Guest blogging is one of the best ways to expand your company’s marketing reach. Yet it is one of the most under-utilized strategies among B2B marketers. While some see guest posting as simply an opportunity to link visitors to your website, its true benefits are more substantial and long-term. Guest blogs can generate web traffic, enhance brand awareness, build relationships and expose your brand to entirely new audiences.

Tips for success

1. Determine your goals. As with any marketing initiative, begin with the end in mind. Have a clear understanding of what you are trying to accomplish. Are you trying to increase visibility for a specific thought leader? Is guest posting part of a larger marketing program, such as a new product launch? Are you trying to expand into new target markets?
2. Start small. Like when working with print publications, start off by focusing on highly targeted niche outlets. These blogs have a good reputation in your industry but may not have huge numbers of followers. However, the followers they do have will find your content especially relevant, and thus are more likely to convert from a passive reader to a qualified prospect.
3. Identify guest blogging opportunities. Finding relevant sites to contribute to can be a challenge. When starting out, it is likely you will need to reach out to numerous sites before receiving a commitment. To research opportunities, use search terms such as [your niche] “guest blog,” [your niche] “write for us” or [your niche] “contribute.” Also, look for sites where industry influencers are blogging. The site’s readership should align with your organization’s target audiences.
4. Create custom content. Editors and readers want original content. Therefore, each post should be created with a specific site and audience in mind. In addition to following the blog’s guidelines, make sure your post delivers value to the site’s readership. Remember, a guest blog is not an opportunity to sell or advertise your products and services. Instead, it is an opportunity to share thought leadership, provide useful insights and establish yourself as an authority who can be trusted.
5. Follow blogging best practices. There are some standards to developing a good blog post that will resonate with readers. Most importantly, create content that is valuable and relevant to your readers. What challenges are they facing? Which trends are affecting their industry? What keeps them up at night? Using this information, create a blog post that sports a conversational and engaging tone. Incorporate images such as graphics, charts and diagrams. Use subheads to help move the reader through the content. Incorporate links to your website and other sources of information. Remember to avoid self-promotional content and focus on providing value.
6. Don’t forget the bio. While the blog content should not be self-promotional, the author’s bio is the place to emphasize your business or product. Keep it short (generally 50 words or less) and concise. Include a high-resolution headshot and links to your website and social media. Not every site will use all the information but always include it with each submission. If including a contact email, create a unique link for each blog to track results.
7. Track results. As with any marketing effort, the only way to know whether the effort was worthwhile is to track and analyze results. By creating and incorporating unique links in each post, it is easy to identify increases in traffic, new users and page views. Also look for spikes in email signups and social media exposure, including both shares and followers.

Don’t forget the little guys

Guest blogging can be an extremely powerful strategy for expanding your reach, driving traffic, shortening the sales cycle and generating leads. While the appeal of mass-market consumer blogs is understandable, many companies find that smaller niche blogs are more effective in driving more (and better) traffic and leads than the bigger, more widely recognized sites. So even when you’ve hit the “big time” and are contributing to larger outlets, don’t forget to continue to guest post on smaller, more targeted sites. To learn more about generating guest blogging opportunities that deliver results, contact Trade Press Services.