How to up-level your Blog Posts & grow your business
BY BIG CAT CREATIVE
If you run your business anything like me, blogging is potentially one of your most successful strategies. But it’s hands-down the most time-consuming, mind-consuming process.
Not only do you have to think of topics to write about, you then have to actually write these posts, edit them, format them, and share them all over social media, only to have them get a buzz for a while, then disappear into the deep dark Blog archives never to be read again.
Related Post > Why you Should be Blogging for your Business
Since blogging takes so much time and effort, we need to make sure we’re getting all we can from one blog post. These are just a few small tweaks and strategies that are quick to implement and ensure your blog post lives longer, reaches more readers, and makes more of an overall impact to your business growth.
ADD RELATED POSTS
You probably hear this one all of the time, but I’m saying it again, because it’s REALLY important! Add a Related Posts section to the bottom of your Blog Posts. You want the reader to get to the end of the post and have an option to keep reading through your awesome content.
If there’s nothing there to show that you have more to offer, they will just go back to what they were doing before and close out of your website. We want them to get stuck in an endless blog reading frenzy, and the only way to make that happen is to add Related Posts!
For an example, scroll to the bottom of this page and see how I have a related posts section. You’ll also see that I’ve added Related Post links throughout the Blog Post when I think an article might be useful to the reader:
Related Post > How to add Related Posts to your Blog in Squarespace
OPT INS
Your ideal outcome of people reading your Blog Posts is to get more clients, right? But the second best outcome is to convert those readers to email subscribers. Getting them onto your list means that you can show up in their inbox anytime.
Email Marketing is much more personal than just hoping that they land on your website, or posting on social media where they may not see it. You’re arriving straight in their email inbox, which they probably check everyday.
So add at least one opt-in to your Blog post, make sure it’s somewhere that they won’t miss it (see below!). Tell them to subscribe for these blog posts directly to their inbox, or your weekly newsletter, or whatever else you’re offering.
If they’ve made it all the way to your Blog Post, don’t miss the chance to get them on your email list!
Related Post > How to Connect ConvertKit to Squarespace
CONTENT UPGRADES
On this same subject, go one step further by offering them something for free (like a worksheet, a design freebie, a webinar etc) in exchange for their email address.
Like I said before, it’s SO important to convert your readers onto your list, so instead of offering them your general newsletter, offer them something they can’t resist giving up their email address for.
People are reluctant to give up their email addresses (we all know how many emails flood into our inboxes everyday… too many!) so make your offer something irresistible and exclusive to subscribers only.
For example, my subscribers get access to an exclusive library full of free design resources, and on every Blog Post I have a section for them to sign up (see above).
For every Blog Post you have, consider what you could give away for free with it. If your Blog Post is about SEO, you could add a free downloadable SEO checklist, or if your Blog Post is "Finding the Best Instagram Hashtags for Small Business", you could have your readers subscribe for the current best Hashtags straight to their inbox.
It takes a bit more time and effort to add a free downloads to your Blog Posts, but the reward of turning your readers into subscribers is definitely worth it.
Tip: ConvertKit, my favorite email marketing platform, makes it so easy to automatically send content upgrades to your email subscribers and grow your list. (This is an affiliate link, meaning I get a small commission if you sign up using my link, so thank you! I only promote products I use and love.)
VIDEO OR AUDIO
So you’ve spent your time writing this awesome Blog Post, you’ve curated all of the information and you’ve put in all the hard yards. But if you want to take it even further, why not create an audio or a video version?
I know, you’re probably thinking “woah now, slow down, that’s a lot of extra work!”. But honestly, it’s really not. The Blog Post (hard work) is done, now all you need to do is rework is slightly.
Readers love to have the different option between listening or viewing, vs reading. I prefer to listen or watch, over read, so I’m always happy when I come across a Blog Post that not only has text, but audio or video too.
With a standard Blog Post (like this one) an audio recording is a good idea. With a Blog Post like a Design Tutorial or something visual, a video is super helpful.
Not only does it give your readers more options, but you also have your work spread further through the internet. Weather you host your audio on SoundCloud, or your videos on YouTube, you’re widening your reach and it’s just more promotion for your Blog Post and website!
You don’t have to download any fancy software, your computer likely has all of this built in, so give it a go!
If you're a regular blogger and have a strong message, consider taking it another step further and create a podcast from you Blog Posts (though, disclaimer, this is A LOT more work!)
PIN, PIN, PIN!
Here I go again about Pinterest… but seriously, Pinterest is amazing for promoting your Blog Posts. Unlike other Social Media where your post quickly sinks to the bottom of the feed, Pins technically live FOREVER.
Post all of your Blog Posts to Pinterest and make sure you optimize them and then schedule them to just keep Pinning (check out the related article below).
I Pin my Blog Posts to multiple boards and group boards, then I schedule them to Repin again, and again... and I’m basically forever, continuously Repinning them. Then, of course, others Repin them and they continue to gain traction.
I get about 30% of my Blog Traffic from Pinterest, so this is a strategy that I don’t plan to stop anytime soon, and I suggest you get onto it ASAP.
Obviously I recommend sharing your Blog Posts to other Social Media platforms too, but Pinterest is in a league of its own and requires a completely different strategy.
If you’re Pinning your Blog Posts and not seeing any traction, or if you don't know where to start, check out the post below for a full guide and strategy:
Related Post > How to Grow Your Business With Pinterest - My Complete Strategy
IMPLEMENT SEO
Writing a Blog is awesome for your website's SEO, but we can take that one step further by making sure your Blog Post SEO is up to scratch. This will ensure that you're making the most out of your Blog Post and it has a better chance of getting read (and hopefully appearing on Google).
Using Keywords throughout your posts and naming and optimizing your images are just a few things you can do to optimize your Blog Posts for SEO. If you get familiar with all of the best practices, you will find yourself automatically implementing these every time you write and format a post.
This can make a huge difference to how many people see your posts, so, if you’re new to SEO, read the related post below and at least get familiar with the few steps you should be taking.
Related Post > How to Optimize Blog Posts for SEO
If you’re already doing all of these things, kudos to you! I bet your Blog is killin’ it. If you’re not doing all of these things, at least pick a few. I understand that it may not be realistic to apply every single one of these ideas to each Blog Post that you have, but try experimenting with the ones you can do, and see what kind of difference it makes!
What’s your favorite way to get more from your Blog Posts? Which of these strategies work for you? Let me know in the comments!
