Tips to grow your Blog Readership

So you have a blog and enjoy posting articles on a frequent basis – but how can you leverage the power of Social Media to get more readers and traffic to your website?

Position yourself as a subject matter expert

There is no doubt the internet has changed the way we go about our shopping. Often people will run a web search about a product or service they are looking to purchase to get quick ‘reviews’ and feedback. If you are blogging about a particular service or product make it look like you are a subject matter expert and that your knowledge in the topic is vast.

Blogging is a social arena where you can speak out to a vast audience of readers – so come across as a pro in your field.

Make sure your content is unique and inviting

Make sure your blog content is unique to your site. Don’t copy or scrape any content – there is no point and it could potentially damage your brand if you resort to this sort of content generation.

If you are always Blogging about Web Design and Development for example, occasionally change your topic of discussion, for example an article on SEO and how this relates to Web Design may intrigue your audience, and also attract new readers.

Encourage comments and feedback from your Audience

When posting new updates to your Blog, you ultimately want to get people commenting on your articles. This sort of interaction can add value to your article and website by getting outside opinions and ideas on the topic being discussed. You want to be the leader in your field and the place where people go for discussion.

If you are changing or redesigning your site, be open to feedback from your readership – as ultimately they are your customers.

Use Automatic Publishing tools for Social Media Integration

If you are a blogger, publishing your content to Social Media sites is a must-do in my opinion. Posting your Article to sites such as Twitter and Facebook can vastly increase your readership and engage with new audiences.

There are many Social Media sites that could receive your content – have a look at our Social Media Directory.

Use tools like Hellotxt.com or Ping.fm – they will automatically take your RSS feed and publish it to all your Social Media accounts whenever you create a new article.

This is a great way to leverage Social Networks and gain free traffic to your website – and it’s 100% automated!

Share your Information and Experiences

If you want people to keep returning to your Blog – you have to give them a reason to come back. Offer them information and free advice to improve their own businesses, eg if you find a great new SEO tip to increase your blog traffic – share it with your audience to show you offer value in your articles and you want to help your readers with their own blogs.

Create your own Personal Style

If you write a blog, it doesn’t have to be overly formal, add your own personal flavour to blog posts, include author biographies, Twitter and Facebook links, allowing your readership to engage with you on Social Networks if they so desire.

Letting your audience understand your real personality can strengthen your personal brand, and keep your readers coming back just because they like you and your opinions.

We hope these tips help you improve your own blogs – and of course if you can think of any more hints, do let us know in the comments box below!