I really think that every e-commerce site should contain a blog. Following my collaborations with hundreds of e-commerce sites of different types and sizes, I realized that blogging was the most effective way to create free traffic.
Indeed, quality blog content can generate traffic from search engines, social sharing, and recommendations from other websites. But don’t take my word for it. A study by “Hubspot” revealed comparable advantages:
As expected, we discovered that the more blogging companies publish per month, the more traffic increases on their websites. Companies publishing more than 16 blog articles monthly received 3.5 times more traffic than those publishing between 0 and 4 monthly blog articles.
In addition, blogs help you build your brand, establish your expertise, answer questions; and strengthen customer loyalty. Blogging allows you not only to increase your traffic for free but also to improve your e-commerce conversion rate.
Obviously, blogging is not just about writing an article and waiting for sales to start to build up.
You have to know how to get your blog known for free.
Fortunately, it is much easier to promote a blog than a product; and you will probably make sales at the same time since your blog serves to indirectly promote your brand.
It all starts with quality
Creating high-quality content is the first and most important step in creating traffic. It is not just about publishing a blog article. You have to create quality content to be able to stand out, that is to say:
- Cover a completely new subject.
- Treat a given subject better than anyone.
- Treat an existing subject in a new way.
If you cannot implement one of these strategies for your blog, it will be difficult for you to promote it.
The first strategy is the most difficult to apply. In most cases, you will realize that the subject you wish to write on has already been dealt with. But if you are in a new niche, or have the opportunity to be the first to write on a given subject, then go for it!
The second strategy will allow you to create captivating content. By treating a subject in a completely different way or by simplifying it, you will add value to readers.
The third strategy is to deal with a subject in a new way. This could mean writing from a different perspective, using more visuals, sharing new ideas, or highlighting conclusions in a unique way.
Before you start, do some research first to study your competition using certain tools such as Semrush or Buzzsumo. Also, search for keywords on Google and view the results ranked the first page for a clear idea of the type of content that is of most interest.
Promoting a blog begins with content ideas. Before you start writing, think about how you are going to optimize your content.
15 tactics to publicize your blog or online sales site
Once your content is created, it’s time to promote it. These tactics are simple and effective; you can apply one or more depending on your needs.
1. Sharing on social networks
Whenever you publish a new blog article, be sure to share it on social media. If you don’t already have a community on social media, it’s time to build one. When it comes to sharing your content, do not limit yourself to a single sharing; continue to share your articles at intervals of a few weeks or months.
2. Start a contact campaign
If you don’t already have a social media community or an email list, try to take advantage of someone else’s audience. You could partner with other bloggers, owners of e-commerce sites, and influencers willing to share your content on social media or with subscribers on their e-mail list. Just ask.
Make a list of potential partners who may be interested in your content or whose hearings may benefit from it, and contact them. What would be the worst thing that could happen? They could refuse? It does not matter. But, they could also say yes.
3. Use links as bait
Sometimes you could start making direct contact by presenting other bloggers and owners of e-commerce sites in your articles. This is to use this type of content as bait to flatter the egos of the people mentioned; you increase the likelihood that these people will share your content or the URL of your article on their website.
You can do this by writing a paragraph about them, by publishing a link that points to their website, or even by asking them to participate in the creation of content. The best part of all of this is that by including already established experts, your content will add more value to your readers. If the person you are writing about does not know that you are going to mention it in your article, send him an email or a message on social media to let him know.
4. Publish guest articles on other blogs
Invited articles are another way to take advantage of the audience of other people already established online. Guest blogging is an effective way to traffic on your blog and make your website popular. The key is to make sure you target the right audience. Write a relevant article that will interest your target audience, and be sure to include one or two links to your website.
5. Comment on other blogs
You can also use blog comments to build relationships with other bloggers and reach their audience. When you leave interesting and useful comments, not only will the author notice them, but readers may also notice them; and they may be looking for your name to visit your website. If you think it is appropriate, you could even leave a link to your site in the commentary directly.
6. Participate in forums
The forums can also be used to increase traffic on your e-commerce site for free. There are several forums where Internet users come together to talk about specific topics. As with the tactics of blog comments, you can make your website known and establish yourself as an expert by participating in conversations on forums and adding value. The other members could follow your profile link; and you could even directly insert a link pointing to one of your blog articles in your comment if forum rules allow.
7. Use a “social locker” to hide your content
You can encourage readers to share your content while they read it using a “social locker”. To access hidden content, readers will need to share the article on social media. This tactic will only work if people are really interested in the content you are hiding. Relevant downloads or other resources may also work well in this case.
8. Organize a competition
You can make your website known by organizing a competition correctly using tools like Gleam or Rafflecopter. Internet users can participate in different ways; leaving comments, through social sharing, or subscribing to your email list. All of these actions will allow you to generate traffic immediately, or allow you to build a community to be able to create traffic afterward.
The key to a successful competition is to choose a prize that will interest people but will only attract your target audience. For example, do not offer money; instead, offer your product or something related to your niche.
9. Be active on Facebook groups
Facebook groups can also be used to promote your blog and content. You are probably already part of certain Facebook groups in your niche; otherwise, do a quick search and join some groups. You will not only be able to read other members’ publications to generate ideas for content creation, but also to share your finalized work with members of a passionate community. In all cases, be sure to publish a quality blog article, while taking into account the group’s rules.
10. Submit your content to content healing websites
There are several websites and online magazines dedicated to the curating of content linked to a specific subject. Most of them use a positive and negative voting system to assess the popularity of content. If such sites exist in your niche, send them your content. Some French websites (comparable to the English Digg site) carry out content curation linked to several subjects; while others like Abracada Craft (in French) or Web Designer News (in English) focus only on a specific niche.
11. Respond to journalists’ requests on Response Source
Being mentioned by the media can allow you to advertise your site. Use a tool like Response Source to obtain requests directly from journalists by e-mail. If you think you can help a reporter, send him a well-thought-out answer. If the latter uses your response to write his article, it will usually include a link to your blog for readers who want to know more.
12. Syndicate your blog
While you need to write completely new content for guest blogging, you can publish your existing content on other websites. This is content syndication. You can search for websites dealing with your niche in particular to organize your blog, but there are also more general websites like LinkedIn or Medium. Make sure to include several links to your blog and encourage readers to click on it to find more quality content.
13. Build an email list
Hopefully you may have already started building a mailing list on your website. If you are just promoting your products in your e-mailing shipments, your contacts will probably be dislocated. Instead, continue to add value between sending sales messages by also sending useful and interesting blog items. This will allow you not only to bring potential customers back to your website, but also to increase the likelihood that your visitors will share your content on social media; allowing you to extend your reach.
14. Use Reddit
There is a huge community on Reddit who loves spending time on the Internet. Find sub-addicts related to your niche or about your blog article, and start participating. When you wish to promote a new blog article, you will have to share it in a relevant sub-Reddit. Here, it is not a question of inserting a simple link; the key to success is to make sure you start a useful or interesting discussion.
15. Answer questions about Quora
Quora is a platform where people ask and answer questions. Discussion threads exist on almost all subjects, and you can insert links in your answers. When answering a question, you could for example insert a pointing link to an article in your blog that deals with the subject in more depth. Several of these discussion threads will be consulted for months or years to come.
Writing quality blog articles takes time. After making your efforts, make sure you do what is necessary to read your content. Aside from the tactics presented in this article, there are several other ways to publicize your site.
And you know other ways to promote a blog? Share them with us in the comments below!
