How to Take Your Blog to the Next Level

Maybe you were told the lie that if you just set up a blog people would flock to it.  But owning a blog is not even half the battle.  It is just the beginning.  If you own a blog and you are getting traffic but it is still not enough, it is time to take things to the next level.  You don’t have to be satisfied with dismal traffic numbers on your blog.  Here are some ways you can give your site the boost it needs to go beyond mediocre.

1. Start networking with other bloggers.  So you think you can do everything yourself, hah?  Well if you don’t try to network and build relationships with other bloggers in your niche you are missing out on a huge opportunity.  And I don’t just mean that you should spam a bunch of bloggers with your email begging for a link.  Just write them like you would a friend and ask if you can submit an article to their site.  If it is well written and it fits their niche, I’m sure they will accept it.  And then you have “an in” to be able to contact that site owner in the future to ask about other networking opportunities.  I have seen boat loads of traffic simply by networking with other bloggers, and it’s the single best advice I could ever give on taking your blog to the next level.
2. Focus on interacting with your social media fans.  Whether it’s Twitter followers or Facebook fans, you should be making it a point to interact with them.  If you just use your Twitter account to let people know about a new post on your blog they will hardly pay attention to it.  Social media is much more powerful when it is much more personal.  When you take the time to ask them a question, when you answer their questions, and when you take the time to comment on a photo, you are making your entire blog more personal to them.  And the more your readers feel like they know you, the more they will trust you and come back to your site more often.
3. Try something new and completely different.  Most bloggers are just trying to copy someone.  But this only helps the person you are copying.  Why not try a technique that no one has even though of it.  This can involve using video on your blog in a different way, creating unique infographics that your readers will love, or it can be as simple as having a contest now and then.  Anything to break the monotony of blogging will help give you that much needed boost.  Dukeo.com did something creative by having silly caricatures drawn of some of the top bloggers in the world and it generated a huge buzz in the internet marketing community.  That idea has been taken, but find another one and run with it.
4. Tap into new traffic sources.  So your traffic levels aren’t changing much?  Well where are you getting that traffic from?  The internet is huge and only getting more users on a daily basis.  Find out where they are and build roads to your site.  You can get these traffic sources through other blogs, traffic exchanges, email lists, PPV and PPC marketing efforts, article marketing, and many other places.  This game is always changing and there is always a new source of traffic out there.  But don’t forget the old ones either.

Phillip is a writer for a how to tips website at www.EZhowtotips.com where you can find all kinds of answers to how to questions.

Tags: blog Blogging extend reach next step