Blogging is very tough and the constant supply of fresh content can be difficult when starting out. One of the hardest things to do when starting a blog is to keep a frequent posting schedule. Many people fail to post frequently because of other commitments, but mainly because they just don’t know what to write about. During this time, your blog goes stagnant and loses traffic, which de-motivates you to keep pushing forward. I’ve seen many people give up and this is the number “1†reason they don’t succeed. However, keeping a blog active and growing is only 70% content and 30% other elements, which I’ll be discussing below. If your blog has gone stagnant and you need to give it life, then apply some of these fundamental strategies.
All of these techniques work well and, if done correctly, can increase conversions, user engagement and traffic. Let’s get started…
Content Frequency
As mentioned above, 70% does have to do with content and your inability to constantly post fresh content for your readers. Your readers have come to your blog because they found valuable content that solved a major problem they were having. They continue to visit because they know they’ll find awesome techniques to help them out in their business. However, if they visit and find your blog hasn’t been updated, then they’ll leave thinking you’ve either stopped and it’s become outdated. Stagnant means to not have growth and when doing business online, it can be tied to traffic and how often people visit your blog. Here’s something cool…
Google recently incorporated a freshness update to their algorithm, giving a boost to websites that produce new content frequently. The freshness can be applied to how often older content is updated as well so it’s important to keep content new and updated at all times. So, what’s a good posting schedule?
It’s not quantity but quality, so don’t jeopardize the quality of your content to ensure a frequent posting schedule. Your visitors will stop finding value in your content and stop visiting, thinking you have no value to provide. Remember, they came to your blog for value, so it’s important you keep the credibility of your blog. Try to post content once a week, which should give you enough time to put something special together. Next, you have the option of hiring a freelancer to do the writing for you if you need to. This will depend on the amount of money you have to invest, etc.
Build Community
This has become much easier after social networks like Facebook and Twitter gained momentum years back. The more followers you have, the easier it is to keep your business alive because it’s as simple as posting an update on your social profiles. One of the biggest issues before was how to get someone back to your blog after several weeks. Now you have social networks that allow you to post quick updates and revive old visitors into coming back to your blog. However, you need to ensure the following…
When they initially visit, you capture them through email, social networks, or RSS subscriptions. Once they join, they’ll be easily accessible when you need to revive your blog after several weeks. This is why many large retailers give away FREE products because they know when they come, they’ve increased the chances of obtaining personal information from them. This helps keep the communications lines open going forward.
Always Stand Out
Word of mouth is one of the best marketing strategies ever and don’t forget, it’s FREE. It’s actually one solid method that keeps a business alive, even when you have not produced anything of value in recent months. For example, when someone visits my blog for the first time and I go the extra mile, then they’ll most likely mention my blog to others. Even though I’m not directly marketing my products, word of mouth will continue to build over time. This will keep fresh people coming back to my blog always. It’s a great way to build brand awareness, too!
However, you need to find an element that helps you stand out from your competitors. Here’s something that works well…
See what your competitors are doing wrong and do it 10X better. Providing exceptional customer service is a great to build a connection with your readers and the next time they need advice, they’ll know where to go. They’ll even recommend your blog or mention it to their social circles, which increases engagement. Remember, it’s never too late to “stand out†compared to others so start doing your research now and find ways you can improve your “WOW†factor.
Ask For Help
It’s been several months since you last updated your website and it’s gone stagnant. Networking is a great way to add life to a dying business especially when others have done well keeping their blog growing. All it takes is a mention from a big player within the industry to drive loads of traffic back to your website. This is why it’s strongly recommended to regularly exchange emails with influential people, even when you haven’t been working on your business in a while. I know many of you are thinking it’s difficult to keep the relationship going even when you haven’t been actively working but it’s not. For example, you can ask them for their advice or offer to help them create content.
These people are extremely busy and have little time to create fresh content. If you are not actively working on your business and it’s gone stagnant, then, in the meantime, write content for other bloggers. It’s a great way to keep traffic flowing to your business and maintain the relationship with other bloggers. Then…
When you’re ready to ignite life into your blog, you can create fresh, new, high quality content and shoot a quick email to your influential friends to check it out. This way, they’ll read it, provide feedback, and mention it on their social profiles. Some of these bloggers have 10,000+ followers and, with a simple “shareâ€, can send hundreds of relevant people over to your content.
Paid Marketing
If you haven’t worked on your blog for while and need to inject it with some life, then you can invest in paid marketing. This works well if you have knowledge on how to use different marketing avenues to optimize your blog traffic. For example, you can try PPC, PPV, banner ads, social media campaigns, and even offline methods to drive relevant traffic to your blog. However, the key is to start slow so you can test of different methods and track data at the same time. Using this strategy will allow you to filter the results, sticking to those that provided the best results.
Personally, I recommend trying the FREE methods as they have produced enormous results for me in the past. Using paid marketing methods is the last resort I would suggest as it does require an investment.