You might be wondering what value you can get out of guest blogging. Is it really worth your time and effort? When done correctly, guest blogging is an incredibly powerful tool in your overall content marketing strategy. Here’s why.
Six Reasons to Start Guest Blogging Now
Earn Brand Recognition
As more readers within your niche start noticing your name and brand on their favorite blogs, they will begin associating you with the value they receive from those blogs and start giving you the kind of respect they give those websites as well.
For you to be recognized as a thought leader in your industry, you have to publish more in-depth, well-researched posts on authoritative blogs. Over time, you can become an expert in the eyes of your target readers.
Later on, when it is time to buy a product you offer and they come across your website as they do their search, it is easier for them to make a decision as they already have a good memory of you. Influencing your audience’s decision making through your own blog can be difficult at times, which is why guest blogging can be a helpful tool.
Target Unfamiliar Territories
When you create posts for different sites, you are forced to write under conditions you are not used to. Every blog has its own editorial styles and guidelines about guest blogging. While your audiences should be similar, in many situations, you need to learn the specifics of the site’s audience and the type of content their readers like before you create the post. Not only does this strengthen your research and writing skills, it also trains you to cover topics outside of your comfort zone. You also see and learn the inner workings of the different websites you target.
Moreover, since guest blogging exposes you to a new audience who may not know you, you are likely to receive candid feedback about your content. Instead of reacting negatively, take this as an opportunity to improve your work and make it easy for others to move along with you.
Build Relationships
If you are running a guest posting campaign, you will want to submit articles for your target sites at least once a month. This enables you to establish a steady relationship with the site owners, content creators and readers at the other end of the deal. Other than contributing regularly, plan to interact with the site’s audience through the comments. Don’t forget to follow up with the blog owner or editor to check how your guest post did.
By maintaining this kind of relationship, you are telling people that you can be trusted and you care about the community. This gives them the confidence to give you more guest posting opportunities in the future and even offer you partnerships in other areas. Also, once trust is built, blog owners won’t hesitate to share your content across their social media channels. If you are looking to build your social media presence, guest blogging can help you do just that.
Open Up Career Opportunities
Did you know that your author bio could be the road to your writing success? It is the quickest way to create an impressive online resume. And yet, writers usually neglect this part thinking that no one would take the time to check it out. However, your author bio is the perfect place to pitch yourself. It sums up your skills and it has links to your online profiles.
For someone who is in on the hunt for a reliable contractor in a given field, an excellent way to start the search is through top blogs with expert content. With a well-crafted bio, you would be surprised at how many doors of opportunities it could open for you. Besides meeting potential employers, guest blogging is a perfect place to meet new online friends and contacts.
Bring in New Readers
Guest blogging is a great way to reach people you would not normally reach. Once your articles get published on high-authority sites, you have better chances of tapping into their audiences and bringing them onto your site. You expose your brand to new people who are part of a relevant audience who might be interested in what you have to offer.
Aside from increasing your site visits, you also build your subscriber base. If these people decide to convert and purchase your product, then you could say that your guest blogging campaign is indeed worthwhile.
Generate Traffic to Your Website
Last but not least, one of the top reasons why a lot of bloggers and content marketers invest their time in guest blogging is because it generates quality traffic. Each time you guest post you get a link back to your website. You see, Google runs on links. When people follow the links in your guest post, these links turn into votes of value from the linking site to your site. In large enough quantity, this can make a difference in your Google search ranking.
Furthermore, writing content for other sites helps you out with your overall SEO. When done effectively, guest blogging can provide the boost you want to grow. Like all white hat strategies though, guest blogging will not get you to the top of the search engines overnight.
If this post has convinced you that guest blogging works and you want to give it a try, let us know. We would love to help you through the process!
