure you don’t miss anything and will make the entire process more efficient. Don’t forget to include sharing in groups and promoting posts. The 7-Step Social Media Strategy Guide
The 7-Step Social Media Guide
6. Send a Direct Message to Your Most Loyal Followers
When you have created content that you know will be valuable to specific people in your audience – your most loyal followers – share the link in a direct message. This not only strengthens your relationship with them, but almost guarantees they’ll view the link and feel compelled to share it (it’s OK to ask them to share, especially if it will be relevant to their network too.) This is one reason we should always be nurturing our online relationships!7. Create a Series of Posts to Drive Traffic Back to that Blog Over Time
After you do your hardcore blog promotion on the day it launches, think about how to continue to drive traffic there over the next three, six, or even 12 months. Create a series of posts and schedule them out so that blog continues to get views over time.8. Publish your Blog on LinkedIn Publisher
When I first recorded the video version of this blog we were waiting a week and then putting the entire blog on LinkedIn Publisher. Since then, I’ve talked with Viveka VonRosen, the LinkedIn Expert and she said you can do it on that very same day! It’s a great way to build authority and improved ranking on LinkedIn, while getting more views on your content. You can see an example of how we do it and how powerful the engagement can be here.9. Use Instagram Stories
Remember what I said in point #3? Well getting people to click that link in your bio will take more than just mentioning it in an Instagram post. You should also storyboard out a series of Story images and videos that will summarize and add value to that blog so that people want to click that link to learn more. Don’t forget to mention that call to action “Click the link in my bio to learn more…” The more creative you get with your stories, the better the engagement will be!
10. Discuss the Blog Topic in a Live Stream
Why not get your audience into the conversation by leveraging the power of live streaming? This allows you to showcase your expertise, while engaging in conversation with your audience. It’s also another opportunity to grab the attention of individuals that haven’t seen the blog and to share your call to action to go and read, comment and share it!If you follow these 10 simple steps (I know I say simple, but the reality is that it takes organization and time) you will see more and more views on your blog and increased engagement. The feedback you get as time goes on will help you to constantly provide increased value to your audience while you attract new followers.
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask in the comments below and I’m happy to help! We’d love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn so we can follow along with what you’re doing too! And finally, if you are a small business owner struggling to do what you do best AND to figure out how to stay on top of the latest changes, strategies, tips and tools in social media, I’d like to personally invite you to join our private Facebook group, Bobbi B’s Social Media Clambake, where I share all that information for free!
Bobbi Baehne
President, Think Big Go Local, Inc.
My mission at Think Big Go Local is to create a “buzz” around our client’s businesses online and in social media platforms so their message reaches their desired audience. We know that relationships are built and maintained online each and every day and work to make sure our clients are building credibility, authority and attracting new followers and clients . We don’t work in a cookie cutter environment, each of our clients is unique and their accounts are fully managed using their voice, talking to their specific audience and sharing value that keeps them coming back.