My First Love

One of the biggest complaints from most people who enter into the blogging arena (behind “I don’t have time”) is that they struggle to grow a following on their blog. At first glance, it seems as if there are so many bloggers vying for the same sets of eyeballs that it’s hard to penetrate the competitions force field. But there are numerous ways to grow a following on your blog, and there are plenty of hungry readers who will eventually find their way to what you offer.

If you’re not part of an organization that requires you to write about what they want you to write about, choose a niche that works for you. It isn’t necessary to stick to one topic all the time, but writing about your favorite 125,000 things in the world will probably drive some of your readers elsewhere.

Be consistent in your blogging. If you’re going to blog once a day, blog once a day. If you’re going to blog once a month, blog once a month, although that isn’t entirely recommended.

Make sure you’re sharing your blog posts. Include easy-to-share buttons on your blog, which ensures a wider audience in places like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Just as you would network in order to grow your business, network to grow your blog. Get to know some other bloggers and then find out how you can become guest blogger. Of course, invite your new friends to guest post on your blog as well. It’s just good business and common courtesy.

Be seen. Just as you would guest blog, make sure you’re engaging in other social media activities such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. It’s also a good idea to comment on other people’s blogs. This helps you build a name for yourself.

One great example of being seen and engaging in other social media activities is a recent blog post by Maverick PR’s Sharon Smith. She recently entered a competition on a local web site by posting a blog about her first love, her Chevy Chevette! As people see her post, they automatically want to know more about her. Before you know it, we’ve got oodles of new visitors on our own blog site. (See her blog post, My First Love, here and “Like” it for yourself!)

Be who you are on your own blog. Find the best advice that works for you and your blog, but remember that social media is, above all, about being social.

This is certainly not an all inclusive list of how to grow your blog’s traffic. We will continue to provide posts on this topic and many others. If you’ve got ideas or questions about growing a blog, we’d love to hear from you!