If a blog is published and no one is around to read it, does it make an intellectual impact? Much like the tree falling in the proverbial forest, a blog with no readers has little meaning.
Simply put, you need readers to make a blog worth the mental energy and time you put into it.
If you’ve been blogging for a while (maybe months?) without much readership, you might be wondering if you should just give up already. The answer: Not until you try these strategies out.
1. Build Out Your Social Media Accounts
If you have a Facebook page, great! But if you think slapping your blogs up there is as far as you need to go, sister, we got some work to do!
First off, is your target audience on Facebook? For instance, if you’re a home decorator, your blogs will most likely be better put to use on Pinterest. Now, that’s not to say you can’t or shouldn’t also publish them on Facebook. But a good rule of thumb is to invest the most time on the social media platform that will give you the most ROI.
Furthermore, are you sharing more than your blogs on social media? If you only post your blogs, you run the risk of:
- Giving the impression you’re only in it for the clicks
- Looking stale
- Boring your followers, and
- Alienating thought leaders in your industry.
Interspersing pictures, memes, and other articles your audience might find interesting among your personally written blogs will go a long way in warding off these faux pas.
DISCLAIMER: There is a lot more to a good social media strategy; these are just two basics upon which to build.
2. Publish On Multiple Platforms
You might host a blog on your own domain, but don’t be afraid to branch out. Publishing your blogs on other platforms, like Medium, can extend your audience reach by placing your content in front of countless sets of eyes that just want to read.
Hubspot’s VP of Marketing Meghan Keaney Anderson, puts it well:
“Medium has done a remarkable job with editorial curation and a loyal readership has followed, with a lot of this being driven by mobile. According to 2016 research from eMarketer, 86% of time spent on mobile devices is spent in apps rather than internet browsers. Apps like Medium have become new discovery platforms for content.
And these new discovery platforms come with notable differences in behavior. On the open web, people are searching, but on Medium, people come to spend time reading. This leads to much higher engagement on Medium and it’s this engagement, not search behavior, that fuels further discovery. (Hubspot)”
3. Start Guest Blogging
Guest blogging can best be described as a three-way, symbiotic relationship.
- You (the guest) get access to the other blogger’s audience.
- They (the other blogger) gets to take a break while delighting their audience.
- Their audience gets to hear from another industry source, adding value to their experience.
For guest blogging best practices, see this article.
4. Have A Personality Already!
When it comes to blogs, people have an infinite number of sources from which to choose. You MUST stand out.
And besides spectacular content (which should always be a given), you do this by giving your content personality. While I don’t exactly have a shortage of personality, I understand some people aren’t as lucky (or cursed). Check out my previous blog on this subject for ideas on infusing your writing with pizazz.
