Writing your latest blog post and hitting publish is just the beginning when it comes to growing your subscription base. If you truly want to gain the attention of your target audience (and Google), then you will need to spend time promoting your content in multiple locations.While there are many different ways to go about promoting your blog, I am going to focus on what I have found to be the most effective
1. Create EPIC Content.
Creating EPIC content is BY FAR the best way to attract thousands of visitors from social media AND from Google. Thousands of new articles are being published EVERY hour online. You must create massive value to stand out from the crowd.
I don’t care if you only publish 2-3 articles per month. Just make sure those articles are EPIC 2,000+ word blog posts that people can’t help but share. Then, spend the rest of your time promoting that content.
Resources:
How to Create Epic Content
Write Epic Shizzle
A Real-Life Example (and Analysis) of Epic Content Gone Viral
Write Epic Shizzle
A Real-Life Example (and Analysis) of Epic Content Gone Viral
2. Write LONGER posts.
Blog posts with 2,000+ words have proven to rank higher on Google and receive more social media votes.
Here’s an interesting article on how content length affects rankings, backlinks, and social media shares.
3. Make Sure You Have an Irresistible Headline.
Your headline will determine whether or not people click on your article.
Your title MUST sell the click.
The headline is what people will see in their email, on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.
One sentence that must grab people by the eyeballs and pull them into your content.
And don’t forget… your headline is surrounded by thousands of others. This is especially true on social media.
So make it count!
You’ve got ONE shot.
Resources:
4. Send An Email To Your Subscribers.
Email is the HOLY GRAIL of content marketing. It allows you to build instant momentum to EVERY blog post.
It’s a bit like holding a magic wand. With the push of a button you can send thousands of visitors to your latest blog post, your latest podcast episode, your latest YouTube video, or ANY other page for that matter. Email trumps ALL.
Quick Tip: Send a second email 2-3 days later to the subscribers who DID NOT open the initial email. We’ve used this strategy in our own business to get a 1,000 extra visitors to some of our best articles. Simply change the subject line and the intro.
Quick Tip: Send a second email 2-3 days later to the subscribers who DID NOT open the initial email. We’ve used this strategy in our own business to get a 1,000 extra visitors to some of our best articles. Simply change the subject line and the intro.
So simple… But so few people are doing it.
5. Use Rich Multimedia in Every Post.
Great content will get you in the door. But you also need BIG, beautiful images to make sure your article stands out. This is especially true since your featured image will be shown each time someone shares your article on sites like Facebook, Google Plus and Pinterest.
We are living in a world of Rich Media. Images. Video. Animated Gifs. Infographics. And Slideshare Presentations.
Bedazzle your content!
Resources:
Learn how to create great photos in Canva!
6. Make sure your blog has social sharing buttons on EVERY post.
Sharing buttons make content 7 times more likely to spread.
Make it easy for your readers to share your content.
There are a number of WordPress plugins that make this super easy. My favorites include Digg Digg, Easy Social Share Buttons, and the sharing module inside Jetpack.
Social Media has become one of the main traffic sources for the majority of blogs online. Here at BuzzBlogger.com – Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus drive over half of our traffic.
If you’re creating ANY kind of content online, you need to be engaging on social media.
It’s one of the best ways to spread your content around the blogosphere.
Like dropping a pebble in the water, the ripples can spread far beyond your own tribe.
7. Share your blog post on Twitter.
Twitter is a hot spot for sharing and spreading great content. It’s one of the first places that we share our latest blog posts. But there are also some cool tips and tricks you can use to maximize the traffic and exposure of your tweets.
Quick Tips:
- First, include a great image with your tweet. Which allows you to immediately stand out in the Twitter feed. Recommend Image Size: 1024px x 512px(You’ll need a minimum of 440px x 220px for your image to appear expanded.)
- Also be sure to ask for retweets in your post. Salesforce found that tweets that ask followers to “Retweet” receive 12x more retweets than those that do not. Use sparingly. But sprinkle it in here and there to maximize your reshares :)
8. Schedule 5-7 additional tweets to go throughout the week.
You can automate this using Buffer, one of my favorite social media tools.
One of the most prolific social media giants online, Guy Kawasaki, retweets his content four times (8-hours apart).
This allows you to reach more of your audience and hit multiple time zones.
But be sure to use different headlines and hooks for each tweet.
Resources:
9. Optimize your hashtags with RiteTag.com.
Simply enter your tweet and RiteTag helps you choose the best hashtags for maximum traffic and exposure.
10. Share your blog post on Facebook.
Facebook is our top social media traffic referral. And although many people are claiming that the “sky is falling” from decreased organic reach in the News Feed.
The fact of the matter is… regardless of which social media platform you’re using, you’re never going to get 100% of your followers to see ALL of your content.
That being said, Facebook is STILL one of the best places to promote and share your content.
And it’s at the top of our list :)
To get the most out of your Facebook post, be sure to include a BIG, eye-catching image. The recommended image size is 1200px x 628px. This ensures that your image shows up nice and clear in the News Feed using the most possible virtual real estate.
