Share what you know with millions of people
Focus is the best place to turn what you know into remarkable content
0
What are some ways that I can leverage my blog to form stronger relationships?
Events
- Dos and Don'ts of Small Business Marketing May 29 @ 11 am PT
- Lead Nurturing 202: The Next Generation May 31 @ 11 am PT
- The Tricks to Paid Media June 6 @ 11 am PT
- Display Advertising for Brand Awareness June 20 @ 11 am PT
Related Activity
8 Answers
Your blog is an excellent way to connect with prospective an existing customers, generate leads, drive sales and elevate your brand equity. But a blog is no silver bullet. Blogging is communicating. It takes practice, consistency and some patience. Quality content is the fuel that ignites and sustains your blog. Therefore, blogging requires a proper strategy and action plan.
At AIS Media, we help our clients develop a content schedule for at least 90 day out, which outlines the various topics to be discussed well in advance, with room for impromptu discussions.
Below are my top 10 items to take into consideration:
1. First, develop a blog strategy and action plan. Know your goal(s) and KPI's (key performance indicators).
2. Develop a blog content schedule for the next 90 days.
3. Develop content that's relevant to your target audience.
4. Make sure your blog posts are properly optimized with a relevant title, description, key words and content so your audience will find them on search engines.
5. Distribute your blog content across your social media networks to extend their reach.
6. Make your blog posts more visually stimulating by adding screenshots, illustrations, videos, etc.
7. Encourage your readers to give you feedback and discuss your topic. Ask questions and solicit feedback.
8. Be prepared to respond. You'll forge a stronger relationship by maintaining a dialogue with your audience, if appropriate in your business.
9. Assign the responsibility of managing your blog to someone in your organization who has a firm grasp on your customers' needs, your products and services and your business objectives -- NOT an intern.
10. Routinely measure your blog's performance. Review which blog posts receive the most comments, shares, tweets, etc. and adjust your content and engagement strategy accordingly.
Finally, properly setting up and managing a blog requires some technical and creative expertise along with a good planning and performance analysis skills. If you don't have the internal resources or time to go it alone, by all means, consult a professional. Blogging is communicating. Poor communications can cost you in more than one way.
Please let me know if this was helpful and add your thoughts.
Website: www.aismedia.com
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/TomHarpointner
LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/in/ThomasHarpointner
Anthony
I can tell you what I've been doing.
I post blog posts "just because" but also post them using articles I've written in my ezine.
I make sure that a link to my blog shows up on any of my social networking sites and is clearly seen in my website navigation.
The navigation from my website is repeated in my blog for a smooth transition.
You can write to your social networks to let them know about a blog post that can help them do _____ and put a link to the post.
When I remember I'm adding pictures to my blog as there are many who feel that helps people determine what to read.
My blog has been rated in the low 90's by bloggrader... It helped me look at things I was missing.
Include your other social networking links on your blog.
I'm trying to remember to post every blog post on my social networking sites.
I plan to post my articles to a few article banks and in the bio put a link to my blog.
Include a call to action on your posts. I just started to do this and it seems to work!
Post as often as you remember to post but not less than twice a month.
Post your blog link in your signature box - email and otherwise.
Those are a few things.
Upwards and onwards,
Maria Marsala
Strategic Business Coach, Informative Speaker,
Author, and former Wall Street Trader
___________________________________________________________________
Plan, Perform, Profit!
Unstuck you Rut! Learn more at http://www.BusinessAndMarketingPlan.com
Comment on our blog at http://MarketingWithIntegrity.com
Some good general blogging tips provided by both Maria and Thomas. Let me give a short answer to your specific question.
To form stronger relationships, find bloggers who write about similar topics and have discussions with them through their blog. You have to read a lot of blog posts, comment insightfully, and leave your blog address when you do. You can also write blog posts about others' blogs. You will build relationships that then need to be nurtured and cared for. And it's worth it.
Anthony---
I suggest you think about your blog as a product and serve your customers well.
Post 2-3 times a week. Be original.
Many topics are saturated. It’s harder to stand out. A niche is one way to stand out. Your audience might be smaller, but you have the advantage of uniqueness.
Leverage your blog across your social media footprint. One of the key ways, I leverage my blog is with Twitter.
Encourage your readers to give you feedback and discuss your topic. Respond to your readers quickly. Ask questions at the end of every post and solicit feedback.
Here's a blog post that I wrote that will also help:
10 Ways to Get Your Blog to Shine http://bit.ly/acu92J
Melinda Emerson
Author, Speaker, Social Media Strategist
@smallbizlady
http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com
I have realized countless business benefits from the relationships I have formed through my blog community. I think the best recommendation I can provide is to remember that there is a real person behind every little avatar out there. Treat people as people not social media accounts. Connect with them in a human way and offer authentic helpfulness at every opportunity. That builds loyalty and lasting, meaningful business relationships.
I have written extensively on blogging and social media strategies at www.businessesgrow.com/blog In the archive section, articles related to blogging best practices may be of interest to you Anthony.
Best wishes on your blogging initiatives!
Just to add my 2 cents:
Bring something of value to the blog: Entertain, Inspire, Educate, Inform or Outrage.
Everything else comes next. All of the ideas above are great!
I'm late to the conversation, but here are a few thoughts to build on the other great suggestions here:
Adding to Thomas' point about being relevant -- A blog needs to start with an understanding of who you're trying to reach and what they're interested in. One way to find out is by spending time where your target readers hang out -- whether that's on other blogs, in online forums and communities, or at conferences and networking events.
More on Thomas' and Melinda's points about soliciting feedback: Ask readers for their perspectives, and be sure to respond. Otherwise, they'll feel their opinions and insights were either ignored or unappreciated.
And remember that stronger relationships won't necessarily be reflected in whether or not you receive comments on your blog. Especially in the B2B world, prospects -- and even customers -- aren't likely to respond directly. That said, comments aren't the only measure of a blog's success. You can gauge interest by the number of visits and the amount your posts are shared by others via social-media channels.
To build strong relationships requires two-way communication.
I would ask for contributions from people and I would ask to contribute to other people's blogs.
Answer This Question