How to Build An Audience for Your New Blog

“If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around, does it make a sound?”

The same could be asked about a blog: If a blog is written but has no readers, does it exist at all? Without readers, no one is listening and nothing will come as a result – no leads, no traffic.

Don’t let your blog fall into the cobwebs of your website. Give the following a little TLC to help encourage people to read.

Content

Content creation can be one of the hardest things to plan when you first begin blogging. If you want readers, and you want those readers to keep coming back to your blog as a trusted resource, it can’t be all about you. It’s all too easy to write about yourself and your company in a favorable light– it’s your blog after all. But the key to keep readers coming back for more is to provide value.

Provide value to your readers and keep the sales pitches to a minimum. Your readers are already on your website to read the blog. Let them explore and they’ll come to you when they’re ready. (Of course, there are strategies to give them a gentle nudge every now and then, but we’ll cover that further down in the post.)

SEO

You can no longer stuff your blog content with keywords and phrases and magically watch your website fly to the top of Google’s rankings. The search giant has done a pretty solid job of weeding out spam content for the betterment of everyone involved. Good content now gets the bump it deserves. So what does that mean for your new blog? Implement SEO best practices (start here) and avoid tactics that will get your site on Google’s bad side.

Sharing

Once your content is established and SEO is in check, the next step is to share. Get your blog in front of the right audience. Not sure who your audience is? Check your social networks and Google Analytics. Facebook and Twitter have great audience insight and analytics tools that can show you which fans are engaging with your brand in addition to a post-level analysis of impressions and engagements. Google Analytics can provide demographic and location data about your site visitors. Use this information to cater your posts and content to your audience.

If you’re still struggling to gain readership, consider syndication and amplification opportunities. By using paid advertising, you can target a specific audience to boost readership and gain followers.

Starting a blog is the first step, but getting readers is just as important. Start with these tactics, and you’ll be on your way to increased readership in no time!

Tori Sabourin
Marketing Coordinator

[cta]