11. Post to any relevant Facebook Groups.
If you’re active in some related Facebook groups, you can share your latest blog post with the group. Just remember to do it sparingly. And above all, make sure you’re providing VALUE to the group FIRST before you share any of your own content.
12. Share your blog post on Google Plus.
I personally love Google Plus. Largely because of the interesting, intelligent conversations that take place there every day.
And it’s also one of our highest traffic referrals.
But should you be on Google Plus?
(Google Plus can send a LOT of traffic. But that’s only IF your target market hangs out on Google Plus. Where you spend your efforts should be directly related to WHERE your target market hangs out online. Is your audience on Facebook? Twitter? Pinterest? Instagram?
Find out where YOUR community hangs out and focus your efforts there.)
You do NOT need to be everywhere. You need to be where YOUR market hangs out.
A lot of people get drawn into thinking they have to be on EVERY social media platform. They end up getting spread too thin and effective on NONE of them.
Resources:
13. Share your blog post with 3-5 Google Plus Communities.
Google Plus Communities are the ‘secret sauce’ inside Google Plus.
They’re basically large groups of people based around common interests. Kind of like mini-forums.
First, start engaging with 5-10 related communities. By this I mean joining in on the conversation. Adding value. Voting up OTHER people’s content.
Like any social media platform – you need to provide VALUE first.
Engage first.
Then, whenever you have a really good blog post that you’d like to share – simply post a link to your favorite 5-10 related communities.
Then sit back and watch the traffic roll in :)
That’s the beauty of this particular strategy. You don’t need thousands of followers to tap into existing traffic.
Resources:
How to Post on Google Plus and Get Results – One of my favorite posts!
A Complete Guide to Google Plus Communities
29 Essential Tips from the Top Google Plus Geeks
A Complete Guide to Google Plus Communities
29 Essential Tips from the Top Google Plus Geeks
14. Share your article on LinkedIn.
Be sure to share your blog post on your LinkedIn page. Include an optimized image if possible.
LinkedIn is the perfect platform for content related to productivity, careers, marketing, leadership, or success. You can browse some of the most popular topics on LinkedIn Today.
Resources:
How to Benefit From the LinkedIn Publishing Platform
Jeff Bullas Case Study on the LinkedIn Publishing Platform
Jeff Bullas Case Study on the LinkedIn Publishing Platform
15. Share your blog post in related LinkedIn Groups.
LinkedIn Groups are kind of like Google Plus Communities. They’re mini-forums centered around a specific topic. Plus, there are a LOT of interesting conversations going on in these groups.
Find related groups within your industry and start engaging! Comment on other people’s posts. Add value. And whenever you have a great new blog post, you can start a conversation and share it in a few of your favorite LinkedIn Groups.
Here are a few of my favorites…
B2B Content Marketers: 7,097 Members
Content Marketing Group: 9,652 Members
Social Media – 3,943,747 followers
Digital Marketing – Members: 620,113
Content Marketing Group: 9,652 Members
Social Media – 3,943,747 followers
Digital Marketing – Members: 620,113
You can also use groups to promote the content you publish directly on LinkedIn using the LinkedIn Publishing Platform.
16. Send out a LinkedIn Announcement if you have your own LinkedIn Group.
If you are a group manager, LinkedIn allows you to send up to one group announcement per week to your members. This announcement will get sent directly to their inbox and posted as a featured discussion within the group.
You could even do a weekly roundup each week of the best content from around the web.
Sending you extra traffic to your own posts and providing your readers with curated links on their favorite topic.
17. Share your blog post on Pinterest.
Your image is KEY here. Be sure to use a BIG, beautiful image with the title text in the image itself.
Images with text get more clicks because it lets the reader know that there’s more to see.
Recommended Image Size: 736px wide x 1128 px high
This size stands out nicely in the stream of pins. And it looks great on mobile screens as well.
Resources:
18. Share your blog post on Pinterest Group Boards.
Pinterest can send you a LOT of traffic.
But… it can be tough to get that first bit of momentum going.
Fortunately, there’s a simple solution.
Pinterest group boards!
Pinterest group boards are very similar to regular Pinterest boards. With ONE very important difference. In addition to the board creator, OTHER people are also allowed to pin.
So it’s a collaborative board.
This allows you to get in front of a pre-built audience without doing months of hard work building your own following. Using Pinterest Group boards, you can quickly build your following, increase your repins, and grow your blog traffic.
But first you must be accepted as a contributor.
The instructions for becoming a board contributor are usually in the description.
Once you’ve been accepted, start contributing value to the group board.
Pin some good content. OTHER people’s content. Comment on other people’s pins. Engage with the community. Become a resource.
Then whenever you have a really good blog post to share, you will have earned the opportunity to pin it in the group board.
And they will happily pass it along :)
If you’re looking for popular group boards within your topic, my favorite resource isPinGroupie.com.
19. Optimize Your Open Graph Data.
Make sure your posts look great when shared on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Use the NextGEN Facebook WordPress plugin to optimize your blog post for social media sharing. This plugin allows you to customize your Open Graph data, Setup Pinterest Rich Pins, Twitters Cards, and more.
This ensures that when someone clicks on the retweet, like, or pin it button on your post. It will share the proper title, image, and description that YOU want to be shared.
