Congrats! You've created a blog and now want to grow your audience and build your blog followers. Here are ten quick tips to get you started.
1. Post Regularly. Although this can dually serve as an SEO tip, it is important in keeping and growing your subscribers. Your readers want new, fresh content and often. Try to post two to three times a week.
2. Show Your Best Work. It's not enough to post regularly — you must create quality work. It's best to take time and post one high quality article a week than to publish many articles that lack substance or are poorly constructed.
3. Ensure Quality Content. So what makes "high quality" content? Content that your readers want! The most common form of desired content is the "how to" or educational pieces — those that teach or show your readers something. Other types of content include lists, such as a top ten list, infographics, which are creatively designed images that contain text, or documented interviews with influential leaders in your field.
4. Keep Up With Conversation. If you're going to allow comments on your blog, then you need to keep up with the conversation, especially to answer questions your readers post, or address any concerns noted. Encourage your readers to comment on your work. It's a great way to have them continuously visit your site, and to get to know them better. Additionally, comment on other sites as well! Put your blogs address in your signature line.
5. Know Your Audience. To grow your audience is to know your audience. You may think your readers want "this" type of content, but the majority really are seeking "that" type. Want to know? Then ask! Survey Monkey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/) and Zoomerang (https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/zoomerang-powered-by-surveymonkey/) are two very popular applications that can collect, track and analyze your survey results. And they have free packages as well!
6. Use a Subscribe Widget. Add the "Subscribe To My Blog" widget to your blog's sidebar. You commonly see this in the form of the orange RSS feed icon, which traditionally allows people to subscribe to you blog using a reader, such as Feedly (http://feedly.com). However, not everyone knows what a reader is, but almost everyone of any age checks email. So, in addition to the well recognized RSS feed icon, you want to add the "Subscribe To My Blog" or "Follow My Blog" widget to your blog's sidebar, towards the top, which allows people to subscribe to your blog and notified of recent updates by email.
7. Take Advantage of Newsletter Traffic. To complement your blogging efforts, you should also develop an email marketing strategy. Share different stories and ideas with newsletter subscribers but still reference articles and links to your blog. Someone who was forwarded your newsletter may love what they read and then choose to subscribe to your site as well.
8. Tap In to the Power of Social Media. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn and more are where people talk, communicate, and share. You want to utilize that power and interest to get people to your site, increasing the chance of them becoming a follower of your blog.
9. Try Guest Blogging. Be a guest blogger! Sharing what you love with another site increases your exposure and also improves the chances their readers will want to know more about you and click to visit to your blog. Additionally, keep your readers engaged, and complement your content with that submitted by other guest bloggers. Variety is important.
10. Get Creative. People are visual, and great presentation gets attention! Make sure your posts are well structured and include headings and formatting such as bulleted items and lists. Create balance. For example, wrap text around images on the left in one paragraph, followed by wrapping text on the right in the next paragraph. Additionally, add or interchange images with videos. Remember to mix up the type of content as well. And lets not forgot to mention the very popular and desired…infographics!
Bonus: Want to learn how to start a successful blog? Enroll in the New York Institute of Art and Design's Blogging Course today!
