presents

f r om� t o p

m a r k e t i n g

e x p e r t s

before�everything�else,

your�blog ’s�gotta rock

be�helpful

Most bloggers and content marketers need to make their content helpful to their community and not just type

something to put it up there.Ask the question, “Is this helpful?”

If the answer is no, start over.

chris broganCEO & President, human business works

be�unique

Figure out what’s your value proposition. Help people understand why they should pay attention to

you and buy your products.

peter sandeenOnline Conversion Specialist,

petersandeen.com

I’d have my guests tell a story. A real story of a failure, the lessons they learnt. A real story

of their “aha” moment, and lessons they learnt from that “aha” moment. And we just connect with stories. They're very powerful.

john lee dumasfounder, entrepreneuronfire

tell�stories

YOUR�BLOG ’S�GOTTA�ROCK

quote�experts

What I like to do is write an original article and gather expert opinions to supplement some of

my arguments.

gregory ciotticustomer champion, help scout

respond�quicklyto�trends

It’s easier to get bloggers and journalists to write or share information containing an interesting new angle on something

that was already at the top of their mind.

larry kimfounder & Cto, wordstream

searchmarketing

mobile

social

YOUR�BLOG ’S�GOTTA�ROCK

2 make�sure� it ’s searchabledon ’t�let�your�effort�go�to�waste,

do�proper�keyword�research

Writing awesome content is nice, but not doing proper keyword

research upfront is probably the most common mistake I see.

joost de valkfounder & ceo, yoast

keywordsearch

traffic

SEO research

optimizationranking

term

referrals

a�picture�paints�a�thousand�words,

we ’re�all v isual�creaturescreate

original�images

Far too many blogs use stock photography because they won't take 20 minutes to create an original picture that stands on its own, and

isn't just a title image.david leonhardt

chief seo consultant and writer,seo-writer.com

stock photo

make�images�more�effectivewith�text�overlay

On Pinterest and on other social networks images are often seen in

isolation and the viewer has to make an extra effort to read the text of the pin description to understand it. A simple

text overlay is an easy way to clarify the meaning of the image and can increase

click throughs.

cynthia sanchezfounder, oh so pinteresting

this image isall about

text overlay

invest�in�yourcontent ’s�design

Remember that most of the peoplethat you reach out to are very busy.

That means they won't read every single word of your content. So the better your

content looks the better response you'll get.

brian deanfounder, backlinko

24pt12pt

21 SEO TIPSTechniques You Can Use toGet More search Traffic

36pt

use�images�toattract�traffic

Images not only make your articles more pleasant to read, but they can also help drive a lot of traffic from sites like Pinterest and Facebook.

mitt rayfounder, social marketing writing

WE ’RE�ALL�VISUAL�CREATURES

create�visual�content

I think all bloggers can promote their content more effectively by creating

engaging visuals that encourage interaction via sharing, liking, or

clicking through to see the content. That could be in the form of awesome

photographs or creatively designed graphics included in a post that allow for easy visual sharing. We’ve found that people can easily consume and will consistently respond to content

that has strong visual anchors.

lindsay ostromfounder, pinch of yum & food blogger pro

Start and GrowYour Food Blog

WE ’RE�ALL�VISUAL�CREATURES

relationship �matters

The most effective thing is takingthe time to build real relationships and

not trying to ‘network’ your way to acquire as many links as possible. Real relationships tend to scale better and

you get better results in the long term.

eric siuceo, single grain

build�real�relationships�with�people�first

Your post promotion efforts will be a lot more effective if you build relationships first before asking anyone to share your posts. Saying "Hey, I love your blog - look

at this great post I just wrote!"doesn't usually work well.

ana hoffmanfounder, traffic generation cafe

build�a�loyal�audience

I’m talking about a dependable base of people who genuinely feel like they have some attachment to you or relationship

with you, or who just really like your stuff. Encourage that group, feed them,

nurture them. Make them special.

mark traphagensenior director of online marketing,

stone temple consulting

can’t wait for yournext blog post!

RELATIONSHIP�MATTERS

share�other ’s�content

The Internet is a relationship economy. You have to give to get.