20. Find the best time to promote your content.
Optimize your social sharing using tools like Timing Plus and Tweriod.
Here’s a Scientific Guide to Posting Tweets, Facebook Posts, Emails, and Blog
Posts at the Best Time.
Posts at the Best Time.
21. Pin your blog post to the top of your Facebook Wall.
Anytime you have a special blog post or promotion, be sure to “Pin” it to the top of your Facebook Wall.
22. You can do the same thing on Twitter.
Pin your latest blog post to the top of your Twitter Wall.
23. When you mention someone in your post, also be sure to @ mention them in your tweet.
This is one of the most effective strategies we’ve found for promoting our blog posts.
Be sure to link out to at least 25 well-known bloggers in your industry. I like to link to specific articles that provide extra value for the reader. That way whenever your blog post goes live, you can send them a quick email to let them know they’ve been featured.
Plus, you can also @ mention them in your tweets.
Pretty cool!
And a great way to meet new bloggers :)
24. Use popular hashtags in your tweets.
This should be used sparingly. But it can be a great way to get additional exposure on sites like Twitter and Google Plus. You can use RiteTag.com to help choose the best hashtags for your content.
25. Setup Twitter Cards for Your Blog.
Twitter Cards give you expanded options beyond what you get with an ordinary tweet.
It’s like a tweet with superpowers :)
You get 70 additional characters for the title, and 200 additional characters for your description. You can also use larger images.
But… it gets even cooler.
Twitter cards also allow you to capture email addresses (directly from the Twitter feed!)
The lead generation card allows your readers to share their Twitter email address with a single click.
Pretty cool!
Here’s an example…
Resources:
100+ Bite-Sized Tips To Get You More Social Shares (And Traffic)
The Complete Guide to Twitter CardsTwitter Cards for Blogs: How to Set Them Up
The Complete Guide to Twitter CardsTwitter Cards for Blogs: How to Set Them Up
26. Tag influencers in your Google Plus Post. (They will be notified.)
Google will instantly notify users when they’ve been tagged in a post. So be sure to ‘tag’ all the bloggers that you’ve linked to in your article. They will get a notification, come check out your articles, and many of them will then re-share it.
It’s way more tempting to share stuff that we’ve been featured in :)
27. Place links in the middle of your tweet.
Research has shown that links placed about 25% of the way through a tweet receive much higher clickthrough rates thank links placed at the end of a tweet.
28. Include a retweet link in your emails.
You can include a retweet link directly in your email so that your subscribers can easily share your article with just one click. You can do this using a cool tool called ClickToTweet.com.
Here’s a quick tutorial.
29. Include Click to Tweet Boxes in your blog post.
This is one of the easiest ways to increase the number of retweets you get on any article. Plus, they’re a lot of fun!
You can include 2-3 retweet boxes per article. Simply pull out the best quotes from your content and allow your readers to retweet those quotes with ‘one-click’ via a Click to Tweet box.
You can also do this using plain text as well.
30. Facebook Post Swaps.
Here’s a fun twist on the traditional ad swaps. You can partner with related bloggers and help share each other’s content. You share their content via a Facebook post in exchange for them promoting your content to their Facebook audience. It’s a win-win. And it’s a lot of fun!
31. Tweet Swaps.
Same idea here. You can partner with other bloggers to exchange tweets. This helps both of you to reach a new, extended audience.
32. Thank everyone who shares your content. (Because they’ll do it again.)
It’s a simple thing. But saying thank-you goes a LONG way.
You can find out the top influencers who have shared your post using free tools like Topsy and BuzzSumo.
33. Submit your post to BlogEngage.com (Business)
34. Submit your post to BizSugar.com (Business)
35. Submit your post to Blokube.com (Blogging)
36. Submit your post to Kingged.com (Internet Marketing)
37. Submit your post to Inbound.org (Business)
38. Submit your post to GrowthHackers.com (Business & Growth Hacking)
39. Submit your post to Hacker News (Startups, Programming, Technology)
40. Submit your post to Dzone.com (Programming & Website Development)
41. Submit your post to Sharebloc.com (Business)
42. Submit your post to Filmwatch.com (Films)
43. Submit your post to N4G.com (Gaming)
44. Submit your post to Techspy.com (Technology)
45. Submit your post to 11×2.com (Sport)
46. Submit your post to DesignFloat.com (Graphic Design)
47. Submit your post to TheWebBlend.com (Web Design, Programming, WordPress, & Photography)
48. Submit your post to Care2.com. (Green Lifestyle)
49. Submit your post to Designm.ag (Design News)
50. Submit your post to InstantShift.com (WordPress & Design)
51. Share on JustRetweet.
This is my go-to site for getting our first 25-30 social shares.
JustRetweet is a social sharing community where members work together to promote each others content. You get credits for retweeting or liking other people’s blog posts. With those credits, you can submit your own content and get retweets, Facebook likes, and Google Plus One votes for your own content.
But you can also just pay for credits. This is what I personally do because it saves me a ton of time. Plus, it’s super affordable. You can buy 10,000 credits for $35. Or… if you just want to dip your toe in the water, you can buy 2,000 credits for just $10 bucks.
