Congrats – You’ve Posted Your Latest Blog! Now What?

Finally. You’ve finished your latest blog post and uploaded it to the web. So you high-five your nearest co-worker, scratch THAT off the list and head on to the next big project, right?

Not so fast.

Without proper promotion, your blog will exist in a vacuum. How can your posts help you engage your target audience, boost web traffic and build thought leadership if no one knows about them? “Build it and they will come” does not apply to blogging – you must do what you can to pull readers to you.

According to Technorati’s 2013 Digital Influence Report, blogs are the third most influential digital resource, surpassing social media sites and falling behind only retail and brand sites. But are you getting the most bang for your blogging buck? Before your next post goes up, here are some tips for reaching as many readers as possible and maximizing your engagement potential:

Sound Your Horn. This seems like an obvious thing, but you’d be surprised by how many executives work hard to develop regular, fresh blog content and then do little to announce its arrival. Spread the word about your latest post via social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, and in other online business forums you frequent. Send out a brief email announcement to customers and industry peers. And be sure to include a link, using URL-shortening services such as TinyURL or Bit.ly if you are posting on text-limited sites like Twitter.

“Feed” Your Blog to Readers. By this, I mean using RSS (Real Simple Syndication, a web feed format) to allow readers to subscribe to your blog for automatic updates. This way, readers who have frequented your blog in the past can choose to be alerted whenever new content goes up.

Establish a Dialog. When your blog post is new, visit it often and be sure to respond personally to each and every comment. Interacting with readers who took the time to comment is a sure way to increase engagement and boost the chances of their returning for your next blog post.

Reach Out to the Blogosphere. There are certainly others who are blogging on the same or similar topics as you. Ask them to link to a new post you feel would be of interest to their audience, and return the favor when asked. The blogosphere is a great place for co-op marketing efforts!

Comment on Other Blogs. Whenever you have new content up, it’s exactly the right time to visit other well-read blogs in your industry. Leave relevant commentary on those blogs’ recent posts, and include a subtle link back to your own blog. Just be sure not to turn your comment into spam.

Regularly populating your blog with fresh content requires effort, so make sure that you take the proper steps “post-posting” to maximize impact and reach.

What blogs do you visit regularly and why? If you blog yourself, what do you do to promote new posts?