Writing a blog is a fun way to connect with your audience. You get to write about topics that you know and love, and that your clients want to hear about. What’s more, when you’re blogging, you can write in a way that suits you, suits your style, and about exactly what you want to, without worrying about what other people think of your chosen subject.
So blogs are a great way to get your voice out there, connect with like-minded people and hopefully find your ideal clients.
Once you’ve written a piece that you want to publish, you need to get it out to as many people in your target audience as possible. To that end, here are my top 5 tips to help you grow your readership and connect with your ideal clients.
Know who your target audience are
Write for an audience you know and love. If you are writing for your readers then you are connecting with them. What do they love? What do they hate? What do they want to know about? If you know this, then you will have more success with engagement and sharing of your blog. And also, you will know how to market your blog using hashtags, community groups and with S.E.O. If you don’t know your audience download the market research questionnaire to find out more about your audience: NEEDS TO BE MADE. or talk to me for in-depth help.
Re-read
Once you’ve written up a blog piece that you’re happy with, take a break from it. You need to leave it for at least a couple of hours if you can, so you can come back to it with fresh eyes. When you do come back to it, give it a thorough read through. Make sure it’s your top quality work, that covers everything you wanted to talk about and that there aren’t any typos. Remember the rule of three…. Re-read, then re-read, and then re-read again. That makes sure that it’s on point and reader ready!
2. Enlist a guest editor
Having done your final read through and editing, it’s time for someone else to cast an eye over your writing. Enlist the help of a trusted friend, or employ a VA (virtual assistant) to give your blog another read through. Ask them to give you an honest critique. You want to know if anything feels lacking, if there’s something that doesn’t quite make sense to an outside eye, and of course, for any pesky grammar or spelling mistakes. Be sure that your blog is a smooth read from beginning to end.
3. S.E.O.
Search engine optimisation is something you might not necessarily think of unless you’re a techy, or marketing minded person. Nonetheless it is an important feature in getting your blog out there to the right people. S.E.O. means using words in your writing that other people are searching for, so that a search engine (eg. Google) can present your blog to people who will be interested in reading it. You can use www.moz.com to discover the current hot words in your industry. Use words that have been used a small or medium number of times to ensure your blog doesn’t get swallowed up in broad searches.
4. Use social media
Post your blog on all social media platforms- Instagram (a post and linked in stories), Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest and of course, Facebook. Post to your personal and business pages and also in any groups you’re a part of. Remember, if it’s not your group always make sure you get permission from group admin and that you’re following group rules for self promotion.
5. Re-post
Last but not least, keep your blog in people’s minds by reposting old blogs every few months. Look out for opportunities to guide people to previous blog posts, this will get current content known and help your readership grow.
Have fun writing your blog. Don’t let it become a chore.. And don’t let quality writing go to waste. Write about things that inspire and motivate you, so basically write about what’s currently on your mind, but also make sure it’s personal and interesting for your target audience. Remember the rule of three! Edit, edit and edit again. And lastly, don’t be shy about sharing what you’ve written with the world. Watch your audience grow as you connect with more and more people! You’ve got this!
Any questions about blogging or ideas for starting up your own blog that you want to hash out? Contact me on dina@dinapyramid.com.