This is by far one of my favorite ways to get that first initial boost of traffic and social shares.
52. Share your content on ViralContentBuzz.
This is another social sharing community where you can earn credits and submit your own content for increased social shares.
ViralContentBuzz makes it easy to get more social shares on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and StumbleUpon.
53. Share your blog post on Triberr.
Triberr is another one of my favorite social sharing communities. It’s essentially is a community of bloggers who read and share each others content. Kind of like a huge blogging alliance.
But like all social platforms, you need to take time to engage and interact with the community first. Give first. Provide massive value and Triberr can send you hundreds of highly targeted visitors every week.
54. Submit your blog post to related Scoop.it pages.
Scoop.it is a content curation platform that allows users to create an online digital newspaper. Basically a curated list of content around their favorite topic – created in an elegant, magazine-style format.
Best of all though… content curators are always looking for great content to share.
And scoop.it makes it easy to recommend your latest blog post.
First you’ll need to sign up for an account on Scoop.it.
Then find a popular Scoop.it page around your topic. (You can use the search box to find hundreds of related pages.)
Then simply hit the ‘Suggest’ link at the top of ANY Scoop.it page.
If you’ve created some truly GREAT content, the creator is likely to share it.
And send some traffic your way :)
55. Submit your blog post to related Paper.li pages.
Paper.li is an online newspaper similar to Scoop.it.
They allow content curators to curate their favorite articles, photos, and videos all on one page.
You can search for related papers on their Newsstand.
They even have collaborative papers! (Kind of like Pinterest Group boards where multiple people can contribute content.)
Paper.li doesn’t have a ‘Suggestion’ form like Scoop.it. But you can find contact information for most of the curators on their profile page.
So when you have something worth sharing, I recommend emailing at least 10 of the top Paper.li curators.
Are you creating great content on a weekly basis?
If so, you can get hundreds of new visitors per week from content aggregators.
56. Submit your site to sites like AllTop.com, Affposts.com, AffBuzz.com, and AffDaily.com.
These are content aggregators that pull in the best content from around the web.
AllTop.com is perfect for ANY blogger because they have sections for almost every topic under the sun.
Simply find a relevant category and submit your blog at http://alltop.com/submission/
Or – if you have a site related to affiliate marketing, SEO, or blogging then you can get hundreds of new weekly visitors from sites like BloggerScope.com, Affposts.com, AffBuzz.com, and AffDaily.com.
Native advertising is going mainstream in 2015.
Paying a little bit to promote your content is like throwing gasoline on the fire.
You can ramp up your results quickly using Twitter, Ads, Facebook Ads, Promoted Pins,
Reddit Ads, and StumbleUpon Paid Discovery.
Reddit Ads, and StumbleUpon Paid Discovery.
Let’s look at each in a bit more detail…
57. Promote your blog post using Twitter Ads.
Twitter allows you to promote your content directly inside the Twitter News feed.
You can target your ad to be shown to the followers of specific accounts.
So for example, I can show my tweet ONLY to people who follow Pat Flynn,
Frank Kern, Amy Porterfield, and Michael Hyatt.
So for example, I can show my tweet ONLY to people who follow Pat Flynn,
Frank Kern, Amy Porterfield, and Michael Hyatt.
I can also target by location, age, and gender.
This allows you to get your content in front of some highly targeted traffic.
They also make it super easy to split-test 3-4 tweets to see which one
performs best.
performs best.
Another really cool feature that I LOVE about the Twitter Advertising platform
is they will actually tell you how all of your different targets are performing.
is they will actually tell you how all of your different targets are performing.
So if I’m targeting followers of @patflynn, @AmyPorterfield, and @MichaelHyatt,
Twitter will tell me the conversion rate for EACH individual handle.
Twitter will tell me the conversion rate for EACH individual handle.
So now I can tweak my ads for even better performance.
I would do cartwheels around the room if Facebook implemented this feature :)
Plus, Twitter also has the added benefit of potentially having a Tweet go viral.
If you’re just getting started with paid advertising, Twitter makes it super easy to dip your toe in. It’s like turning a water spout on your traffic.
Resources:
58. Promote Your Blog Post Using a Facebook Ad.
Facebook offers some of the most targeted traffic online.
You can target moms who love scrapbooking, foodies in Virginia, or photographers over 40.
If you want to target males in their early 30’s who work for Microsoft, you can do that as well.
On Facebook, the sky is the limit.
If you have great content, it deserves an audience.
And Facebook ads are one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to do that.
Resources:
How to Use Facebook Ads to Promote Your Blog Content
What’s Working NOW in Facebook Advertising – A REALLY good video with FB Ad Expert Curt Maly.
What’s Working NOW in Facebook Advertising – A REALLY good video with FB Ad Expert Curt Maly.
– Bookmark It!
59. Promote Your Blog Post Using LinkedIn Sponsored Updates.
LinkedIn allows you to reach the world’s professionals directly inside their news feed.
You can share and amplify your content via Sponsored Updates. As long as you’ve created great content, your blog post will start to spread naturally within the LinkedIn network.
LinkedIn Ads are definitely a bit pricier than the other networks. But if you’re in the B2B market, it’s a great source of VERY high-quality traffic.
