It’s a vicious cycle.  You started a blog to drive more traffic to your website.  But, your blog obviously provides little benefit if nobody sees it.  So, your job’s not over just yet.  Like your website, your blog needs exposure – traffic.

 Content:  Obviously, whether it’s a website or a blog, content is king.  Fresh content, the ability to post comments, and a blog that people will link to and comment on will grow your online visibility. Yes, it’s a challenge and time consuming to generate enticing, interesting blog content, but there are tricks you can employ.

What are you doing? Write about it. Write about your progress. Second, think of a question you’d want someone to ask and respond to it in your blog.  Better yet, respond to a question a client or prospect actually asked. Also, ask questions in your blog.  This starts a dialogue. Start conversations and encourage discussion. Conducting polls and asking questions about a related topic can provide results for future blogs as well as press releases. 

Put yourself in your prospect’s place. Is there something simple you can talk about that would help them? Help them solve a problem or get a sale and they’ll return the favor.

Social networking:  Just as you should be getting your website out there, you should be promoting your blog via social networking… LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Put lead-in copy on these sites with a link to your blog.  If your prospects and influencers are there, you need to be there… listening, engaging, sharing, and helping.

 Site link:  Oh yes… this is probably the most common mistake bloggers make.  Make sure your blog is either part of your website or linked back to your site.  Otherwise, only those who know who you are will ever know who you are.

 Blog directories:  There are numerous blog directories and other sources that readers turn to when seeking specific subjects.  Many of these offer free listings.  If you are going to take the time to write a blog, you might as well take a little more time to list it.  Here are a few prominent directories:

www.blogcatalog.com              www.bloghub.com           www.blogged.com                   www.bloggapedia.com                   www.technorati.com

 Do you have a blog?  Are you writing one now?  Tell us about it in the comments section. We’d love to hear from you. And, let us know if we can help!

 Finally, please feel free to post any questions you might have (for us or our readers) in the comments section.

Jerry Steinhoff