This is definitely a long game, but the payoff is tremendous.

carol lynn riverafounder, web search social

Your followers will appreciate the extra help and the content creators will be pleased to get extra attention,

so it’s a win all around, and then everybody’s more likely to check out your next piece of content.

sophie lizardfounder, be a freelance blogger

8 tips to help youwork fasterthink better

with these

lifehacks

how to get ahealthier bodyin 7 days!

RELATIONSHIP�MATTERS

New blog posts should be shared with the intent of actually sharing and starting discussions, rather than the expectation that just because you posted a link that means I have to click on it. Google+ is a

great place to see this in action.

mike alltonfounder, the social media hat

use�social�media�tonetwork�and�engage�-

not�spam

Mention relevant people andask them to get involved

in the conversation. Make sureto hang around to interactwith those who do respond.

tom ewerfounder, leaving work behind

be�human�onsocial�media

hello@greenman!

RELATIONSHIP�MATTERS

your�target�audienceknowreally, really�understand�your�audience

Revisit your customer profile and see if the

assumptions you made when you first created it still apply. Keep track of

how these things change so you can invest your time and resources into only

promotional tactics that will work for them.megan dougherty

education lead,firepole marketing

Understand your target audience’s most difficult

problem and provide critical information to

solve their problem. This will help them and

solidifies your position as someone who

provides incredible value.

carol amatoonline entrepreneur,

carolamato.com

The process is simple. You create personas to describe a group / sub-group of your target audience

so you would have an idea of their

interests and needs in your industry.

venchito tamponfounder,

digital philippines

wants to amplifyword-of-mouthbut not surewhere to begin

considering toget a referralprogram forher online store

needs helpwith websitedesign

needs helpwith contentmarketing

wants tounderstandemail marketingbetter

Begin by surveying your audience. Ask them what is important to them. What

do they need help with? What keeps them up at night?

melonie doDARofounder & Ceo, top dog social media

Successfully promoting content isa lot easier when you're promoting awesome - and targeted - content.

rae hoffmanceo, pushfire

Match�your�content�tothe�needs�of�your�targeted�audience

Match�your�content�tothe�needs�of�your�targeted�audience

relevantcontent

relevantaudience

KNOW�YOUR�TARGET�AUDIENCE

by�emailget�personal

email�people�thatyou�mentioned

This sometimes works better than just tweeting it at them because it’s more personal and others can’t see that you’ve emailed them. The more

people on your email list who you can notify when you create a new post, the more traction that post will get.

dan norrisco-founder, wp curve

hello

howdy

collect�leads

The most effective way to convert traffic into subscribers is through

the use of a Lead Magnet.The Lead Magnet is an irresistible bribe that gives a specific chunk

of value to a prospect in exchange for their email address.

ryan deissceo, digital marketer

perform targeted d istribution

Start with the low-hanging fruit - people who have already

shared similar content from your competitiors. But it's very important to ensure the quality

of your content matches or exceeds the content from your

competitors.jason acidre

co-founder and ceo, Xight Interactive

share�with�thosewho�have�already

shared�similar�content

send�your�contentto�specific�targets

For our clients we make a list of targets to share our content.

Hopefully we can turn them into advocates. We created what we call

a “client firehose,” which gives us great insight into who similarly publishes the stuff we create, and others who havea general interest in content like ours.

bill sebaldfounder, greenlane seo

@marketer_markcurated #socialmedia wisdomfrom top enterprise expertsow.ly/x2dzw via@awesomemarketingblog

@marketer_mark hello mark!we wrote a post to analyze..

target

reach�out�toinfluencers

Find key influencers on Twitter that would be

particularly interested in your content. Then, reach out to them with a tweet and ask them to review your

content. This works especially well if you mentioned or

referenced that influencer within your content.

jayson demersfounder & ceo,audience bloom

If you run an outreach program to reach out to key influencers in

your industry to promote your content it's important to track

this outreach. One great tool for doing this is Buzzstream.

ian clearyfounder,

razor social

The way ViralContentBuzz works, it’s one of the most unintrusive ways you put your content in front of

eager social media influencers. And you don’t even need to ask them to

share your content because they are there

exactly for that: They want to share your articles.

