How to Grow Your Blog’s Audience 3X Faster
You’ve weaved and posted a high-quality and informative blog. But all you hear is crickets.
Creating an excellent article is one thing. But getting as many eyeballs as possible to engage with it is altogether another thing.
Let’s face it- bloggers and business owners all over will swear that building an audience of ideal readers is a challenging feat. But the good news is that growing your audience is doable so long as you know what works and what doesn’t.
We’ve put together some of the sure-fire tricks that will reward you with a high-quality audience. Read on:
1. Publish Quality Content That Your Target Readers Desire
Before anything else, be sure you've posted relevant content that appeals to your target audience. The first step is to know your readers, their pain points, and their desires.
From there, it becomes easier to narrow down to relevant topics using these tips:
- Stay on top of emerging trends to get fresh and newsworthy blog post ideas.
- Use free tools like Google Alerts and Talkwalker Alerts to get heads up whenever someone posts relevant blog posts.
- Identify popular posts using BuzzSumo. You’ll get content ideas from topics that are gaining the most traction on social media and performing well for your competition.
- Use SEMrush and other keyword research tools to identify every short-tail and long-tail keyword that your competitors are ranking for plus traffic estimations.
2. Fine Tune Your Blog SEO Skills
Well, Search Engine Optimization may not be among your most favorite subjects. But when it comes to attracting more blog visitors, it plays a vital role.
A lot of factors come into play when optimizing your site to rank highly. A few examples include key phrase, bounce rate, internal links, link building, load time, and social shares.
But it’s worth noting that Search Engine Optimization isn’t a set-and-forget tactic. It’s an ongoing and dynamic thing, so be sure you’re using the latest tactics that work.
3. Write an Irresistible Post Title
If you're posting quality content, you’ll be halfway there. But if your articles’ titles are not enticing, they won’t attract half the amount of readers they should.
So, how can your blog post titles turn heads, get those clicks, and boost the conversion rate? The secret lies in showing your audience the benefits upfront.
A little exercise: Which of the following lines will more likely entice you to click?
- Tips for Growing a Business, or
- How to Grow Your Business 3X Faster
If you’re still reading this article, chances are the second title won your precious click. Show your readers that your post contains what they desire, and most of them will click the title right away.
Word to the wise: Stay clear of false click-baits and advertising in your title. If your readers fail to find the promised gold once they dive into your article, they’ll leave in a huff, never to come back again. Be sure your content delivers from the title to the last word.
4. Drop Links Like Crazy
Head over to traffic-heavy social bookmarking platforms (think Reddit, Digg, and StumbleUpon) and drop links to your blog posts. These websites are chock-full of people looking for exciting and new information.
Give them what they hunger for, and you’ll earn some new readers and excellent feedback. Just remember to remain patient. Even if the traffic isn’t that attractive at the start, spreading your blogs out there can boost your SEO efforts.
You can read more about doing blog distribution here.
5. Go Social with Social Media Platforms
Social media platforms are riding waves in this era. Most people log into these platforms to get information revolving around the latest news, gossips, trends, products, and services. So if you’re not on them, you’re missing out big time.
To make the most out of Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media channel, you need to share your blog posts on regular basis. It sounds obvious, right? Surprisingly, most people often forget this seemingly obvious tip.
6. Encourage Sharing on Social Media Sites
Your social sharing efforts can only go so far. You need people to meet more people and boost your blog traffic. So remember to encourage readers to share your content.
You stand to gain new readers each time a new visitor spreads your content on social platforms. Just be sure the content is worth sharing in the first place.
Add social sharing buttons to make sharing a breeze. But don’t go overboard. Your best bet is to stick with social media networks where most of your target audience hangs out.
Yet to gain many social shares? Hide the share counts to avoid negative social proof. Bring the counts back into view when they eventually increase.
You can also add the “click to tweet” boxes in your posts to highlight a short tip, quote, or statement.
