How to Promote a Small Business Blog

After our previous blog post about the value of small business blogging, many readers were left wondering about the best ways to distribute their blog content so it gets read, viewed, and listened to.

This guide reveals effective ways to promote blog posts to the people your business is targeting.

1. Prioritize Performance on Search Engines

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a complex topic. (We have a complete guide about it.) However, here are a few things you can do to ensure your blog posts get found online, which will drive more traffic to them.

• Write your blog posts with specific search queries in mind

• Reference the search query in the URL and title tag of your blog post

• Write a compelling meta description to draw searchers in

• Include relevant keywords in your posts and subheads

2. Make Your Blog Visible

Most websites have a top-level menu that allows visitors to quickly navigate to crucial sections. Always include a link to your blog in this menu. It makes it easy for visitors to find and access your blog content, and it’s good for search. Search engines like Google use menu links to discover website content.

3. Link Blogs to Other Website Content

Add links to relevant blog posts in your website content. Find places on your site where posts could provide additional information about a topic. You can also use links to help site visitors discover related content. Including relevant links to your blog posts improves your website visitor’s experience and helps search engines discover your blog content, making it more likely to rank.

4. Optimize Blog Content for Social Media

Several social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, use open graph to determine how content appears on the platforms. X (formerly Twitter) uses some open graph elements, along with its own card tags, to determine how your content appears when shared.

The easiest way to incorporate these tags is by using a plugin. Many plugins are free and compatible with Google Chrome and other popular browsers.

5. Share Blog Posts on Social Media

Distributing blog posts on social media is a great way to attract readers. If appropriate, use your personal profiles along with those of your company. Experiment with different timings and posting frequencies to optimize engagement with your blog content.

6. Stay Active on Social media

Social media platforms are designed for interaction, not just broadcasting. Seek out new connections by sharing links to blog posts, getting involved with conversations, and asking questions to encourage discussion. Positive interactions on social media will earn you broader post distribution on most platforms.

7. Get Active on Forums and Q&A Sites

Depending on your industry, there could be forums or question-and-answer sites where the people you’re targeting are active. If that’s the case, leverage them to broadcast to — and interact with — members.

Ask and answer questions and participate in conversations. You may be able to share your blog posts if they’re relevant, informative, and not too salesy, but the primary focus of your activity should be interaction. Making connections on these sites can attract traffic to your blog if you’re viewed as a valued community member.

8. Add Links to Your Blog to Your Social Profiles

Most social media platforms allow you to include a link to a website in the profile section. If you link to your blog, anyone visiting your profile can easily click through.

9. Make It Easy to Share Blog Posts

Make it simple for people to share your blog posts by adding social share buttons when you publish them. Plugins are available that make this easy to do.

10. Take Advantage of Paid Social Media Promotion

If you have budget dollars available, consider promoting your blog content on social media. Costs vary depending on the platform, but even relatively small budgets can pay for exposure to wider audiences.

11. Distribute Blog Posts via Email

Make it a point to notify people on your email list when you publish new posts or include links to your posts in an email newsletter. Regularly sending emails can help develop consistent, engaged blog traffic.

Beyond notifying leads and clients via email, consider sending internal email blasts to your people when a new blog goes live. Keeping your people in the loop of your latest content can boost morale, educate employees, and provide fresh sales collateral to your team.

12. Interview Influencers

Every industry has its experts, thought leaders, and influencers. One way to access their audience is by interviewing them and featuring them in your articles. Of course, these people are busy, so you must make it attractive for them to participate in an interview. Perhaps you can offer access to the people in your network or complimentary products and services. You might also do a cross-collaboration deal where you and the thought leader in question promote each other’s content.

Promoting Your Blog Content: The Final Word

Except for paid social media promotion, all the ideas in this piece are essentially free ways to distribute your blog content, increasing awareness of your brand and opportunities for sales. Investing time and effort in promoting your blog content could have a big impact on the bottom line of your business.