28 WAYS TO GET YOUR BLOG NOTICED AS A NEW BUSINESS! (BIZ + BLOG RESOURCE LIBRARY)

If blogging is a part of your business you know that there is more (a lot more) to building a successful blog than just publishing a post here and there. I mean really, you can write blog posts all day long and never get found online if you don’t know what you’re doing. Getting noticed, being recognized as an influencer and earning a living from this blogging thing– it’s the dream of all new bloggers. Your blog is how you attract new fans, build your online community and sell your amazing products. It’s also the place where you package your passion, showcase your personality, and shine as a personal brand.

Now if you know anything about me (which you may not if you’re new here…check out my about me page!) you’ll notice I’m a go-getter. I don’t sit around and wait for stuff to come to me. If I want something, I go after it! It’s this goal digging mentality that allowed me to realize my dream of becoming an Olympic Gold Medalist and it’s the same mentality that’s allowed me to become a successful entrepreneur and blogger. You hear me say this all the time, “A build it and they will come” way of thinking will leave you busy and broke.

Does blogging take time? YES

Does driving traffic to your blog require some persistence? YEP

Does building a community require every ounce of patience you’ve got? ABSOLUTELY!

But just because building a successful blog is a process, it also doesn’t mean you have to sit back and wait for things to come together. To grow quickly as a blogger you must get after it, find ways to show up everywhere and be willing to go above and beyond to make sure people know your name!

Ready to get that blog of yours noticed? Here’s a list of 28 actionable moves you can make today to start getting seen and heard:

1. PICK THE BEST PLATFORMS FOR YOUR BIZ

When it comes to getting found online, you want to be seen EV..ER..Y..WHERE, but you also don’t want to spend all of your time on social media because it is a total time suck. So what to do, what to do? Pick the best platforms for you and your business and research how to get noticed. You want to keep in mind that Instagram’s community is different from Facebook’s, and Pinterest’s community is different from YouTube. So the strategies you need to work to get noticed may be different and may take more or less effort depending on the systems, money and time you have at your disposal. My suggestion is that you pick one or two platforms where your perfect fit fans are hanging out and master them.

Be a BOSS on Pinterest. Be a BOSS on Instagram. Be a BOSS on Twitter…rather than being mediocre on 7 different social media platforms because you’re trying to juggle all of them at the same time.

2. AUTOMATE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA WITH SMARTERQUEUE

So speaking of juggling social media! One of the great things about building a business online is that you can automate much of your engagement. Use tools like Buffer or my personal fave, SmarterQueue to pre-schedule your content so you are getting seen and heard without having to put in much effort and time. You create content once, then use systems to get more eyeballs on your business and brand.

3. USE PIN-FRIENDLY IMAGES IN YOUR BLOG POSTS

One of the simplest and easiest ways to get your blog noticed is to strategically design your pins (which should be included in every single blog post you create) to maximize the amount of people clicking through to your site. If you want to grow your email list, if you want to get more eyeballs on your content and courses, then there are a few things that you need to add to your pins themselves.

Let’s check out some examples of pins I’ve created for my posts. You can tell right off the bat these images are different. They are larger, longer, the text is bigger and designed specifically to be pinned on to Pinterest. Pinterest is a blogger’s paradise and a great way to boost your visibility quickly.

4. SCHEDULE AND LOOP YOUR PINS USING TAILWIND

Now one of the best things about growing your traffic on Pinterest is that you can literally set it and leave it using tools like Tailwind. So what’s Tailwind? Tailwind is a scheduling system that allows you to loop or automatically re-pin (basically revive and recycle) your old pins so that your account is always active and content is constantly running through your boards. OMG, it’s a genius way to grow your visibility and my traffic has exploded as a result.

5. CROSS PROMOTE USING ” IF THIS THAN THAT” RECIPES

Another amazing way to get your blog noticed is to cross promote your using the tool IFTTT.com. Another one of my all time faves, IFTTT allows you to use what’s called “recipes” to trigger specific automated actions. I use a few different IFTTT recipes so that when I post to Instagram, that same post is automatically shared to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. One post, 4 times the exposure! Boom!

6. SOCIALIZE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Now as cool as it is to automate much of your social media, you still want to be social! Yes, even for us introverts, engagement is still the key to consistent exposure. When you are on social media, truly socialize. Share other people’s content, like their stuff, tag them, thank them for being awesome, introduce yourself! Be that person everyone gravitates to because you always seem to be in the mix! The only way to get noticed is to get conversations poppin’, immerse yourself in insightful conversations and engage with influencers and other community members in a valuable and useful way!

