Six Essential Marketing Tips For Bloggers

As bloggers, we all have to wear a lot of hats. We’re writers, editors, photographers and sometimes, we have to become marketeers too. Marketing can be hard to get to grips with if it isn’t your industry, but if you’re going to make your blog a success, then you will need some kind of marketing strategy. Here are some top marketing tips for bloggers to help you succeed. 

Image – free for commercial use

If you’re serious about learning about marketing, you could consider a bba in marketing to gain some proper qualifications to help you. However, these tips are suitable for all knowledge levels. 

1. Target your content. Most bloggers are working with pretty small budgets, if they have one at all for marketing, so you shouldn’t waste the little budget you have on an audience who aren’t going to be interested in your blog. Instead, you should be spending the time to work out exactly who your audience is and target them. Before you post anything, make sure it hits your demographics.  If it does, your audience will respond positively, gaining you more engagement on your blog, social media, or wherever you are posting your content. Once you see your content is providing the results you desire, you can upscale your posts with step six.
2. Be original and honest. There’s no point in writing the same content as everyone else. Innovation is the best way to keep readers engaged and interested in what you have to say. Don’t write the same post over and over, and try and find a new take on any common topic that you do choose to write about. It’s also important to be honest and accurate. Check any facts that you’re saying, and be sure to use links to verify what you’re saying. You want your readers to be able to trust you, so keep it honest at all times. Creating inspiring and informative content comes from the heart, where your passion resides for what you do and are creating for your audience. This is how authenticity and originality shine through and draw attention to you.
3. Don’t be frightened of some controversy. Controversy sells, and you should embrace it occasionally. This doesn’t mean you should go out and start arguments for the sake of it, but you should be prepared to engage with people with differing opinions to you. Just brace yourself for the inevitable backlash if you do choose the occasional controversial stance.
4. Guest blog. Don’t just post on any blog that will have you, and instead pitch quality content to popular blogs in your niche who already have a large following. Getting a post by you onto a blog like this is a good way to introduce yourself to new readers who might then move across to your blog to read your own content. You will need content with an interesting viewpoint and something new to add to the conversation if a quality blog is going to accept your posts. Be sure to use your blog name in the author title in case the blog you are a guest on doesn’t choose to link you directly. This will allow those who are interested to find you easier and quicker! If you can, drop some links or mentions within your post discreetly, so your blog’s SEO rank increases.
5. Make it easy to subscribe. Don’t shove your RSS button down at the bottom of your link where nobody can find it. Instead, make any subscription links clear, easily visible and eye-catching. You could add an RSS button to your sidebar near the top so it can be easily added to RSS readers, offer email subscriptions or add links to mobi feeds. If subscribing is easy, more readers will do it, which can increase the amount of return visitors that your blog gets. 
6. Try Advertising on Facebook or Google. It sounds scary and it can definitely be intimidating trying to learn the motions of something so opportunistic and complex. However, if you know your target audience to a T, then it’s a wonderful investment to get your blog posts out to them on a larger scale. You are essentially paying per click (Cost Per Click or CPC), so as long as these clicks are getting you subscribers, followers, or whatever you are using to determine “success,” then your investment will be worth it. You can learn how to lower CPC with keyword strategizing and improving what’s known as your quality score. It becomes an adrenaline-inspiring puzzle as you begin to narrow down the exact content your audience responds to!

*Collaborative Post