60. Create a StumbleUpon Ad and Promote Your Content for 10 Cents a Click.
I’ve had good luck with StumbleUpon ads.
Where you can drive some huge traffic for just 10 cents per click.
And the cool thing about StumbleUpon is that it can also create a LOT of viral traffic as well. If the StumbleUpon community likes your content and continues to “stumble” it, then your content starts showing up organically on StumbleUpon.
So you can pay $25 on paid Stumbles and if you get a lot of up votes and your content gains momentum, you can get hundreds (and often thousands) of additional FREE visitors.
This is our goal whenever we create paid campaigns on StumbleUpon.
Plus, the cool part about StumbleUpon is that they often send traffic spikes to your website LONG after the initial campaigns.
We’ve used this more for our lifestyle blogs than for the IM market.
But we’ll be testing both in 2015.
61. Promote Your Content with Reddit Ads. (Untapped)
Reddit is a bit more “under-the-radar” than the other platforms, but it has a pretty cool self-serve advertising platform that’s surprisingly affordable.
You can advertise on almost any Sub-Reddit with a sponsored link. Your ad appears at the top of the page with your headline and a small image. Reddit has a flat-rate fee of $0.75 CPM for self-serve advertising. (75 cents per 1,000 views)
If you create a compelling ad and choose good targeting options Reddit can be an excellent place to promote your content and build your “retargeting pool”.
Quick Tip: Tell a story in the headline of your Reddit Ad.
Resources:
62. Promote Your Best Content with a Promoted Pin.
If you have a blog about fitness, fashion, weddings, home decor, gardening, crafts, homeschooling, or photography, then you MUST be on Pinterest.
You can also pay to amplify your content using “Promoted Pins”.
You can use promoted pins to increase your traffic and get more repins. If your pin gets a lot of organic engagement and repins, you’ll also end up getting a lot of free traffic as well.
That’s one of the biggest benefits of promoting your content on the top social media platforms. If your content gets a lot of likes, repins, and tweets, then momentum starts to take over. You can spark the fire with $25 worth of advertising and then let the organic side do it’s magic.
Resources:
63. Amplify your content through sites like Outbrain, nRelate, Taboola, and Zemanta.
These are content discovery networks that feature your articles on sites like CNN.com, Forbes, ESPN and the New York Post. You select a daily budget. Max CPC. And you only pay when someone clicks on your article.
Plus, it’s super easy to get started. All you have to do is submit your RSS feed or upload a list of your URL’s.
Another excellent way to extend the reach of your content.
64. Send a Personalized Email to 100 Bloggers Within Your Industry.
(This is THE most effective strategy we use for blog promotion – outside of paid advertising.)
In fact, if you ONLY used just this one strategy, you could still generate 90% of the results.
We’ve used blogger outreach to generate 10,000+ visitors to a single blog post.
Here’s our formula…
If you have a valuable piece of content that you want shared around the blogosphere, the very best thing you can do is to contact 100-200 related bloggers.
You can find related bloggers using sites like:
Topsy.com
BuzzSumo.com
Alltop.com
WeFollow.com
Twellow.com
CircleCount.com
BuzzSumo.com
Alltop.com
WeFollow.com
Twellow.com
CircleCount.com
Create a list of 100 influencer’s in your market.
You can do this within Excel or using a more sophisticated program like BuzzStream.
After you’ve built your list you’ll need to send a personalized message to each blogger.
This works out even better if you’ve included a link to their website in the article itself.
Here’s a sample email…
Subject Line: I Love Pat Flynn! (and your latest podcast :)
Hey Pat!
Just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know
how much I enjoyed your latest podcast with Neil Patel.
how much I enjoyed your latest podcast with Neil Patel.
ROCKIN!
Shared it on Facebook and encouraged all of my readers
to listen in as well.
to listen in as well.
Also wanted to let you know I’ve included SmartPassiveIncome.com
in our latest blog post at:
in our latest blog post at:
http://mytrafficmentor.com/23-steps-to-100000-visitors/
Would love to know what you think.
Thanks so much for all that you do!
Cheers,
Kim
Resources:
(Step-By-Step) How to Find the Top Influencers
Blogger Outreach: How to Get Influencers to Promote Your Content for Free
23 Influencers Share How To Get On The Radar Of Influential People
Blogger Outreach: How to Get Influencers to Promote Your Content for Free
23 Influencers Share How To Get On The Radar Of Influential People
I believe in Barebones SEO.
That means that my primary focus is on creating GREAT content.
That’s what Google wants most.
But there are also a few key things you should be doing to optimize your site (and your pages) in such a way that Google is more likely to reward you with traffic and high rankings.
65. Keyword Optimize Your Post.
One of the most important things you can do to optimize your blog post is to use a keyword-rich title.
Now, keep in mind here I am NOT talking about keyword stuffing.
I’m talking about making sure you have a title that includes the main keyword phrase that you’d like to rank for. Wrapped in an irresistible headline.
