So you've begun your blogging adventure, that's great! You've probably decided to make the move from traditional advertising to content marketing as you've heard (from countless sources) how beneficial inbound marketing can be when used properly.
It's true, an effective inbound marketing strategy can bring you more leads, more clients, better site traffic, and a lot more. And, according to HubSpot,
You've made the necessary steps, and you're ready to wow visitors with your top quality content, only to find out, no one is reading. Where, oh where are all your readers? Why aren't they flocking to your website to see all the amazingly informative content you have to offer?
Well unfortunately, readers aren't going to magically appear on your website, that's just not how it works. If you want your blog to be viewed, read, and shared across social networks, you are going to have to put yourself to work!
5 Reasons Why Your Business Blog Isn't Being Read.
1. Your blog was recently launched.
You can't expect your blog to attract thousands of readers mere minutes after you've launched it, that's just silly. Building up a readership takes time and effort. That means you have to get out there and help your content be found (otherwise it won't). When you first start your business blog, depending on how often you blog, there won't be many pages for people and search engines to find. The more content you publish, the more avenues you open up for your blogs to be found through search engines. Blogging may not be the easiest, but it definitely pays off in the end if you keep with it. Focus first on creating reputable and knowledgeable content relevant to your industry as often as you can (we usually suggest at least blogging twice a week).
2. You're not promoting your blog.
No one is going to find your blog at first, you have to help readers find it. If no one knows your blog exists, how can you possibly expect to build up an audience? You need to think of your blog as if it were any other product or service you provide. That means, you need to think like a marketer and advertise it. Include a link to your business blog in your main site navigation, newsletters, E-blasts, and most importantly your social media posts.
3. Your blog isn't optimized for SEO.
Business blogs are a direct link to search engines, and that's what makes them such an effective inbound marketing tool. Each blog post you publish is another page that search engines index, meaning that each piece of content you create is another opportunity to be found by searchers. Even old blog posts can continue to get discovered as time passes which means they can drive even more results to your business over time. However, did you know that by adding search engine optimization tactics into your content you can cultivate even better results? Try adding relevant keywords, meta tags, and meta descriptions, throughout your content. This ensures that search engines can identify what your content is about, which essentially makes it easier for searchers to actually find it. If you need help improving your SEO, click here!
4. You're publishing your blogs inconsistently.
Sticking to a schedule is important when it comes to business blogging. If you publish content infrequently and inconsistently you'll never be able to convert the casual reader into a dedicated subscriber. Even if the quality content is there, it's well written, and it's visually striking, no one will come back to read more if there isn't well, more. If you fail to create and publish content on a frequent and consistent basis, you'll lose readers' interests, or worse, you'll lose your readers. According to HubSpot, companies that increase blogging from 3-5X/month to 6-8X/month almost double their leads. We suggest you start by publishing one blog a week, but pick a specific day and stick with it. You can always increase how often you publish as you get more comfortable in the blogging world.
5. Your audience doesn't find your content valuable.
Providing valuable content to your readers is a must. If your audience doesn't find your content valuable to them, they won't turn into subscribers. You have to give your readers content that fulfills their needs, interests, issues, or questions in order to keep them coming back for more. If you can provide content that is well written, high-quality, and that can satisfy your readers' desires, then your blogging strategy will be rolling in the leads.
Interested in starting a blogging campaign but don't know where to begin? click below for a FREE inbound marketing assessment!