ann smartyfounder, myblogguest.com

co-founder, viralcontentbuzz

PERFORM�TARGETED�DISTRIBUTION

prioritize�promoters

First, choose the people you link out to wisely. If you have to choose between

linking out to a blogger with an inferior resource but who is very active on a site like inbound.org or a subreddit, choose them over the blogger with a better

resource but who’s less active in promoting other people’s content.

richard marriotfounder, clambr.com

tag/mentionrelevant�people

The next time you share one of your blog posts on social media try

tagging any brands or people that you have mentioned within a status update or you could go as far as to actually ask them (nicely) if they’d

help share your content – if you say awesome stuff about them, chances are they will be happy to help you.

adam connellfounder, blogging wizard

the secret behind@thebloggingwiz’ssuccess revealed

PERFORM�TARGETED�DISTRIBUTION

add�contextwhen�sharing

Instead of dropping a link and leaving, take the time to craft an introduction for the piece you are about to share. Also, every social network serves a

specific purpose. You cannot promote your content on Google+ the way

you would on Facebook.

cendrine marrouatfounder, social media slant

Hey Mark! Here's alink to that idea you said you werelooking for!"

get�as�much�personalexposure�as�possible

Get as much personal exposure as possible. This can be done through many different ways, such as paid advertising, a guest post, interview

or even with your own affiliate program. Of course the ultimate

way is to get exposure for free, as that is where the real value is.

zac johnsonfounder, bloggingtips.com

will blogfor food

PERFORM�TARGETED�DISTRIBUTION

maximise the�potential�ofsocial�media

Ideally, you want to time your content’s publication and

promotional efforts to coincide with your audience’s schedule.

Your content will be much more successful if your audience

finds it when they are most receptive to sharing, linking, etc.

steve webbfounder, web gnomes

take�note�of�timing share�in�more�places

If you go through a lot of effort to create good content, then do yourself

a favor and share it, re-publish it, and pitch it to more places. Good

content deserves to be shared with more people and the best way to do that is to share it in more places.

james clearfounder, jamesclear.com

audienceactivehours

10 27 5 35 54

retweet�for�visibility

We all use social media to increase online visibility but there are certain tools that can magnify your efforts. Justretweet is a platform where it’s members can easily

share content to social media channels including Twitter, Facebook and Google

Plus. Once added to these channels additional people are able to share it

further magnifying your reach.

bill gassettreal estate agent,

sellmyhomeinmetrowestma.com

Most bloggers tweet the same piece of content multiple times. The reason being is that not all of your followers won’t see your content so tweeting and sharing it multiple times helps

increase your overall traffic.

neil patelfounder, quicksprout

co-founder, crazyegg & kissmetrics

tweet #1

tweet #2

tweet #3

11:00aM

1:00PM

3:00PM

retweet

multiple�tweets/shares�at�intervals

MAXIMISE�POTENTIAL�OF�SOCIAL�MEDIA

milk�older�contentfor�their�worth

Don't forget to promote older content. If it's valuable, evergreen content, there

is nothing wrong with re-sharing it months later. You have new followers and subscribers who haven't seen it. And existing fans might have missed

it or might even gain a new perspective from re-reading it.

jimmie lanleyco-owner, ihomeschool network

use�pinterest

Pinterest is still widely underused for bloggers. Bloggers

should have a Pinterest Business account and utilize the analytics on their pins. Rich pins

are also a must for bloggers.

peg fitzpatricksocial strategy head, canva

SHARE

MAXIMISE�POTENTIAL�OF�SOCIAL�MEDIA

http://www.smallbusinessideasblog.com/how-to-promote-your-blogSource:

make� it �happen !aone�step�at�a�t ime

take�action

Every morning, before doing anything else, grab your list of tactics and strategies, look it over, and ask yourself this:

what’s the ONE thing I can do today, right now, that can help me grow my readership? Then

go do it. It’s that simple.

james chartrandfounder, men with pens

ok let’s

do this!

take�action

CRafTED BY

A well-promoted blog is a great way to generate leads and

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