In a sea of online content all vying for the browsing public’s attention, how exactly do you set yours apart? Well, though it might seem like an impossible task, a clear plan of attack should help tip the scales in your favor.
Start with Quality, Targeted Content
There are two keywords here: quality and focused. You need both to build a strong following.
Naturally, no one would stick around for poorly written material. So, you need to make sure that everything you publish is grammatically correct and interesting. Read and re-read all your drafts before hitting “post.” Make sure everything is in order before you make anything public because bad writing gives an impression of mediocrity, which can hurt your credibility and ultimately prevent you from growing your following.
Now, while exceptional writing skills are crucial to running a successful blog, you still won’t get very far if nobody finds your content relevant. So, before you put up a blog, identify a target, decide on a niche topic to cover and angle everything you write toward it. If, for example, you choose to target bands, then you could focus on subjects that revolve around gig opportunities, music gear or anything else that appeals to people who play music.
Get the Word Out
Now that you have quality, targeted content up, you need to put up signs—so to speak—to get your target audience to come to you.
Of course, the easiest way to do this is to tap your network first. Log onto your social media accounts and invite your family and friends to check out your work and encourage them spread the word in their networks. In most cases, people who are close to you wouldn’t mind helping out.
Now, if you’re willing to spend a little money, you could also buy a little online advertising. It’s quick, cheap and highly targeted, so it’s a great way to reach potential followers that are outside your personal network.
Post Your Content Everywhere Else
No matter how specific the subject of your blog is, the chances are that there’s a more popular content publisher that talks about the same things—and you can use this to your advantage! Services like Outbrain, for instance, put links to and previews of your content on relevant websites that already have a massive following, instantly giving you access to a significantly bigger audience.
Build a Bigger Network
Connect with other blogs and websites that talk about the same things as you. Comment on their posts, follow them, do anything that gets them and their followers to notice you.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should just go and hijack their pages. The goal is just to show them that you’re also interested in the topic and you, too, happen to be an expert in the field who might have something useful to say.
Doing so not only puts you in a position to get more people to come to your blog, it also sets you up for opportunities to build partnerships with like-minded individuals.
Post Regularly
After successfully building a strong following for your blog, the next challenge is maintaining it—and the best way to do that is to keep posting relevant material regularly. It doesn’t have to be every day, but it has to be done frequently enough. Bear in mind that the reason people started following you in the first place is that you’re providing them something of value in the form of relevant content. Take that away and you take away their reason for staying as well.
Do you have a blog? Share them with us in the comments!