The key is to find the best biz + blog Facebook groups online then make your presence known there. Speak up! Share good stuff! Contribute! Network! Offer to collaborate. Make them and their community like you. Find the up-and-coming, less crowded (and even less popular communities and FB groups) and work the virtual room. If someone likes your content, like them back. If someone comments on a post, take 60 seconds to comment back. If someone follows you and you like their vibe, follow them back. It’s all about community over competition. When you help each other grow and get seen, before long you’re all winning.

7. SHARE OTHER PEOPLE’S POSTS MORE THAN YOU SHARE YOUR OWN

You down with OPP? Yeah, you know me! Use the 80-20 rule (70-30 if you’re stingy!). Your social media content should consist of about 80% of other people’s content and ONLY 20% of your own. Say what? May sound counterintuitive since the whole point is to get your stuff seen and heard, but you become a major player in your niche when your page becomes a ‘go-to source’ people can trust. You will be sharing a lot from other sites, from other influencers and this will grow your following and authority so that when you share your own content, it creates serious momentum.

Look ya’ll, unless you are creating content every day or multiple times a day, you need to be sharing other people’s content to keep your profiles active and growing. In order to grow your following, you need to consistently share amazing content. You want to share any and everything that will help your perfect fit fan…even if it’s not your own!

When sharing other people’s work don’t forget to “@” them with their username. If you share their posts in an interesting way, they might retweet or share you, which will get you in front of their audience, too. Not only does your page gets noticed, but the original influencer is happy (and notices you) and getting noticed means more traffic to your page, and then to your blog. #winning!

8. USE STRONG CALLS TO ACTION

No matter where your content shows up online, you always want to add a call to action that encourages your new subscriber to take the next step with you. Remember, you always want to be moving people toward a buying decision. Whether that’s a call to action link in your Instagram bio or a Facebook tab that leads to a freebie or a low ticket product, your ultimate primary goal is to move people toward a sale. Use calls to action that lead to an opt-in box or landing page that solves a specific problem or satisfies a need for your ideal audience. Make people feel like they’ve found something amazing and then they’ll be lining up to download it!
Make it easy for your readers to share your content on their chosen platform. Your social media share buttons should be bold and visible. Include a CTA for your readers to share, like or follow you. Make sure you are using Pinterest-friendly images within your blog posts that make it easy for folks to re-pin your content. Also, if you are using a Tweetable, make sure it’s at 120 characters or less so you leave room for people to add their own comments and tags. Small things make a big difference!

10. USE CONTENT UPGRADES

By far, content upgrades, are the best way to drive traffic to your biz, get more folks on your list and make a great impression online. What is a content upgrade exactly? It is a download that you offer people in exchange for their e-mail address. It’s like a freebie or a lead magnet but it is offered within your blog post. A content upgrade is something that you create like a PDF, a checklist, or even a free e-course but it is attached to a piece of content. Add a call to action box like the one you see below, that once sign one opts-in, immediately delivers an actionable piece of content that helps your readers achieve a specific result.

11. CREATE A RESOURCE LIBRARY

Let’s talk about what I believe is the most powerful way to get noticed online…A resource library. A resource library is basically just a private page on your blog that holds a collection of your best content upgrades and lead magnets amongst other tools and resources that are beneficial for your subscribers. Your library can be filled with digital downloads, tech tutorials, motivational videos or audios, podcast interviews whatever you want as long as it’s high value.

Because your resource library is a really high-value opt-in, something super unique that people can’t find anywhere else, people are more inclined to want to sign up and get that. And if your resource library is the bomb.com, people are going to share it with their own friends and followers. You can check out my resource library here for ideas on how to set yours up and what to offer.

12. GUEST BLOG BABY!!

Now, another strategy for growing your traffic and getting your blog noticed is to guest post on popular or growing blogs. Guest posting can be an excellent way to grow your traffic because it allows you to get your work in front of new audiences. You want to make sure that you always drive traffic back to your site with a call to action if you are doing a guest post.

13. REPURPOSE YOUR BLOG CONTENT

Content, as much as we know we need it, can be a beast to create on a consistent basis. So, instead of racking your brain week after week after week trying to come up with fresh content, repurpose your blog posts into other pieces of content. I share 11 ways you can repurpose your blog content in this blog post here so you can get your biz and blog noticed with less work.

