What is Blog Marketing And Why Do Bloggers Do It

Do you know what’s the easiest thing when it comes to blogging?

The part wherein you write. The hardest part is marketing the post that you have written.

To many non-bloggers this may seem like a publicity stunt. ‘I can’t believe she actually goes around telling people to read her’, some have said. I recently read a blog where in the blogger who herself has been blogging for a few years now, shared this thought. ‘ I don’t consider a person a blogger unless she has been earning from her blog. Also she cannot be a blogger if she has been going around promoting the post….‘, she had written. I had to laugh.

In 2003, people came around to read your posts… you had your comment box filling over but then Google changed. You didn’t have that social media influence during that time and people actually got social on the blogs itself. But since the advent of facebook and twitter mainly, people have taken the conversation there. If you read something good, you share it. If you liked something you read, you could like, favourite, +1 or thumbs up them. No more are people logging in to comment and share their thoughts with the author on the blog itself. In a way, it is bad but in another way, it is good exposure too.

Let’s get back to the original topic, why should one promote a post?

How else will you connect your product to the consumer? Yes product and consumer. You see blogging is much like writing a book or publishing a newspaper or magazine. What would you do if you started a newspaper? Ofcourse, you’d have to take copies of it distribute it for free at newstands and public places, deliver them to houses and offices too. You would do that till your readership built up atleast. Blogging is just that.

 Relying on Google or search engines to send you readers (traffic) is not an option because Google doesn’t work that way. There are millions of websites out there and so many people writing. Some sell too. There are sites that have been abandoned also. Google is already doing hard work and it is not like there are people sitting there reading each and every blog and categorising them. No, it is all a mathematical formula that decides and finds what is relevant to you. That formula depends on various things. One of those things is popularity. The more popular the page is the more chances of it being recognised and showing up in your search.

If it doesn’t show up in searches then how will it get readers, you ask?

Exactly, my point. It is a catch 22 situation. Who came first: Did the chicken come from the egg or did the egg come from the chicken? Did your readers come from google or did your readers send you to Google?

This is the reason why marketing your blog is so important. This is the reason why social networking sites and the social media as it has come to be called is so successful. You get the opportunity and the platform to showcase your work. Your followers have a chance to know the person behind the words. They have chance to be prompted when your blog is updated. They get to view, share and comment on your post while still logged in comfortably on their favourite social media. And the best of all, you get to understand what your readers are liking, reading and requesting.

I am a new blogger. How do I market my blog?

So you created Quality content complete with great pics. Now it is time to market.

• The first thing to do is create a page for your blog. it is not to promote your posts. it is more importantly to brand your blog. A place where people can get to know your blog and the blogger. While you will share your recent posts on it, you will also have keep the conversation going. It is not like your posting a post all the time. What in between? Grow your community. Meet like minded people, share them, engage your community. Think of it as being in the entertainment industry!
• Get some followers. Link up. Follow other.  Share yourself with others.
• Guest post. This is a very good way to gain some exposure and to be showcased on other people’s blog. Their readers will read you and hop on to your page.
• Join blogging communities that help each other grow. There are many. You are sure to hop on some while you’re gaining followers.
• Get yourself discovered on various platforms like stumble upon, reddit, etc.

There are many ways to promote your blog, you only have to market yourself.

Actually, it is like Monopoly… What say? Come along, join the fun on facebook, Twitter, Google + or Pinterest. Happy blogging!

photo credit: cambodia4kidsorg via photopin cc