photo credit: The Sean & Lauren Spectacular via photopin cc
1. Include social share icons
A simple way to encourage readers to share your blog post is to include social share icons at the beginning or end of the post (or both!). If those icons aren’t there as a reminder to share your useful post with friends and followers, then readers may not make the extra effort to do it. The likelihood of sharing goes up if those buttons are easily accessible.
Think of social share icons like candy bars at a grocery store. You may not hunt them down on your own (and if you do, feel no shame, we’ve all been there), but seeing them near the checkout line may suddenly whet your appetite and motivate you to buy one. In a similar way, social share icons remind and encourage readers to share your content.
Social share icons come in a variety of sizes and styles.
2. Encourage readers to participate
Many businesses blog (or should blog) to interact with their readers. Interaction requires two-way communication, so you want to encourage readers to respond to your post with their own thoughts and comments. One way to do this is to ask the readers a question at the end of the post to get them thinking, and also to let them know their feedback is welcome!
A mix of open- and closed-ended questions will help focus the conversation without stifling it.
3. Put a call to action at the end of the post
Now that someone has read your entire article, what do you want them to do? Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter, or schedule a consultation with you? Do you want them to download something? Let them know! It can be hard to earn someone’s attention, so seize the opportunity and use it to provide something of value to the reader.
Your call to action will stand out more if it looks different from the text of the post.
4. Include links to other areas of your website
Links within a post are good when you want to direct the reader to extra information outside the scope of the article. If the link is to another place on your website, then the reader will stick around longer and be more likely to do business with you or subscribe to your blog. For example, this link to marketing consultants in Medford, Oregon takes you to our home page!
5. Pull out quotes that readers can click to tweet
If Twitter is part of your marketing strategy, you can pull out and highlight quotes from your post that readers can click to tweet. This makes it easy for them to share your content. You can auto-fill the tweet with hashtags or a link back to your page. If someone on Twitter likes the quote, they just may follow the link to your post and then you will have a new reader.
You should test your tweet links to make sure they are under the 140-character limit.
6. Share blog posts on your marketing channels
Some businesses struggle to gain blog readers because they don’t advertise new posts. You should publish links to new posts on your marketing channels, which may include Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, or an email newsletter. You’ll get the best results with an intriguing title and blurb that leave potential readers wanting more. You want to let people know your post is worth their time.
Well-chosen pictures can add visual interest to a post.
Now go forth and blog!
As part of a larger marketing strategy, blogging can help some businesses reach new customers and encourage loyal customers to be advocates for the brand. These six tips will help ensure you reach the right people with the right message.
Are you blogging for your business but feel like you are getting nowhere? Are you interested in blogging but not sure where to start, or how to create a blogging strategy that supports your business objectives? Schedule a 30-minute consultation with us and we can help set you on the right path.