Blog Building

Launch Series (Part 9)

...if I blog it, they will come...

It's a nice idea, if we were living in the movies. But the reality is quite the opposite. The unmarketed blog long remains the unremarked blog. There are numerous means to market your blog, some costing more than others. But today we're going to discuss the means to get the word out with reciprocity and participation, rather than fee payment.

Blogging, just like any other form of social media marketing, requires you to engage your audience. It provides a platform for long-form communications, with the capability to embed photos, audio and video. Successful blogs, those that get both repeat readers and comments, must engage in much of the same activity as successful Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. Engagement, connection and participation are key.

Give to get, a phrase I use often, is especially applicable with blogs. Want more comments on your blog? Comment on the blogs of others. When doing so, use the name/URL feature where applicable, linking them to your blog with each comment left. Great comments create clicks. Continuing great comments create continuing and varied clicks. Blogs are very searchable, so a quick Google search with your topic choice and the word "blog" should find you a variety of options.

Want a more targeted group of blogs to work with. We hope you've decided to stop being a Linkedin Lackadaisy, and will sign in to Linkedin. Check your connections and see which blog. It's a great place to post up your own blog, if it is a business-based publication, and you can build your connections on Linkedin while building comments on your blog.

There are also blog/comments exchanges and groups that you can join, or you can easily start one of your own. I belong to a group like this and the rules are simple. For every blog I post, I must comment on three other blogs. It's a great way to build your own blog readership, increase comments and even get some inspiration for future posts.

As with every other type of social media project, it's important to remember, it's a marathon not a sprint. There's no instant gratification, no promise of immediate subscriptions and comments. If your content is viable, timely and interesting and you practice the give to get principle, you'll seen see a trickle of comments turn into a flow.