The Smart Approach to Guest Blogging

guest blogging

If we’re to take a look at what is currently going on in the blogosphere today to determine which marketing tactic is the most popular and effective, guest blogging won’t be far behind. Both big and small, everybody is writing guest posts these days and it seems like a trend that will continue for years to come. The problem with guest blogging, however, is that it is ineffective for more than 80% of those using it for one major reason, they don’t have an approach. A lot of people only write guest posts because they feel it should be written or because they think it will be the best thing for their blog but very few people actually consider what the benefits of a tactical guest blogging approach will be for their business.

Do you write guest posts? Have you been using guest blogging as an integral part of your blog marketing approach for a while now? Stop for a while, don’t just write on the blogs of your choice and expect the magic to happen. Start taking proactive steps to ensure you’re getting the results you deserve by following the tips in this article.

Don’t Just Write, Develop a Funnel

In marketing, a funnel is a system through which a user is directed so as to take a desired action.

When it comes to guest blogging most bloggers do the worst thing any marketer can ever do…they leave their visitors “hanging”. When those new visitors enjoy their guest posts and land on their blogs from other top blogs they leave them to do nothing instead of taking advantage of the moment to capture them as subscribers.

Mediocre approaches results in mediocre results and tactical approaches results in better results. In other words, try to take a look at any industry to see what everybody is doing. If you’re doing that same thing you should expect the same results, mediocre results. However, by designing a funnel for your guest blogging system you will be able to distinguish yourself from the other guest bloggers online, develop a system focused on visitor retention and helping you get the best from your marketing efforts, and as a result increase your blog’s potential for success.

The answer is simple; develop a funnel.

Your funnel should have an aim and that aim can be to build your list, to make a sale or to get blog subscribers. The solution in this case isn’t to direct visitors from your guest posts to your homepage but to a specified page. In other words, instead of just letting people land on your homepage from your guest posts you can create a special landing page just for them, encourage them to take the desired action you want and test and tweak constantly to improve conversions.

Complement Your Guest Posts with a Related Post on Your Blog

Most visitors are hot once they finish reading your blog post and land on your blog; they are hot for more of you; more of your information, more of who you are and more of how you can help them. The first breakthrough you will make as a guest blogger is getting people to click to your blog from your guest posts and once you could make that breakthrough the next step is in getting them to stick as visitors to your blog on the long-term. In other words, convert them!

What’s the best way to convert guest blogging visitors as fans and readers?

Give them what they want; and what do they want? Content! Not just any content but the kind of content that brought them to you, the kind of content that can make an impact in their lives.

In other words, instead of letting them go through the content in your archives why not publish content similar to one that just went live on a big blog. In other words, if they landed on your blog from a guest post on Problogger talking about making money blogging, follow up on your blog with the best tactics for making money blogging to get maximum conversions.

This approach works for all niche, including my own weight loss niche and can result in significant results if properly used. In my own example, if I publish an article about the top weight loss myths on a big blog in the weight loss niche I can easily complement it with an article on how to lose weight, stay fit and be healthy. Take a look at that and see how perfectly it explains the ideas in this section.

Guest Blogging on Unrelated Blogs

I know this particular point is constantly debated by “expert guest bloggers” but based on my little experience with marketing my weight loss blog I have noticed this works. The answer instead is to focus on writing thematically relevant content. In other words, content that ties your niche with that of the unrelated blog. That way you will be able to get some quality SEO benefits while at the same time introducing your blog to a brand new audience. A great example of that is my recent SEO lessons from my weight loss blog guest post that was published on this blog.

This also helps with SEO and can be a great way to gain a few quick backlinks and the results will always be significant; it might not be as significant as publishing on related blogs but you can be rest assured it will deliver results, and results, my friend, is what matters!

Most people write guest posts that are published on other blogs and believe it ends there whereas, in reality, it is just beginning. The smart approach to guest blogging requires you to think beyond just getting your guest post published on big blogs in your field. In other words, it doesn’t end with your guest post being published…it is actually just starting. Reply to comments, commit yourself and be as helpful as you can on the blog you’re trying to write for.

John helps people find top promotion codes for weight watchers while at the same time focusing on the best discount code for Nutrisystem on his blog.