This is the age of digital transformation, and every business and individual is making their presence online using a website or a blog. Blog marketing is idea comes next after creating a website.
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Initially, people used to have separate websites and blogs for their business, but it has changed today. The business owners choose to have the blog on their website itself so that visitors can easily access the website.
Nowadays, people are making money from not only the websites that offer products but also from blogs that contain quality content. Blogging has become a business on its own.
Of course, it needs efforts and the right strategies to monetize a blog, but the same goes for selling products and services as well. You might have just started a blog or have an existing blog for years now, and that might or might not be attracting traffic.
To increase the traffic on your blog or to earn money from it, you have to take your blog as a business. One of the key factors behind a successful business is the marketing strategies and plans to define goals, business roadmap, ways to achieve goals, and security measures like using VPN (VPN for Windows or VPN for Android) how it helps customers and visitors, and so on.
Similarly, bloggers also need to have a perfect blog marketing plan for their blogs to achieve success. If you are a blogger, you have to put in hard work and determination, and move with a positive attitude, because the competition is at its peak.
Simply said, you need to plan blog marketing for your blog to stay on track and achieve your goals. The guide below includes the most significant parts of a blog marketing plan that you must implement for a successful blog.
Define your niche and target the right audience for your blog marketing
With everyone around us having their websites and businesses online, it can be difficult for you to reach everyone smoothly, especially if you are starting a new blog.
However, a positive aspect of a blog is that you don’t have to attract the entire world to your blog, but a small portion who is interested in reading your blog posts and buying products or services.
Hence, it is important to define the niche and know the target audience when you set up your blog. It will help you in finding the right visitors for your site. For example, your blog is about emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT), then it will be better for you to target technical people who want to learn or know about the technologies.
This way, the world on the internet will become smaller, enabling you to target only the important audience.
Know the top competitors of your blog
Every emerging business or blogger should do this thing— create a list of the top ten or fifteen brands that are doing the same thing as you but are successful. You can use them as your role models because they are in the same niche and do things in a manner that makes them stand out from the crowd.
It will work as a reference for you to serve your visitors better. You can check their blog whenever you require inspiration and make better decisions. You should analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and know their strategies for getting visitors. You can also learn from the type of content they publish.
Define your brand
The way you show your online presence to the world depends a lot on the success of your blog. Hence, you need to have the right strategy for branding your blog.
While building a website, you need to consider several points like visual brand identity, social media handles, etc. Branding is something that impacts your visitors and determines if they like the work on your blog like posts, products or services, website design, etc.
You have to look great on the internet with your online presence and tell your story in a very effective manner. Rather than just promoting the content on your blog, also share your story because it’s a psychological fact that people are more curious about other people than they are about things.
Tell them your goals with the blog, and how you want to help folks and solve their problems in an easy and readable manner. Keeping your goals in mind, share the content and social media posts accordingly.
One notable thing when branding your blog is to talk to visitors as a human with humor and wit rather than a professional machine bot.
Perfectly utilize social media
Social media has become a key component of digital marketing. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and more help you network with people and drive traffic to your blog.
Several types of research show that the majority of marketers believe social media marketing helps them increasing brand visibility and enhance user experience.
Hence, set up social media accounts for your blog. Use high-quality and attractive profile pictures, using the ideal dimensions as per the platform. Fill up the bio, and use cover photos and your blog URL on all platforms.
Your social media presence should make your visitors feel as if they’re home. Invest enough time to remain active on the platforms, and reply the comments and messages without making users wait for responses.
Crown the content
Content is king, and the meaning of this saying has become all the more important nowadays, especially if you’re a blogger. You need to use the content to tell the story of your blog, your posts, your goals, and you (the author).
For the right blog marketing of your blog, you’ll have to create effective content not only as blog posts but also as captions on social media handles. Even the replies to comments or tweets need content. Be unique and original with every type of content to crown your content.
Publish content on your blog
Before reaching the audience or sharing the links of your newly started blog with people, make sure that you have published at least ten posts on it. This will give visitors an impression of your blog and make them understand the theme of your posts.
One or two posts might not give a clear idea about your blog. Hence, it is better to add posts before reaching out, and then you can continue with your regular post schedule.
Reach the target audience
Now that you are set with the blog, social media handles, content, etc., it is time for you to go out and share your work with the target audience.
As a part of your marketing plan, you will need to reach the people who are in your niche, likely to like your blog, and would like to partner with you. This way, you can optimize the time and resources spent on your blog.
Make a list of bloggers, websites, friends, and family who would be interested in your work. If some of your friend or family member likes your work, they might share the links with their friends and spread your reach.
Build personal relationships digitally
Building a personal relationship with strangers online can seem like a weird task but it is an effective method to acquire visitors. Have courage and reach out to all the people who are on your list of target audiences.
One thing that people hate is the marketing emails that marketers send to thousands of people at once. Such emails are much like spam and people don’t even bother to open them. When reaching out, bear in mind to make the email a little personal, and compliment them genuinely as if you know them.
If possible, don’t ask them to click any links or visit your blog in the first message or email. It would be better to just connect and add value to the relationship.
Build it
In the beginning, it can be painful to see an empty social profile with no followers, retweets, re-shares, comments and likes. But patience is the key. Jumpstart your plan by following the successful people in your niche.
Then check their posts and see the comments of people who are keen on posts that you publish on your blog. You can like their comments or retweet and follow them.
Follow around a hundred such people on social media platforms and you will see traction on your accounts. Some people will follow you back and check your work by clicking that blog link in your profile. Make sure to keep the social media profiles active and alive, and engage with the visitors.
If someone comments on your posts, reply to them politely. People will share their feedback or ask questions. Delete the spam comments.
Promote your blog
Blog Marketing To drive more traffic to your blog, you can write guest posts on other blogs. There are several blogs and websites with good traffic and visitors who allow the submission of guest posts. You can write for them and include a backlink to your blog in the post. This can diversify your reach and increase your traffic.
If you aren’t good at search engine optimization (SEO), have someone optimize your blog for search engines. This can help you rank higher on Google, Bing, etc.
Wrapping up:
It is now all over to you. Go through the guide and follow the blog marketing plan for your blog. Then go back and check the Google Analytics. You will see the difference. It will surely bring a smile to your face because nothing can be more satisfactory for a blogger than the rise in traffic.
If you have more ideas for perfect blog marketing, feel free to share them in the comments below.
Sonl Sinha is a passionate writer as well as WordPress and WooCommerce rockstar who loves to share insights on various topics through his engaging blog posts. He runs a successful website design and digital marketing company. With 15+ years of experience in WordPress theme development, he strives to inform and inspire readers with his thought-provoking content. He helps thousands of small and medium businesses and startups create a unique online presence. Follow Sonl Sinha for your regular dose of knowledge and inspiration.
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