Here are a few examples…
The Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing
100+ Content Marketing Tools
51 Bite-Sized Tips for Promoting Your Blog
100+ Content Marketing Tools
51 Bite-Sized Tips for Promoting Your Blog
I personally like to make sure that the main keyword phrase gets at least 1,000 searches per month in Google. I have a few other criteria as well but unfortunately that will have to wait for another article :)
If you’re looking for a few keyword research tools, my #1 recommendation is Long Tail Pro.
I also like to use SEMRush.com to quickly find the search volume for a specific keyword.
And if you’re looking for some long tail keywords, definitely check out Keywordtool.io.
66. Include a Related Video or Slideshare Presentation INSIDE Your Blog Post.
It’s no mystery that Google is looking for high-quality content.
One of the ways they measure quality is by how long someone stays on your website.
And one of the best ways to keep people on your site longer is to include a video inside your content. People simply can’t resist clicking that little “Play” button.
Plus, you’re also providing MORE value to your readers. And don’t worry if you don’t have your own video – there are 1,000’s of high-quality videos you can choose from on YouTube. Simply find one that will add value to your article and grab the embed code.
67. Optimize Your Internal Link Structure.
Although Google’s algorithm has changed drastically over the years, high-quality backlinks are still important. But many people don’t realize that the INTERNAL link structure within your own website is also very important.
You’ll notice that sites like Wikipedia and Amazon.com dominate the search engines. Often times it seems that they come up for nearly every keyword. But you’ll also notice that they have a MASSIVE internal link structure. Especially Wikipedia. Every page on their site has 50+ links to other RELATED pages within Wikipedia.
This has two benefits. One, it keeps people on your site longer. And two, this massive internal web increases the link juice to each page on your blog, giving you a bump in the search engines.
So go through your website and find related phrases INSIDE your content where you can link to OTHER blog posts within your own website. I recommend 5-10 internal (contextual) links per page.
68. Link to Related Articles at the END of Each Blog Post.
You can do this quite easily using a WordPress plugin like YARPP or Related Posts by Zemanta.
This is an easy way to keep people on your site longer AND provide extra value.
69. Make Sure Your Site Runs Fast.
Matt Cutts has made it clear that site speed is a factor that Google uses in their algorithm.
Their goal is to create the best possible user experience. And if your site loads slowly and they bounce back to the search results, they look at that as a sign of low-quality.
So be sure that your site loads quickly!
If you’re using WordPress (which I hope you are :) you can use a plugin like W3 Total Cache to dramatically speed up your load times.
Also make sure that you optimize all of your images. Photos can really slow down your load times. But you can easily reduce the file size of any image using a tool like Kraken.io. They have a WordPress plugin as well.
You can also use a content delivery network like Max CDN.
Those 3 simple things will dramatically speed up your load times, improve your visitors experience, and possibly even increase your Google search rankings!
Resources:
70. Put relevant keywords in your image “Alt” tags.
Don’t forget your images can be searched too! So be sure to put relevant keyword phrases in your image alt tags. It also helps to put one in the filename. This will improve your on-page SEO but it can also increase your traffic from Google’s image search as well.
71. Create An Audio Version of Your Blog Post.
Create an audio version of your blog post and distribute it through sites like SoundCloud, iTunes, and Stitcher Radio. You can record your blog post using free software like Audacity. Or you can simply record directly on Soundcloud. This gives your audience multiple ways to consume your content. Plus, it exposes your content to a new audience.
Resources:
72. Turn your article into a PowerPoint Presentation.
Turn your article into an engaging PowerPoint Presentation with a slide for each main point in the article. Then share and syndicate on sites like SlideShare.net.
(Quick Tip: Be sure to include a link back to your blog post in the description and in the slide deck itself..)
Resources:
73. Convert Your Article into a PDF.
You can convert your article into a PDF using Doc2PDF.net.
Or you can quickly turn any blog post into a PDF using PrintFriendly.com.
Once you’ve done this you can submit your PDF to Document Sharing Sites like Scribd.com, DocStoc.com, and Yudu.com.
Some other popular document sharing sites include:
Slideshare.net
Issuu.com
WePapers.com
Empressr.com
AuthorStream.com
Calameo.com
Edocr.com
PDFCast.org
Issuu.com
WePapers.com
Empressr.com
AuthorStream.com
Calameo.com
Edocr.com
PDFCast.org
74. Convert your article into a video.
Video is becoming VERY popular online and it’s a great way to connect with your audience. You can turn any blog post topic into a video and upload it directly to YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
75. Do a Roundup Post.
Another fun way to get more traffic to your best content is to do a roundup post. You can do this at the end of each week (or each month) where you highlight the most popular content from your blog. You can also add some of the best posts from around the web as well. In our business we call it the Friday Golden Nuggets :)
This allows you to deliver some great value and drive some extra traffic.
76. Run a Facebook ad to your OWN followers.
If you have an existing Facebook fan base, this is a great way to increase your blog traffic. Even just $5 or $10 can get your content in front of a LOT more eyeballs.
If you want to get the most out of Facebook, you’re going to have to pay to play. It’s just a different ballgame. But it’s well worth your time when you do it properly.
I recommend spending at least $10 per week to promote your most popular posts.
77. Run a Facebook ad to your email subscribers.
Here’s an easy way to increase your email open rate.