 14. SEO (OPTIMIZE) YOUR IMAGES

Now another thing you will want to do to boost your visibility is to rename your blog images. You always want to upload your images with SEO in mind, so when you’re ready to upload your images to your blog posts, make sure you use your long tail keyword in the image filename. For example, if we want to rank for the keyword “repurpose your blog content” you’d want to name your image repurpose_your_ blog_content.jpg.

Because when people use the Google image search, they could find this image and then click over to your post. If you don’t do that, you’re losing a prime opportunity to get found. You’ll also want to add some additional info on your images. So add your keyword to the title and alt text of your images on your blog.

15. SEEK COLLABORATIONS

You can’t win alone. One of the biggest mistakes that new bloggers make is that they assume they can write great content and that this alone will eventually be enough to grow their brand. Quite simply, it is just not enough on its own. You need to involve other people in your work if you want to grow and excel.

Begin building your collab community by writing down a list of 10-15 people, usually in your niche, that you want to connect with more closely. Start contacting them on social media, building that friendly relationship, and leaving comments on their blog posts in order to build that camaraderie. Do this enough and people will start to recognize you and potentially work with you in some way!

16. SHARE YOUR SUCCESS

There may be some big players in your industry or in your niche who create awesome online courses, and write informational or how-to posts that have helped you in some way. If you read any blogs out there or take courses in your niche and you learn something that has helped you, then what you want to do is share how the strategy worked for you. Record numbers, track sales, take pictures with happy customers, and note anything that shows that what you tried, worked!

When you have seen some tangible success using other influencer’s strategies, send them an email to let them know exactly what kind of growth you have achieved. If there is a way for you to incorporate some sort of numbers or stats in this email like, “my sales grew by 100K this year using your strategies” or “I was able to secure 10 listings this month using your tips” that would be awesome.

This can often lead to a number of opportunities like guest posts, podcast interviews, being invited to speak at a conference, etc. If people see that their strategies are working for their readers and followers out there, then they want other people to know. They are going to potentially give you more opportunities to share this work with other people.

17. LEVERAGE FACEBOOK GROUPS

Facebook groups are one of the few online communities where you can engage with other people in your niche and feel like you are being seen and heard. I’ve been able to seek advice, ask questions and get solid feedback when I’m stuck, unmotivated and in need of some major inspiration. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and connect with other hungry entrepreneurs that I probably wouldn’t have crossed paths with otherwise and I no longer feel like I have to figure things out on my own, and this is why FB groups are so powerful.

There are many other online communities that you can use to grow your traffic and your brand but you want to find the communities that give you the highest return on your time investment. So if you’re on Facebook, search keywords related to your niche and choose groups to see which groups may be a good fit. You can do similar searches on Twitter, Google + and Instagram searching hashtags.

Focus on communities where your audience hangs out. Do not pick a community just because it looks fun or because your homies are hanging out there. You want to focus on communities online where your audience is hanging out. The more active and helpful you are in other communities, the more that people will start to notice you.

18. CREATE AN INNER CIRCLE

I have what’s called my inner circle of champions, a small group of goal-diggers, who are all in business to win. We help each other, promote each other’s brands, speak at each other’s events and support and collaborate on projects together. It’s always good to have a crew you know you can count on. This crew can be a select group of peers or you can create an inner circle from people within your community…like your blog readers and facebook group members. These are your loyal ones. They have a genuine attachment to you and your blog. You can do small things that make them feel special like connect with them, give them exclusives, uplift them and find ways to give them and their brands a little more shine.

19. SPEND MONEY

To grow your business you must sow a seed. Invest in your education, buy courses, attend conferences, masterminds, and live events. This is where the magic happens! Sometimes just being in the presence of people who are smarter, more successful or more knowledgeable than you can help you break through to the next level. Plus, a live event is an awesome place to connect with influencers in real life, to get on their radar and potentially create opportunities for collaboration.

20. USE GOOGLE ANALYTICS, GOOGLE TRENDS + THE GOOGLE KEYWORD PLANNER TOOL

Google, Google, Google!! Yep, that’s right, Google is the biz-ness. Google has soooooo many free tools you can use to grow your business and blog. Google Analytics is a tool I use all the time to keep tabs on what content is performing the best.  If you don’t have an account go to GoogleAnalytics.com.  When you log on, go to Behavior, type in Site Content and then choose All Pages. This is going to show you your most popular blog posts over the last 30 days. This is where you can see what your audience is attracted to and which posts are gaining the most traction. When it comes to blogging success you want to do more of what’s working right. So this is a good way to track that.

