5 Simple and Spam-Free Ways to Promote Your Blog

“Build it and they will come.”

This mantra may work in the Field of Dreams, but not for your blog.

You have to spend time promoting your content if you want people to read it.
  But, you don’t have to become a used car salesman to do it.

Here are some simple and effective tips to help you drive more traffic to your blog.

1. Share on Social Media.

One of the best and easiest ways to promote your content is to share it through your social networks. Use your official company profiles to share content on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Plus, etc.
  And, you can even encourage your employees to share it on their networks.

But you don’t have to be on every social network. Just share and post your content on the social media channels that you use that are right for your business.

2. Use Email.

You have an email list, right? If so, be sure to promote your blog posts in your e-letter or email marketing campaign. And, if you don’t have an e-mail list, now is the time to start building one.

But, even if you don’t have a list of email subscribers, you can still send a message to your customers, employees and even prospects.

3. Comment on other blogs.

Commenting on blogs is a great way to gain exposure for your business and brand. If you leave a smart comment on a relevant blog in your niche, the blogger and other visitors to the site will be interested in coming back to your blog to see what you have to say.

4. Link to your blog.

This is a simple tip that often gets overlooked. Adding a link to your blog in your business communication can help raise awareness about your content.

Here are some places where you can include a link:

• Email signatures (Wisestamp is a great option for Gmail and Google Apps users)
• Business cards, stationary and collateral materials
• Signage or table cards at the reception desk or check-out counter
• Social media profiles
• Product packaging
• Presentations, white papers and ebooks

There are plenty of other places you could include a link to your blog depending on your type of business, but this should help you get the creative juices flowing.

5. Guest post.

Writing guest blog posts or articles
 is a fantastic way to put you and your content in front of the right audience.

Find blogs and publications that attract your ideal client — even if it’s not necessarily in your niche. Then, pitch a relevant article that will appeal to their readers. This process takes time, but if you do it the right way, it can be a huge traffic driver and help you gain exposure among your target market.

If you need some help, here is a guide to getting your guest post published.

How are you promoting your blog? What has worked best for you?

This first appeared as a guest article for The Nashville Business Journal.

Image credit: Peter E. Lee