How To Get Subscribers With Your Blog

Blogging is really tough territory if you are a newbie or newish.  You try your best to add value to industry by spending hours writing unique and compelling content.  You know that if you want to get then you are going to have to give.  So you give and you give and you give some more all to the tune of zero subscribers.  So what’s going to make the difference?  Are you going to spend the rest of your life blogging and getting no results?  Let’s hope not.  The following paragraphs offer some strategies that you can use to begin getting subscribers.

First Impressions Count

One thing that I want to remind you of is that first impressions really count.  They count offline as well as online.  So, what does your visitor see the first time that they visit your blog?  Does the title of your blog leave them clueless?  Do they see a site that looks like it has been done by an amateur because of the flashy fonts and an over-abundance of links?  Are the sides cluttered with ads? 

Consider changing the title of your blog if it does not give a clear idea of what your blog is about.  Make it a title that gives a clear idea of who you are and how your blog can help.  Remove some of the clutter from your blog.  Don’t have more than two self-serving links in the body of any blog post.  This is in addition to the self-serving link that you will add in the PS line at the end of your blog.  Keep the fonts simple and only use a change of color sparingly.  If you have an over-abundance of ads in the side bar remove some of them.  There really should not be more than four to five ads in the sidebar.

 

Who Is Writing The Blog?

Is your blog is missing an “About Me” page?  An “About Me” page is an important part of the blog.  People want to know who they are reading from.  They want to know that there is a real person behind the text.  People attach to people.  They follow people.  They want to know people.  So let your readers know that they are reading from a real person by including an "About Me" page.

Who Is The Blog Written For?

Can the target audience of your blog be easily determined?  Do you have a target audience?  If not then you should choose one immediately.  If you try to write to everyone chances are you will ultimately reach no one.  So don’t be a Jack of all trades and a master of none.  It is no secret that readership increases when readers feel that the text was written just for them.  Spend time determining who you want to write to and tailor your blogs to speak to that audience.  Know what keeps your targeted audience up at night, what their dreams are, what their likes and dislikes are and write accordingly.  Readers return to sites that they feel are written just for them.

Why Should Your Readers Opt-In

You have achieved a major task by getting a reader to your blog.  You have shone through by providing great content and you wish for the reader to opt-in to your email list.  After all, there really is money in the list.

How do you get the reader to make the commitment to receiving email updates that you have posted a new blog post or to receiving your newsletter?  After all, they really could just check your blog from time to time to see if there are any updates.

The way that you get your reader to opt-in to your blog is to offer them a knock em out incentive.  Something that they will sweat bullets about if they do not have it.  Get into your targeted prospects head and figure out what they really want to know and offer it to them in the form of an incentive.

Conclusion

Getting subscribers with your blog takes work.  However, it can be done because there are people who are doing it every day.  If they can do it then so can you.  I have confidence that you can do it.

IIf you learned anything new from this article then please leave a comment.  

How Often Should You Blog?

Google defines a blog as “A personal website or web page on which an individual records opinions, links to other sites, etc. on a regular basis.”  It is included in the definition that the recording of information occurs on a regular basis.  Keep in mind that the word regular is relative.

The Goal of Many Bloggers is to Get Readers

One of the goals of many bloggers is to get readers.  Most people want more than 1,000.   Usually, in the beginning, when you first start blogging, you don’t get nearly that many readers.  However, if you consistently submit new content to your blog every day you will see that your readership will grow.  The more blog posts that you write the more search engines can find entry points to your blog and the more likely it is that your blog will be found.

Making Daily Posts to A Blog

Updating a blog daily takes a lot of hard work and commitment.  It is not always easy to come up with new daily content that is chock full of value.  However, the search engines will love it and it will grow your readership relatively quickly.  Even so, updating a blog daily might not fit the bill for every blogger.  Some blogs require more frequent updates and some blogs require less.  Consider the following paragraph.

Blog Publishing Schedules

Different types of blogs require different publishing schedules.  Joel Frielander gives the following schedules for blog publishing:

If you are publishing short news stories, then you are going to want to publish your blog several times in a day.  If you are publishing inspirational material, like a daily inspirational quote, then you are going to want to blog once a day.  If you are publishing blogs that have different subject matter you might consider publishing two to three times a week, each day for a different purpose.  For instance on Mondays you could publish the tip for the week, on Wednesday an article, and on Friday industry news.  There are also times when you would want to publish weekly.  This gives you a full week to come up with really great content.  If you decide to publish only twice a month you won’t build up a lot of readers but this schedule will satisfy search engines that like sites that are updated regularly.

Conclusion

Well, we have now seen that the frequency of updates on a blog should be determined by the type of blog.  You as the writer has to determine which type of blog you are most comfortable with writing and this will determine the frequency that you need to publish.  Keep in mind, though, that when you choose a frequency it is important that you keep to a set schedule.  Therefore only choose a publishing schedule that you can commit to.  

If you learned anything new from this article then please leave a comment.  

You Don’t Get Paid To Blog

It is easy to become engulfed in blogging and forget the main reason that we blog.  We must remember that as marketers we blog to add value to industry and to get sales.  These sales could be through a network marketing company, affiliate link, or proceeds from advertising such as pay per click.