Did you know? You can upload your subscriber list as a ‘Custom Audience’ on Facebook. This allows you to advertise directly to your subscribers. As we all know, open rates have gradually decreased over the years. But you can double your open rates simply by retargeting your subscribers on sites like Facebook and Twitter.
78. Run a Facebook ad to your OWN retargeting pool.
Make sure that you have a retargeting pixel setup on your blog. This allows you to build up a “retargeting pool” of all the people who visit your blog. These are warm prospects. People who have read your content and are familiar with your brand.
Now, anytime you release a new blog post, you can advertise directly to your “retargeting pool” and bring in additional traffic and eyeballs.
Pretty cool!
(Lookout for retargeting to get even bigger in 2015. If you’re not already using retargeting, now is the time to start.)
79. Use Facebook’s Lookalike Audiences to promote content to people similar to your fans.
You can use “Lookalike Audiences” on Facebook to advertise to people similar to your fans. Or you can also create a “Lookalike Audience” that is similar to your subscriber list. There are a LOT of really cool features inside Facebook’s ad platform. Be sure to take advantage of the different options for reaching your target audience.
80. Allow your affiliates to share your blog post.
Here’s a cool idea for you. Allow your affiliates to promote your content. Then each visitor they send to your blog post will be “cookied” under that affiliate. So that if any of their visitors buy from you in the future – THEY get the commission. Win. Win.
81. Setup a retargeting ad on Twitter.
You can use Twitter to advertise directly to people who are on your subscriber list. Simply upload your subscriber list as a csv file and create a custom audience. Or you can also advertise to your retargeting pool. (A.K.A. people who have visited your blog in the last 30 days, 60 days, etc…)
Again… another way to get in front of a warm audience.
82. Use Content Upgrades to maximize lead acquisition from each blog post.
This is the #1 strategy we’ve found for converting blog visitors into subscribes.
It’s called a “Content Upgrade”.
Basically what you do is create a content-specific gift for each individual blog post.
This could be a PDF version of the post. A checklist. Extra video training. Etc…
The key is that your free gift MUST be directly related to the blog post their currently reading.
Next, you’ll include a download button at the top and bottom of the post that allows your reader to opt-in to get their free gift.
The best way to do this is using Leadpages. They have a really cool feature called “Leadboxes” that automates this entire process. So that whenever you click on the download button, a pop-up appears asking for name and email.
LeadPages will also automatically deliver the free gift.
LeadPages will also automatically deliver the free gift.
Here’s an example…
Click the button below to see a “Content Upgrade” in action.
Resources:
83. Make Your Content Stand Out with Animated Gifs.
You can use a free tool like Recordit.co to turn screencast videos into animated gifs. This is a great way to make your content stand out from the millions of other articles that are published on a weekly basis.
84. Submit your blog post to tutorial sites.
Here’s an easy way to get some extra traffic.
Submit your latest blog post to tutorial sites like Tutorialized.com, Pixel2Life.com, Good-Tutorials.com and CraftGawker.com. This won’t apply to every niche, but there are hundreds of them out there!
85. Attach your latest blog post to your email signature.
WiseStamp allows you to create a professional email signature with your photo, your social media profiles, latest blog posts, and any other information you’d like to share.
WiseStamp makes your email signature stand out while promoting your latest content at the same time!
It’s not going to change the world. But it does grow your brand. Makes you look uber professional. And builds your traffic and following over time :)
86. Create an Instructographic for your blog post.
This is kind of like an infographic. (But a LOT simpler)
Here’s an example…
https://blog.bufferapp.com/advanced-content-tips-repurposing-republishing-sharing
Basically, it’s a cool graphic that summarizes all the main points in your article.
It can be as simple as a checklist.
And these types of graphics do VERY well on social media.
87. Use Solo Ads to Promote Your Content & Build Your Retargeting Pool.
Buy solo ads to promote your content. This is essentially another form of native advertising. A lot of people don’t think about buying solo ads in other newsletters to promote their content. We often go straight for the squeeze page when we’re paying for solo ads. But this can be a VERY effective strategy especially if you’re using ‘Content Upgrades’ to capture email subscribers. Plus, it also builds your retargeting pool.
Or… if you want to build your list first, you can put your content behind a squeeze page and then deliver the article on the thank-you page. This way your growing your subscriber list, building your retargeting pool, and promoting your latest content.
88. Share your blog post on related forums.
When I first got started online, forums were one of my top traffic sources.
And they’re still a traffic hotspot today as well. Where else can you instantly get your content in front of hundreds of people who are passionately interested in a specific topic?
This is some of the best traffic you can get online. VERY targeted.
Quick Story… When my dad started his business just over a year ago he used forums to drive the majority of his traffic. He’s in the Walking Horse industry. So he takes video at horse shows and training barns. He would then share the video in popular forums. This alone allowed him to get to 1,000 visitors per day in less than a month.
So find out where your target market hangs out online. Find the top forums in your industry and start providing massive value. You can also put your latest blog post in your forum signature file as well.
89. Answer related questions on Quora.
Quora is my favorite Q & A site online.