7. Guest Blogging- Be Generous with Your Blog Content
Are you an expert that desires to be perceived as a thought-leader in your niche? Consider approaching another blog to offer them your juicy tips, how-to guides, and other inputs.
Also, your current audience could appreciate tips from a new voice. So be generous enough to feature a guest blogger on your blog. Just be sure their content compliment yours and resonates with your target readers.
Apart from providing your loyal readers with fresh content, guest posts can attract new readers and potential audiences to your website.
8. Use the RSS Feed to Your Blog’s Advantage
Ensure you’ve added an RSS (Rich Site Summary) feed to your blog. In case you’re wondering, an RSS feed allows your visitors to subscribe to your blog and update them whenever you post a new article.
This feature can drive engagement and social sharing. What’s more, implementing an RSS feed isn’t hard- you’re just a few clicks away from making it part of your blog.
9. Harness the Power of Email Marketing
Email marketing and outreach emails are still among the most effective means of staying in touch with your readers and target audience. As a visitor land on your website, entice them to subscribe to your email list and leave their email address. Then be sending your email subscribers updates of new blog posts to keep them coming back for more.
10. Interview and Quote People
Blog writing isn’t just about writing. It’s all about creating and cementing relationships with people in your community and industry.
So another sure-fire way of building a blog audience is by mentioning people in the articles. Interview and quote them. Then encourage them to share your post with their own readers, and the results will surprise you.
For example, if you mention 5 people or influencers with 20,000 followers each, 100,000 pairs of eyes could see your content. And if your titles are great, the click-through rate will be impressive.
11. Cultivate Your Network. It’s Your Net-worth
It’s not about what you know; it’s who you know. Well, this saying isn’t intended to water down your expertise. But if you’re looking to add some crucial feathers to those wings that will propel your content further, don’t neglect networking.
As you network, the number of blog readers, shares, engagement, and traffic can eventually shoot through the roof.
But first things first- reach out to relevant bloggers in your industry and strike beneficial connections. Then look for ways of helping each other to gain mutual benefits.
So, how can you go about this tactic? One of our sure-fire tips is to engage with them. Did the bloggers share an interesting post on their social media platform or blog? Add your voice in the comment section and share the post with your audience. That way, they can easily notice you and maybe reach out. Just be sure you stay clear from sounding promotional and focus on leaving helpful comments.
Also, remember to be a member of an active community thriving in your niche. Needless to say, that’s where other bloggers and potential readers hang out. From Facebook groups to Sub-Reddits, you’re spoilt for choice.
12. Co-host Webinars
Webinars are among the most creative ways to get in front of an engaged audience and bring out your expertise. Add this secret weapon to your arsenal, and beat those competitors that aren’t using it.
With webinars, you can invite an expert in your niche to share valuable tips, tricks, news, and other exciting things. You can write a blog from what was shared in the webinars and direct readers there.
13. Give Back to Your Audience (And Earn While Doing It)
Affiliate marketing will do much more than making money for you. It allows you to nurture loyalty and trust among your readers further.
Use affiliate links to solutions you know your readers will love, and your blog posts will gain more value. If the reader that followed your advice has a positive experience with the suggested products and services, they’ll trust you more. Some of them will not keep the good news to themselves- they’ll let their friends and family know, leading to an expanding blog traffic.
Affiliate marketing presents an opportunity to show your audience that you’re in tune with their desires and needs. Throw discounted offers in their paths to reward their loyalty while boosting your passive income. Right there, you just killed two birds with one stone.
14. Advertise If Your Budget Allows
If you have a budget and desire to fast-track the results, advertising and marketing blogs is the way to go. Google and social media platforms make this “pay to play” game a breeze.
For example, Facebook ‘boost’ feature allows your post to reach a larger audience. You can also focus on a laser-targeted audience by appropriately setting the location, age group, and interests.
Wrap Up
You now have actionable takeaways that will build your blog posts' audience base 3X faster. But this starts with an excellent blog post that's written for your audience and reflects you values.
Check out our blog writing services here and you'll love the results!
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