Guest blogging is one of the easiest ways to improve your business but so many are afraid to get started. Others are unsure how it can help them. For me, it was good old fashion fear of putting myself out there and the minute I got over that hump, I found that writing blog posts for others improved my business substantially. I wanted to share with you the reasons you might consider guest blogging as a part of your business strategy!
The first time I heard of guest blogging was after reading an article about improving SEO. (For those that are new to this term, SEO is search engine optimization. These are techniques you can use to make your website get more organic searchers from search engines like Google.) The article suggested approaching a favorite blog and asking them if they would be interested in featuring a blog article on an area you are an expert in. After identifying a great candidate, I sent an email to the owner and turned off the part of my brain that was sure she would say no because a) her blog was huge, b) she had covered everything already and c) she didn’t know me!
Here was the gist of my email: I really enjoy reading your blog, I have a great idea that I think your readers would like, here are a few details, what do you think? After a few emails back and forth where we discussed the approach I would take, my article was published on her site! You can read it here!
I’m a family and child photographer in Raleigh and I wrote about how in person sales has helped my business grow. I listed the pros and cons choosing this method and also explained how to use software many photographers already own to help their clients decide which images to purchase. The photographers in her community found the article very useful and I received a few notes as a result via email and on my Facebook page.
Soon after the article was published, I noticed increased traffic to my site and had replied to various comments on my article from others who had specific follow up questions. It dawned on me that guest blogging was a great fit for me. Here are the six reasons why you should consider it:
- SEO – Most guest bloggers write a short sentence or two about themselves and link back to their business. Google values these “track back links” highly. They assume if other websites link to your content, that other users will find it desirable too. The more links like this that you can create, the higher rated your website becomes. When a potential client is searching for a business like yours, Google will gradually push yours to the top of their search results…for free! (Note: This does take time though.)
- Exposure – By writing to the readership of another blogger, you are reaching a slightly different audience. Many of these readers may be interested in learning more about your business. Anytime you can accomplish this without spending valuable advertising money, it’s a huge win for you. You will also probably increase your own blog traffic which might create a larger number of regular readers for own blog!
- Network – I have developed closer relationships with those I have blogged for and I feel like I can approach them personally. Being a business owner can be a lonely endeavor some days, especially when you work from home. Plus, they now know what I offer and might contact me when one of my potential clients comes their way. Larger networks means more opportunities in the long run.
- Become an Authority – I might not be the best authority on every aspect of running a business, but I can share my personal experiences about a success and help others. You are an expert in more than you think you are. For example, as a photographer, I am not only skilled in photography but also photo editing, sales, working with small children, etc. If you sell items on Etsy, you might be a skilled seamstress but you might also be great at packaging items beautifully or finding ways not waste the fabric scraps you create! Figure out what you are great at and share it so you can help others!
- Improve Blog Writing Skills – The more you practice anything, the better you get at it. Blogging is very different than writing a book. By writing for others, you learn different techniques that help blog posts succeed.
- It Costs You Nothing – Blogging is free and only requires about an hour of your time. Can you think of any better way to accomplish the above for free?
So go ahead and give guest blogging a shot! You can do it!
If you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out to me!
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