A business blog is only as good as its content. But the fact of the matter is not a lot of blogs make it. Many fail because their content isn’t that good. But many more fail to gain enough traction despite having amazing reads. So, what is preventing your business blog from becoming an A-lister? If you have high-quality content that adds value to readers, not much. But you do need to spread the word. What’s the point of great content if no one is reading it, right? So, to make your business blog really stand out, you need to promote it. And if you’re looking for ways to take your blog to the next level, here are five solid tips that can get you there.

Optimize your business blog to make it SEO friendly

At this moment, Google is displaying search results for over 70,000 queries. That’s a huge volume of traffic you can direct to your blog if you optimize your website and content for search engines like Google, but you shouldn’t disregard Yahoo and Bing. The main goal of your SEO efforts is to position your blog and with it your business at the top of the search engine results page (SERP). You need to take into consideration that your ranking will depend on a number of different factors, from the quality of the posted content and on-site optimization for different keywords to external link building and the traffic flow on your website. Using an SEO checklist is a good way to stay on track as you move through the process. Some steps are one-time affairs, while other tactics require you to do it for each blog post. But think back to above-mentioned returns – SEO is well worth the investment.

Supercharge your promotion on social media

Social media networks connect over 3 billion active users on various channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Quora and many others. All of them have huge potential to drive traffic to your blog and to bring better exposure to your business. However, without a solid social media strategy, you can’t expect to see meaningful results. The first step is to identify your target audience and locate the channels they are using most. keep in mind that your target audience should be your desired customer base. It helps focus your efforts on social networks that generate the best traffic. You can then create a social media content calendar (similar to an editorial calendar), and organize the promotion strategically so your fans know when to expect the latest piece on your blog. But not everything you do should be free. And if you want to drive real traffic from your social media channels, create a budget and invest it in paid advertising. Select the best-performing blog posts and experiment with your ads until you get the hang of it. Once marketers start noticing your business blog, the money you spend on ads will definitely pay off in the future.

Engage with your audience

Another important aspect of your promotional efforts is the way you engage with your audience. And there is no better time for that than during the holiday season. That is the ideal time to show additional appreciation and to motivate your audience to remain interested in both your brand and the content you are putting out. The holiday season is all about gifting, from substantial sales and discounts to the ever-appreciated Christmas gift cards and coupons. You can promote this type of audience interaction through your business blog, getting them even more interested in reading about what awaits them this holiday season. Of course, there are the ever-popular branded freebies that you can add to each purchase. These include notebooks, USBs, mouse pads, and various other products that have the company name and logo imprinted on them. As more people get involved, your audience will grow and the relationship you create will drive them to share content from your business blog. When that happens, you will see a surge in traffic volume, readers, and probably more proposals for promotion deals.

Connect with others in the blogosphere

Apart from creating a community around your business blog, you should also connect with other business and influencers in order to expand the reach of the content that you are putting out. Referrals through links or guest posts can be a great source of traffic for your blog, so you shouldn’t overlook them. First off, research major influencers in your niche and extend an invitation to write a guest post on your blog. If they see potential in your blog, many will jump at the chance to help you out. But remember, guest blogging is a two-way street. You should always have an open invitation to relevant bloggers on your own website. It gives you the added benefit of one less blog to write, one more link to your blog, and a new audience exposed to your content.

Invest in your content team to improve your business blog

Now, if you are running a small business the chances are you are the one putting out the content. In that case, make sure you invest in some content writing courses that will help you generate quality, SEO friendly content that can benefit your blog. Another option, if your business can handle the investment is to hire a content team, professionals well versed in creating quality content within your niche. You can even consider outsourcing this type of work to a reputable digital marketing company. The most important thing is that you are happy with the end product and that you see the difference in tour ROI at the end of the day. Don’t forget to follow the 80/20 rule to build a bigger audience. This means that you need to spend 20% of the time on creating high-quality content, and 80% on getting it out there.

So there you have it, five tips that are easy to follow and that can make all the difference in the world for both your blog and your brand. Consider your blog as a type of a digital calling card where you get to show off your business knowledge, company values and at the same time show your customers the appreciation that you have for them.