Posted by dmichelle on 04/23/2009 - 15:13
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By Michelle Golden - Q. How might I bring the contents of my blog to a wider audience?
A. Blog discovery and readership is very organic and, like most marketing, there isn't a single, guaranteed formula, but I can share some general tips and ideas. The best things you can do to promote your blog are:
1 - Write original stuff that your desired audience will get and stay interested in:
- Write in bite-sized pieces for greatest appeal to a very busy reader
- Post with adequate frequency to be recognized as someone who is dedicated to maintaining his blog
- Share your opinions, don’t be too “safe” lest it be dull or predictable—remember, people are drawn to new, exciting ideas
- Be authentic and relaxed in your writing—it’s not a journal article, it’s a blog post—and show personality
2 - Read and interact with other blogs:
- Participate in the on-line communities of people who are discussing issues related to your topics and your audience
- Post comments (not pitchy, though!) on other blogs
- Pick up other blog posts (with attribution, of course) adding your own ideas and expanding the conversation—be sure to use trackbacks to the original posts
- Link liberally to other resources and writings (this is called "link love" - give lots)
- View your blog visitor stats to see what sites referred them and follow those sites
- Practice good blog etiquette by acknowledging and thanking commenters, and those who link to you
3 - Promote your blog presence throughout all your business communications: email sig, in your articles, newsletters, mailings, etc.
And be sure you are having fun. If you aren't enjoying the practice of blogging, stop. Nothing worse than a dispassionate blogger!
Happy blogging...
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New Blog Opinion; Tax Blogs in General?
Michelle,
I started a state and local tax blog this year http://leveragesalt.blogspot.com/ and would like your opinion on how it looks and what I can do to improve it. I have been to your site several times and find your blog very interesting.
In regards to state tax blogs in general, just this month I have read articles in the "State Income Tax Monitor" and "Sales & Use Tax Monitor" that certain tax professionals don't understand why tax professionals would blog. The articles talk about how tax professionals don't use blogs for research. I understand that point; however, I don't understand why tax professionals don't recognize that blogging not only can help you develop relationships with other tax professionals, but can also allow you to build relationships with clients that you would otherwise not interact with, and develop your reputation as an expert, or reliable and responsive resource.
I know you have written about the low number of accounting firms that have blogs. I would like to know if you have any further or recent insights as to why accounting firms are not blogging?
I am currently in discussions with a firm's National Tax Office about starting a state and local tax blog. Not sure if they will do it or not. In any case, I have received good feedback from some of the big 4 firms and other top national firms.
Thank you.
Brian Strahle, EA, MST, Minnesota
Great news and Ideas, Bill!
Thanks for the good news. And AccountingWEB UK picked it up too.
I totally agree with all the good points you made in your comments.
What surprises CPAs the most, I think, is how the mere demostration of your passion for a topic (through your blog) sets you apart from others. And showing personality in your writing (by using contractions, sayings, a little careful humor, etc) makes you more approachable--I've had people say they feel like they know me from my blog and most bloggers will report the same. I'd say the same for you, Bill! Feel like I know you already....
have a great weekend!
And another thing . . .
Measure your results!
There are good analytical tools (e.g. Google Analytics) to tell you where your readers went in your site, how long they spent there and which articles they read.
When I went back to review my most popular blog posts, I realized that even though I don't write humor, the four funny articles I wrote came in my top ten.
Bill
Corporate Blogging
Great post, Michelle! It got retweeted on the AccountingWEB twitter account.
When I talk to people about corporate blogging, the first thing I warn them about is how much time it takes. I advise them to get a small team together and to plan blog posts several months in advance. That helps to keep the content refreshing at a regular rate.
Good corporate blogging is a mixture of reporting and editorial, with absolutely NO marketing. Focus on content in the blog and let the web site convey the "message".
Finally, bloggers have to be people who want to write, whether or not they are paid to do it. If it's just a job, then blogging quickly becomes a chore and the ideas dry up. There is no substitute for someone who is passionate about what you do.