Why Do We Want To Add Value To Industry Through Our Blogs?

Content is king.  You can find herds of people, in any industry that is interested in receiving free information.  There are people who spend hours at a time searching the internet to find answers to their questions.  These questions range from how to choose bathroom tile to how to write a press release.  So, you could be a part of any industry and write a successful blog.  You just have to remember that one of the main objectives is to add value to industry.   This means that we who write marketing blogs are obliged to get a good handle on the industry that we belong to and become experts in our field.  We are then to share our expertise through our blogs. (Keep in mind, and I must note, that you don’t have to be an expert in any field before you start blogging.  You start from where you are and as you learn and grow through research and training you share your expertise.  )

What do we get out of sharing our expertise with industry?  We get a lot.  Internet readers frequent blog sites that offer them answers to their questions.  If readers can detect that the information that you offer on your blog is good information they are more likely to opt in to your site, become a lead and then hopefully a sale.  Internet readers are also more likely to click on affiliate links and banners that you have on your site if they feel that the information that you offer is trustworthy.

Why Do We Want To Use Blogging to Make Sales

There are good reasons to use blogging to make sales.  One reason is that blogging is easy.  It is the easiest way to create an online presence.  A second reason is that blogs can be set up with little to no overhead.  Not only can blogs be set up for free to near free they also generate free leads from social websites, search engines, and other blogs.  A third reason is that search engines love blogs.  If blogging is done correctly the blog is updated consistently.  Google loves the addition of the new information. This gives Google a reason to index the blog more regularly.  A fourth reason is that people trust the content of blogs that offer value more than they trust the content found in ads and sales letters.  A fifth reason is that blogs are interactive.  People like the community feel that is created by blog comments.  A final reason to make sales through writing blogs is that Blogging makes use of attraction marketing.  Attraction marketing is one of the most successful business models in existence.  It offers solutions, to a targeted market’s problems, without requiring that they buy first. This increases the trust that the target marketer has with the blogger.  Needless to say that trust is very important when it comes time for the site visitor to click on a link or opt in to the site.

Conclusion

The key to writing successful marketing blogs is to remember the two reasons that we as marketers blog.  The first reason is to offer value to the industry.  Share your expertise with readers without the fear of giving free information.  Readers appreciate free information and they show this appreciation by doing business with you.  This brings us to the second reason why we write marketing blogs.  We write marketing blogs to make sales.  Sure the majority of your blogs should be packed with value and not advertisement, but at the end of each blog there should be a P.S. line with a call to action.  One example of a P.S. line with a call to action is “P.S.  Building your business on a budget?  Click here to find out how.”   Keep in mind that the more people that visit your blog the more sales you will make.  Therefore, you are going to want to instruct readers to share you on Facebook and Twitter.

If you learned anything new from this article then please leave a comment.  

Why Blogging Is Not Dead

There has been a buzz going through the air since 2006 that blogging is dead.  It has become the consensus among some that instead of blogging people are tweeting, pinning, posting to Tumblr and Reddit and updating Facebook.    Undoubtedly, there are new trends that have entered into the marketplace but that does not mean the tried and the proven, like blogging, is headed out the window.   There are several reasons why blogging is and will continue to be a successful platform.

One Reason Why Blogging Is Not Dead

One reason why blogging is not dead or dying is because people love blogs.  They trust the content in blogs more than they trust the content found in sales letters or advertisements.  People trust blogs because blogs are not totally self-serving.  Most blogs follow the abundance model of marketing.  They give free information that solves problems without requesting that a person opts in or buys first.  The free information that a reader receives when they go to a blog places them at ease.  This makes the visitor more likely to click on the banners and links.  Blogs are often full of the bloggers expertise on a subject.  This makes the blog a good source of information for the reader.

A Second Reason Why Blogging Is Not Dead

A second reason why blogging is not dead or dying and will continue to be a successful platform is that blogs are easy.  They are the simplest way to create an online presence.  The fact that they are very easy to set up and maintain contributes to their popularity.  They can be set up for free and can generate free traffic from social websites, search engines and other blogs.

A Third Reason Why Blogging Is Not Dead

A third reason why blogging is not dead or dying is that Google loves blogs.  One of the reasons why Google loves blogs is that the comments that are left in blogs offer a sense of community.  The more comments that are left the more Google will be in love with that blog.  Another reason why Google loves blogs is that they offer consistency.  Blogs that are updated regularly give updated information to readers and encourages their return to the site.  Blogs that are updated regularly also gives Google a reason to return to the site and index the blog.  Blogs that are indexed more regularly are more likely to be ranked.  It is also worthwhile to mention that blog URLs are among the easiest to be indexed.  A third reason why Google loves blogs is that when blogging is done correctly it solves problems and/or answer questions of web searchers.  This makes it easier for Google to do their job well. 

Conclusion

Sure, the internet is evolving with the introduction of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.  Current trends have definitely changed the way many do things.  However, the one thing that we can be sure of is as long as there is the internet there will be a need for good content.  Those whose blogs are substantial and offer good content will survive the current new trends and the trends to come.

If you learned anything new from this article then please leave a comment.