New blogs are started everyday with the same ultimate goal. To have visitors for one reason or another. Your goals for blogging may be to spread valuable information, review products, make some money, or to just have an online diary. But how will people know about your blog? How do they know you have great content? You will have to market your blog. Marketing your blog is hard work. Hard work that will pay off in the end. Marketing is all about building relationships in the online world. Marketing helps put your blog and ideas in other places besides your blog. You want your blog to become a familiar trusted place to internet users. Picture your blog like a business. Even if your goal is not to monetize your blog, you are looking for “customers” or visitors that will keep coming back for more. You want them to find your content interesting and leave you comments and revisit to see your new content. But you need to find the “customers” first. So you ask- Where do you find visitors? Here are a few tips to help you search out readers that will keep coming back for more.
- First you can gain readers by telling your friends and family about your blog. If they support your idea of blogging they will be your first visitors and most likely your most loyal readers. Blogging is a great way to for family to know what is going on with you when our lives are so busy, keeping in touch is a task in itself.
- Look around the internet yourself. Find other blogs that you feel are interesting. If you find another blogs content interesting, chances are your content will be interesting to that blogger. Follow the blog in Google Friend Connect. This way the blogger and their blog visitors can see that you think that blog is interesting. While you are on this new found blog, leave some comments. Not just one liners either. Comments that are well thought and have meaning. This way you can catch the bloggers attention and they will likely want to know who you are and check out your blog. Most bloggers will return the favor of comments. Many find their most loyal readers by commenting on other blogs.
- Join forums and communities. You can find many forums in the cyberworld. Forums are a great way to generate visitors to your blog. After you join a forum don’t forget to put your blog link in your signature. By joining and becoming active in forums, potential readers become curious about the author of comments and topics posted. They will want to read more from you. You will soon see readers following you from the forum to your blog. They will stop by, follow your blog, leave comments, and maybe even tell their bloggy friends about your blog.
There are many more ways to market your blog and build relationships. These are just some of the basics. Keep in mind that marketing your blog is an ongoing process. Never forget about building relationships. The more people that visit your blog the more popular your blog may become. Always remember not to forget where your visitors are coming from. Never stop visiting other blogs. If you stop commenting on theirs there is a big likelihood that they will stop commenting on yours.
What are some of the best ways you have found to build relationships for your blog?
About Jessica Benton
I found you on twitter, and I love your blog. I just start a new blog in italian speaking about my CPA job (Celebrity Personal Assistant), and I was asking myself how I can get traffic to my blog. Thank you for this article. I always found interesting tips from your article.
Thank you
Denise
Denise recently posted..Assistente Personale Chi è Chi assiste Cosa fa
Hey Denise,
I love the idea of your blog and amazed about how unique it is. To me, every blogger should blog outside the box and be like no one else. I think your new blogging venture encompasses that.
Good luck.
Great article !! I have a new blog that I am trying get out there so I am excited and will begin to try these things.
I Heart Dollar General recently posted..Dollar General Friday Coupon 8-27
I’ve been researching the different techniques and strategies to build a blog, and I have to say you have provided some good information. Most of the research says that commenting on other blogs is very important. I guess its really a community. I must say, I am a former lurker , and I have watched some of my favorite blogs “blow up” over the years.
I love this post. Thanks for sharing. I have gained over 70 followers this week by joining blogger communities like Pitch it to me, Bloggy Moms and Blog Frog. I’ve also gained a lot of followers by commenting on other posts like this one. I’ve been following you for a bit now and I was browsing the blogs i follow via Feed Squares. It’d be great if you could visit my blog and while you’re there feel free to link up on my blog hop and enter my current giveaway. See you around!
Julie @ Bunches of Bargains
Julie Jones recently posted..Bunches of Bargains Blog Hop
Thanks for this information. Very helpful. We’re trying to implement these with our blog now (just launched on Sunday).
Tell Me Something Good recently posted..Are you faithful
Love this post! Great basic ideas! Thanks for sharing as I’m still learning how to increase the traffic on my own Chocolate blog.
I just have to say that if you are passionate about what you are blogging, then the visitors will come.
“If you built it, they will come!” Great line!!!
Thanks Jessica. You are an AWESOME LADY!!!
.-= Laura @ MsWonka.com´s last blog ..Chocolate in Your Garden? =-.
I just began TheCubicleChick.com in Oct. after having my personal online blog for a year. These tips are very informative and I am enjoying your posts a lot! I've also added you to my blogroll. Your expertise is one of a kind and I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
Thanks for this post. I was thinking of setting up my own blog, but between work, holiday and the kids haven't had much of a chance. I really enjoy reading blogs, entering giveaways, and learning about new stuff. I find the posts and giveaways on your blog really great. I wanted to also let you know it's also nice to email someone back if they've commented on your blog and you want to say something back. It's also fun to receive emails from blog authors as well because some of us don't have blogs.
arobimom(at)gmail(dot)com
I definately feel that by leaving comments on others' blogs, that really helps with building relationships
Also, if you find something intersting on another blog, and you want to include it in your own blog, ALWAYS link back to that blog, and let them know. It makes them feel special, and also gives your readers an opportunity to visit other blogs with similar content 
Great post Jessica 
thanks for the helpful tips!!:)