It’s a great place to get article ideas, hang out with smart people, and drive some extra traffic to your website :)
Simply go to Quora.com, search for questions that are related to your latest blog post. And then post answers to those questions (with a link back to your article at the end). The key here is to provide some REALLY good content in your answer. Don’t just copy from your article. But offer additional insights and tips. Make it at least 3-4 paragraphs so it stands out and gets more votes.
Answer 3-4 questions per day and you’ll see a nice bit referral traffic coming your way.
And some very high quality traffic as well. Lots of cool, intelligent people on Quora.
90. Republish your blog post on sites like Medium.com, Business2community, and Quora.com.
One of my favorite bloggers, JamesClear.com, republishes his content on sites like Entrepreneur.com, BusinessInsider.com, Medium.com, Quora, and the Huffington Post.
This multiplies your content exposure many times over.
I generally tend to keep my content on my own website but I think this is an excellent strategy to experiment with. Especially considering how much traffic it’s generating for James!
One thing to keep in mind… in order to direct traffic back to your site you should include multiple links WITHIN your article that point back to specific articles on your own website. You’ll notice James does this a LOT. Imagine how much less traffic he would receive if he only put a link back to his website at the end of the article.
91. Submit your blog post to Link Roundups.
Here’s a cool traffic trick for you…
This one is super simple and can bring you hundreds of extra visitors.
What we’re going to do is submit your blog post to Link Roundups. Also referred to as a “Linky” or “Link Hops”.
Link roundups are basically where bloggers curate their favorite blog posts from around the web. They’re generally published on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
So these are bloggers who are actively looking to promote great content.
And that’s where you come in :)
You start by finding Link roundups within your market.
Simply type in the following search queries on Google:
“Link Roundup”
“Weekly Link Roundup”
“Monday Link Roundup”
“Friday Link Roundup”
“Weekly Link Roundup”
“Monday Link Roundup”
“Friday Link Roundup”
If you want to find blogs that are specifically related to your market, then you can add a modifier. Something like:
“Link Roundup” + marketing
“Link Roundup” + moms
“Link Roundup” + parenting
“Link Roundup” + moms
“Link Roundup” + parenting
You can also use these same queries on sites like Google Plus or Twitter Search.
This will give you a list of related blogs that do weekly link roundups.
Now all you have to do is contact the blog owner and send them a link to your latest blog post.
If you’ve published truly great content, then there’s a very good chance that they will link to you in their weekly link roundup.
It’s super simple and can send you lots of highly-targeted traffic.
Plus, you get a high-quality backlink as well :)
92. Put your best blog posts into your autoresponder sequence.
Here’s an easy strategy for putting your promotion on autopilot.
Collect your best blog posts and put them into your autoresponder sequence. Use the title as you subject line. Include a short blurb in the email with a link to the article. Now you’ve put your promotion on autopilot. Your best articles will continue to get more and more traffic.
93. Use Snip.ly whenever you share new content across your social media platforms.
Snip.ly allows you to share OTHER people’s content and still easily bring them back to your own site. So for every piece of content you share on Twitter (even if it’s someone else’s article), you’ll have the opportunity to get a new visitor to your latest blog post as well.
Pretty cool tool.
94. Link out to bloggers with large followings.
One of the most effective things you can do (besides writing an EPIC blog post) is to link out to other bloggers WITHIN your post.
Find some of the best articles online that will add value to your blog post. And then sprinkle those links into your post. You can add them as a list of extra resources or simply link specific keywords to related blog posts.
I recommend linking to AT LEAST 20 other influential bloggers.
This gives your reader a boatload of additional value.
And… the people you link to are much more likely to share, retweet, pin, and like your content :)
95. Pitch your post to the press!
Keep an eye out for HARO queries that are related to your article. You never know… there might be an opportunity where your article could be uses as a source.
96. Use sites like Topsy and BuzzSumo to find influencers who are sharing content similar to yours.
I LOVE both of these sites. I use them a lot to find hot headlines and blog post ideas.
But they’re also great tools for blogger outreach. Simply find an article that’s related to yours, and Topsy will tell you the top influencers who have retweeted that content. BuzzSumo will do the same.
Use this list for your blogger outreach.
97. Search for related articles on Pinterest.
I like to browse Pinterest for related articles because often times I’ll find new blogs that I can reach out to. If they’re publishing content similar to yours, then that’s a wonderful person to start building a relationship with.
Then whenever you have a great piece of content, send them a quick personalized email to let them know about.
Over time, you’ll build a powerful blogging alliance of people who are happy to share your content.
98. You can do the same on Google Plus.
Search for related articles on Google Plus to find influencers who are sharing similar content as well.
99. Post your social media updates at optimal times.
To get the most possible eyeballs on your content, time your content properly for each network. Here are the best times for posting on each social media network.
100. Email the people who comment on your blog post.
Email your commenters to say “Thank-You” and politely ask them if they could retweet your content. You’ll be surprised how many are happy to do so!
101. Create a Flipboard Magazine.
Flipboard is a hidden gem online. It’s a social media content aggregation service with
over 85 million users!
over 85 million users!
In fact, if you publish good content on a regular basis, you may have already seen some
referral traffic coming from FlipBoard.
referral traffic coming from FlipBoard.
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