subject: CPA or Accounting Bloggers: Easy Tips for Enticing New Readers [print this page] CPA or Accounting Bloggers: Easy Tips for Enticing New Readers
One of the most frustrating things about blogging is building regular visitors. Even if you do everything right it will still take months or even years. Much has been written about the need to offer interesting and continually updated content for your blog to be successful but there's much more you need to do to get your business blog off the ground.
Here are a selection of time-tested strategies that will help lure subscribers into your accounting blog:
1. Use your blog to communicate with employees and clients.
Your employees are a built in audience, and your blog makes a great place to post staff birthdays, meetings, after hours get-togethers, and other daily updates. Your clients can also make great readers. Use your blog to keep them appraised on tax law changes and other news that directly affects them. Don't be shy. If you have a client that can benefit from your post send them an email and ask them to leave you a comment.
2. Display Your Blog Link Prominently on Your Website.
Website users are accustomed to getting what the want when they want it, and if you don't make it easy for them they leave. Most won't take more than a few seconds to find your blog on your home page. Display the link prominently on your accounting website. Put it on the navigation menu where it can be seen without making them open or roll over anything. Add a nice banner link to your home page.
3. Display your website address everywhere!
The more places you post your web address the easier it will be for potential readers to find your blog. Make sure the address is on your business card, in the signature of your email, and on any forums you may frequent. Avoid the temptation to point all your links to your website home page. In some cases it's much more appropriate to map the link straight to the blog. People don't like to click-through. If someone clicks on a link to read a blog article they're going to want that link to go straight there.
4. Engage other bloggers.
Helping out other bloggers isn't just important, it's absolutely necessary! Doing this will get your name out there on other blogs in the industry and help gain exposure for your content. Backlinks to your blog will usually be provided as payment for your contribution, helping you with search engine authority.
Conversely, you can return the favor by inviting guest bloggers of your own. Help others help you!
5. Use your networking skills.
Make some friends!
The online world is not as fragmented and impersonal as it might appear to the casual observer. In, fact it's composed of many tight knit communities and if you want to succeed you need to find and engage the communities that are relevant to your market. Sites like LinkedIn and Facebook are a good place to start. Find and engage groups that are related to your target audience. Instead of simply promoting your blog in these venues, however, put your link in your profile and be as active as you can to draw potential readers.
6. Give love to get love.
Use online social media to talk to clients, prospects, and contacts; especially other bloggers.
Large media and content providers set up vanity tracking so they know when their name is mentioned. This means that using their name in your content gets you noticed - and it may up the chances that they'll share it with their readers.
7. Hold a contest.
People love free stuff. They always have and they always will. In fact the word "free" is the most powerful word in the marketing lexicon. The prize doesn't need to be exrtraordinary; a blog link or special postingfor the visitor that posts the most comments will often turn the trick. Just make sure the reward for winning is appealing enough that it gets your readers engaged!
Contests can also be used as a good way to cross sell your off season services. For example: You could offer a free financial statement compilation and review for a local business owner, and leverage it into a blog post showing the value you gave them.
8. Keep it lively.
Sometimes, when you find a groove, it's hard to break out of it. Don't succumb to the doldrums! By the time you feel yourself starting to drift into limbo it's a pretty safe bet it's already happened. Mix up the content on your blog so your readers remain surprised and interested in coming back for me. Videos work great and have added benefits. When you upload a video to YouTube you get even more exposure and can lure traffic who would never have found you otherwise.
If you employ these tactics you'll have a much better chance of cultivating a real following. Remember to the basics, keep your content fresh and keep reaching out. As long as you're engaged, your readers will be, too.