Another amazing tool is Google trends, which you can access by going to Google.com/trends, to find long tail keywords related to your niche. So if you are a social media strategist or blog about ways to boost your traffic using social media you could use a keyword like Instagram tips and it will show you exactly how much interest there is around any given topic along with related keywords. When you use Google trends along with the Google Keyword Planner Tool you can find relevant keywords that your target audience is typing into the search bar to find more information on your topic. Armed with this knowledge you can use those keywords in your blog post titles, URL, in the body of your content as well as in your meta descriptions and tags to position your blog post higher in the search engines so you get found by more people.

21. SHOW YOU ARE AN EXPERT IN A SPECIFIC NICHE

Be focused man!! Narrow your blog’s focus and establish yourself as an expert in that one topic. You can’t truly build your authority or expertise without a clear focus because your followers won’t know what you’re an expert in! You want to connect with people that you are uniquely equipped to help. You can’t say that you’re an expert at any one thing if you’re offering too much to too many people. You will attract people who can clearly identify you as “the person” who can help them solve their problems. If your niche is gardening, but you are also talking about fishing and finance on your blog you are missing out on your target audience because you are not focused. When you try to cater to too many people, you cater to no one!

22. OPERATE FROM A PLACE OF CREDIBILITY + INTEGRITY

There’s a lot of B.S. online. In everything you do, do it with excellence. That means underpromising and overdelivering. People like to flash their income reports, floss their lavish lifestyle and boast about their million dollar launches (which is all awesome by the way because it shows you what’s possible) but in everything you do operate from a place of integrity and authenticity. Use stats and numbers to back up your results whenever you can. When you promise to help your audience get results, share all the steps, not just some. When selling products, stick to your word. If you say something will be around for a limited time or at a certain price, stick to your word. That’s authoritative and it makes you and your blog a reliable source people can trust!

23. ESTABLISH YOUR OWN VOICE + STYLE

Look, if you want to get noticed, and you have to be willing to break the mold. Many bloggers, especially new ones, get caught up in trying to be perfect or trying to duplicate what other successful bloggers are already doing.

Think about how many HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS (even millions) of online businesses are doing the exact same thing as you. What’s going to separate you from the crowd? Here are some ideas:

• Tell personal stories or anecdotes..
• Use colorful or unique language in your posts.
• Make jokes, get witty (if that’s your style).
• Entertain and educate at the same time.

What separates me from every other business out there, is how I create my products, the vision behind what I create, the voice in which I teach and share information, the stories behind who I am, why I do what I do and what’s led me to the place I am now along with the visual style behind how I present my business to the world. Find your voice, find your style and don’t be afraid to get loud.

24. POST CREATIVELY UNIQUE CONTENT

You should always be thinking of ways to stand out. Post binge-worthy content that is uniquely YOU. Mix up your media, add audio, incorporate original art, off-the-wall imagery, bold slideshows, hypnotic video or infographics to elevate your content. People want to consume content in fun ways, so don’t be afraid to mix it up and do something different. Something you created (or shared) can quickly go viral and give you an explosion of traffic overnight, if you do it right!

25. USE PAID ADS

If you have the budget, look into paid ads on social media. Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads and even Pinterest Promoted Pins are a great way to get more exposure. These are highly-targeted ads that put your blog post or product offering right int the middle of your audience’s feeds. When combined with your presence on pages and other online communities where your audience hangs out, these ads can be doubly effective. Your audience will click your ads, because they’ve seen you around and are familiar with the value you have to offer.

26. LEVERAGE AFFILIATES

If you don’t have a big list yet or don’t have a big marketing budget to do Facebook ads you can leverage other people’s email lists and social media networks to help you make more sales and grow your email list too. You have the potential to reach out to other influencers and create relationships with others in your niche that can put your brand and your business in front of their audience.

As soon as you know you want use affiliates, reach out to them asap. Start with a personalized introduction, show them that you are familiar with their brand, their blog or biz and their work, then introduce who you are and what you do. Affiliates are a great way to get your biz in front of a larger audience while you are still building your own.

28. CREATE YOUR OWN ONLINE COMMUNITY

Step up and create your own online community. If you want to be seen as an influencer, you have to do things other influencers do. Be a leader and create your own support group. I created my own online community of champion bloggers, brand builders and creative entrepreneurs building businesses, growing blogs, and doing BIG things. The private Facebook community is open to anyone who wants to win in their business and doesn’t shy away from lifting other people up. When you can create spaces for growth and show that you are genuinely there for your tribe, people tend to want to be a part of something positive like that!!

ANY OTHER COOL WAYS TO GET NOTICED AS A NEW BLOGGER? SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS!