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Just started a blogging business? Wondering how to grow your blog to more extensive and greater heights? I have quite a few tips for you! This article has the strategies that I’ve used to successfully grow Blogging Business Owner. From social media promotion, blog post content, audience engagement to self-care tips, and more, everything you’ll need can be read right here.
I started Blogging Business Owner in January of 2021 but took an unexpected break after posting only one blog post. During this break, I came up with a few strategies to grow my blog, and it worked! Now more than ever, I’ve been consistent in posting content to help novice bloggers all over the world.
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Contents
Social Media Strategy
With various social media platforms, people have the option to join in at least one, two, or even all of the social media sites we can find on our gadgets. While most people advise starting with only one platform and then gradually expanding their strategy, I did the exact opposite! I started with as many platforms as I am comfortable with and then narrowed them down. Now, this marketing strategy may be unconventional, but it worked, and it might work for you, too! Through social media marketing, you are given the opportunity to increase traffic and invite your audience to an unforgettable user experience in your blog.
Twitter is all about keeping it short and snappy. I post on Twitter multiple times per day and focus on three different aspects. I primarily use the platform to showcase content, including:
- Blog post
- Podcast
- Newsletter
Fleets are not only made for sharing the highlight of your day but they can also be considered a marketing channel. By posting images and texts related to your brand, your current customers become more engaged with your products.
Instagram is a social media platform prominent for influencer marketing. The app may look simple at a glance but don’t be fooled! It can be pretty complicated to make the most out of Instagram. Take a look at my Instagram strategy :
- Reels. I post these once a day with music from the Instagram platform to call attention to my followers.
- Stories. Just like Reels, I post stories at least once daily. Stories help engage my audience with the week’s content and keep my followers up to date with any timely news.
- Feed. I add multiple feed posts per day. The first one is to announce the blog post, and the second one to promote the show notes.
- IGTV. I post once per week with the full video of the podcast every week. The podcast is usually 45 minutes long.
Overall, I found Instagram to be effective in increasing engagement. The best part of Instagram is that it has introduced me to some of the most creative bloggers on the platform! I love connecting with them and learning about their respective marketing strategy.
Since I would like to sell products in the future, I found it best to invest in Instagram from day one. I've seen multiple influencers use the platform for advertising, and I think it could help promote my brand. Marketing efforts in the app may not show immediate results, but with a bit of patience, Instagram could surely help increase traffic to my site.
Pinterest drives a ton of traffic to my blog. New traffic equals a new audience, which in turn translates to better brand engagement and increased revenue! Needless to say, I love Pinterest. It is an app where you can find potential and ideal customers who honestly have an interest in your product, and it works both ways- it helps me get discovered and enables me to find other blogs that I otherwise would not know about.
- Pins. I pin every day, at least once, with fresh content. This is content with a new graphic, image, title, and description. Half of the week, I post fresh content twice per day, and the other half I post once. Pins have a long life; in fact, the longer they are on the platform, the better they perform. To keep it interesting, I post a mix of story, video, and stagnant pins.
- Story Pins. I post story pins every day. Pinterest promotes their story pins to new audiences.
Reddit has an excellent community for bloggers where growth opportunities are available. And while it may not be the best-known platform for marketing activities, it’s a great way to access creators who are interested in guest posting.
Content Strategy
Producing relevant content is vital to capture your audience. However, engagement is also crucial for nurturing a relationship with them. Your followers need to know who you are and how you can relate to them through your experiences.
Blog Post
Blog posts are crucial because they represent your main content. It tells a lot about you and your brand. To effectively send this message to your followers, it is essential to post consistently and regularly produce high-quality posts.
Frequency of posts. I publish two posts per week which may seem like a lot but truly isn’t. The more I write for my blog, the quicker the process gets. The content also becomes more straightforward and inspired. Still, editing and proofreading are completed weeks after to give me time to step away and see it with fresh eyes.
Pillar posts. In my blog, I have specific posts known as pillar posts. These contain about 5K words and are intentionally made long! These are the posts that I am hoping will rank highly. They are comprehensive, informative, and I often link back to the pillar post from other posts in my blog,
Article length. The ideal length for all other posts is 3K words. Some blog posts, such as step-by-step tutorials, end up being less than 3K. On average, blog posts are between one thousand to three thousand words each. I also include my keywords in each blog post, both in the content and the title.
Images. Each blog post has a featured image to capture the audience’s attention and make the post more appealing. The writing is carefully added to the website with headers, bolding, italics, highlights, and bullet points to make reading easy and enjoyable.
Podcast
Apart from blog posts, I’ve started producing podcasts to share my content. I found that podcasts complement my blog perfectly and go well with the more text-heavy blog posts. One episode of the podcast is published weekly using Anchor. Each episode automatically gets pushed to multiple podcasts, including Apple podcast, Google podcast, and Spotify.
Website factors
Choice of hosting platform matters. That’s why every weekend, I dedicate one hour to work on website-related stuff. That includes cookies, tagging, and load speed. Cloudways make it easy to maintain my WordPress website with around-the-clock support and a user-friendly interface. The small changes I have made have gone a long way to optimizing my website. In fact, because of my SEO-friendly and optimized website, I could start ranking after only posting one blog post.
Self-care Strategy
As a blogger, stress cannot be avoided. But you must remember that you are your own marketing team, and without you, no marketing campaign will occur. Thus, prioritize self-care to maintain positive mental health. Be clear about what you need to work on by recognizing your stressors and needs, then make sure that they are met before you get started on anything else.
Celebrate
There are so many downs in every business, so it is extra essential to rejoice in the wins. Celebrate everything and share an appreciation for the work to support a positive environment.
Take a break
Taking breaks is one of the best things I do for my blog. My most creative ideas usually come to me when I am on a break, like sipping coffee or scrolling on my newsfeed. Taking breaks is hard, especially when we’ve adapted to a schedule that works for our business.
Self-Nurture
Like most business owners, you work long hours. Self-nurturing will keep you motivated for long periods. Celebrations, affirmations, meditation, and intuitive eating help you.
When not working, a regular workout routine, making time to laugh, and sharing time with loved ones are free and fun things to do.
Imposter Syndrome
Create an environment of support and care for yourself.
In all businesses, mistakes are inevitable. Listen to yourself, learn from your errors, and minimize the impact of negative thinking.
Balancing a full-time career, blogging, and family
Balancing a full-time career, blogging, and family can be difficult. Just remember to schedule me time to reward yourself for all your hard work. You can always delegate responsibilities to others. Keep in mind that it's okay to ask for help when you need it.
The amount of stress that you experience daily can worsen your mental health. This is because chronic stress that isn't properly managed can lead to more severe psychological symptoms. So if you're the type of person who constantly worries about work deadlines, it's time to take care of yourself so that your mental health doesn't suffer.
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
Are you still having doubts about growth, blogging, and business strategy? Here are some tips and frequently asked questions.
I have reached a point where earning a bigger paycheck would be nice but having ownership over my time is better! During the weekdays, I post on social media in the mornings, go to work, come back, and work on small tasks.
The list of my small tasks for Monday-Friday include:
*Making Pretty Links
*Posting on Youtube
*Downloading content from Canva
*Repinning from Tailwind Communities
These are tasks that need to be done but don’t necessarily require a ton of concentration.
During the weekends and breaks, I tend to do these activities:
*Write one blog post per day
*Edit and proofread
*Draft captions
*Engage live with my audience through Youtube
*Respond to comments
*Post on feeds
Right now, I am about three months ahead with content. I hope to increase the frequency of posting in nine months by publishing four times a week (currently, I publish two times per week).
I am super lucky to have a partner who supports my blogging business and understands my time limit. We spend time together in the mornings while bike riding and on the weekends going to stores, the beach, and taking long scenic walks. We also share a love for creators on Youtube and jump on every opportunity to watch their latest uploads.
Your business should be something you are passionate about, have credentials and experience to support your aim to succeed. There are several niches to choose from and also depend on your goals. If it is to create an extra income source, you might want to pick a subject that could be lucrative very quickly, such as finance. If your goal is to create a community about a topic you love, your blog may look different.
One of the first things I did was to start an email list. To do so, I made a quick and simple landing page using ConvertKit and started collecting email addresses. Email marketing is one of the best ways to introduce your brand to your target clients.
Related: 5 EASY-TO-FOLLOW STEPS TO CREATE YOUR LANDING PAGE WITH CONVERTKIT: GREAT FOR NEWBIE BLOGGERS AND IN-PERSON ENTERTAINERS
If you notice from your blog analytics that your site visitors are not engaging with your content, it’s time to pause and see improvement.
Here are a few common issues to watch out for:
Slow load times. Nothing is more off-putting than a slow website. If your blogging website is loading too slowly, your visitors may leave before your content finishes loading. So, take a moment to optimize your site and pick a fast-loading theme.
Content. This is a tricky one. The key is to create high-value content that includes compelling images, good copywriting (I recommend Grammarly for this one), and a clear, persuasive message. To drive organic traffic, integrate your content with search engine optimization.
Promotion. Once you have a website that loads fast, looks good, and sends a compelling message, the following essential step is to get out there and promote it. Choose from different types of marketing, and choose one that suits you. Social media is a good start.
Conclusion
Every business needs a growth strategy, especially a blogging business. Having a system allows you to channel your time and energy effectively.
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