This is a guest post by John. Should you wish to write for this blog, check out the guest post guidelines.
Whether we like it or not, as bloggers, marketing is a very important part of our career. We have to be marketing our blog every day, either by looking for ways to get traffic to our blog, by looking for ways to convert that traffic to subscribers, by looking for ways to convert that traffic into sales and by looking for ways to market our new blog posts.
The thing about marketing is that it has a bad and a good aspect and it might be very dangerous for you if you get yourself labeled as an unethical marketer. I have made a lot of mistakes in the process of marketing my nutrisystem and medifast blog and I paid dearly for some of those mistakes, below are 3 major marketing mistakes you should work on avoiding.
Creating Crap Content
As a smart marketer and blogger you need to realize that marketing your blog isn’t something that has to be done only outside your blog. It is also something that has to do with your blog itself.
Your marketing isn’t complete when you are able to drive visitors to your blog, it is only complete when you are able to make those visitors fall in love with your blog and want to keep reading it every day.
One of the worst marketing mistakes I made on my blog was creating crap content and as a result it was difficult for me to retain my traffic. Immediately I realized this I started working on improving the content to my blog and I also ended up hiring writers to help keep up the quality of content on my blog. As a result I’m getting great traffic than I have ever gotten in my entire blogging career.
Not Marketing Your Brand
Another mistake you should avoid making as a blogger is the mistake of marking just your blog instead of your brand.
You need to realize what you want your blog to be known for. For example if you take a look at some of the biggest companies in the world you will notice that they only succeed because they marketed their brands, not just their products – some great examples are apple and coca cola. For me the brand I want to be known for is the brand associated with nutrisystem and medifast and as a result I have invested a lot of time and efforts into being known for this and I know get a lot of results from that.
Misrepresenting Your Brand
This strategy is especially applicable if you are someone who makes use of techniques like guest blogging and blog commenting. It is important for you to realize that your brand is more than just your blog. It will be a great mistake to be writing crap content for other people’s blog with the aim of driving traffic back to your blog – the reason for that is because your content on or outside your blog is associated with you. So, the more quality articles and comments you write for other blogs the better results you will get.
Is there any other mistakes i missed?
What mistakes did you make when marketing your blog?
Please leave a comment and share with us your thoughts.
Author Bio:
John has made a lot of mistakes as a blogger and wants to ensure other bloggers don’t make the same mistakes. He also helps people discover the best discounts and coupons codes for medifast and nutrisystem. He features the best nutrisystem promo code and promo code for medifast food on his blog.
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We all make mistakes John – but thankfully we don’t all have to make the same mistakes…
Point #1 seems quite obvious, but I’m constantly surprised at how much junk there is across the blogosphere. As if the point of posting is just to get more pages indexed by Google or something? Quality content is essential.
Building on the other two errors on the list, it’s vital to have a consistent brand identity with a clear mission in mind.
Other mistakes? Not thinking about what your target market actually want and need springs to mind. I guess that one speak for itself!
Hey Jym,
Exactly why I included the first option. It’s been beaten to death already in the blogosphere but a lot of people still ignore it.
Twitter: Couponseasy
Brand is bigger than you blog or site, there is no doubt and you should always try to expose your brand for better results.
Riya recently posted..Web CEO Promo Voucher Of 40% Discount
One mistake that I learn about is using comment apps to help me with link building. When I was tagged as a SPAM it really hurt my website..
Karen recently posted..angry birds tips
I’m glad you learned your lesson and improved Karen. Those things really do affect the brand of a blog but very few bloggers really care about them.
John recently posted..Click Espresso Protein Drink Powder Review
Ahhh, the crap content.
I’m with ya. This is probably the largest buzz-kill. People follow a link only to arrive on a site that gives them zero value. They will hit the back button just as fast as the clicked on the link to get there.
Creating content that people want to read is crucial to any amount of success online!
Brock Blohm recently posted..When Did YOUR Mindset Shift To Start Your Own Business?
Twitter: stevescott1
John,
Some solid points. It all comes down to being honest and open. Creating real value both for your blog and yourself!
YOu can make a few sales here and there with slick dodgy techniques, but that gains you nothing in the long run.
It is far better to (as you pointed out) build a strong brand based on solid content becoming known withing your niche as a thought leader and a guiding light.
Once that happens it is just a matter of keeping things going by continuing the trend. Sales. Visitors. COmmentors etc. will follow like sunshine in the morning.
Steve recently posted..The Challenge: How to Build a Million Dollar Blog
Value is all that matters online now. It pays the bills, it brings traffic and subscribers and it is the key to connections online.
Thanks so much for contributing more value to this article Steve!
John recently posted..Click Espresso Protein Drink Powder Review
Twitter: Mazzastick
Hi John,
It seems like there are many great and ethical bloggers out there in the blogosphere as well as some shady ones.
The good ones even if they are not in my niche will get a referral by me.
Justin | Mazzastick recently posted..How To Be A Healthy Being
hi john, the tips u suggested how to market are so true and ill follow it up,i need some suggestions how to drive traffic to my blog coupons related. it consists of free voucher and free coupons details.
visit http://www.online-couponcodes.com/ for more discount coupons.
I did not realize that particular line about brand and a product. you are right in what you say, we should identify and sell our brand than our product. Thanks for this post, slowly things just downed on me.
canama22 recently posted..date outfit
Good tips John. The mistake I made when I first started my blog was to pretend I was more of an expert than I was. It’s far better not to pretend anything and tell it like it is. Readers will respect you far more.
More and more marketers are telling their stories now while they are going through coaching courses and writing about what they are learning to help others. And do you know what? It works!
Hi, John,
Thanks for wanting to make sure we do not make the same mistakes that you had to go through. I agree that the brand is bigger than the blog itself and definitely it is more than just a blog.
Mistakes I am doing: wish I knew…if I did, I would do something about them…but I guess the hardest thing is to recognize your way to failure.
Kristina L. recently posted..GBSlots Coupon Code
I guess a lot of people confuse marketing with SEO and tend to forget they’re writing for people, not for bots. That leads to really crappy content that can, and will, drag them down in time.
Richard recently posted..How to Clean Up the Paint Zoom Sprayer After Use
Up to now, not all people value content. I know some people who still after of the quantity of articles rather than the quality of it. Actually, I was able to visit a blog before where he let auto-posting software does the job for him. Unfortunately, one reader noticed it and he has no choice but to admit his mistake.
Greg recently posted..Toro Power Clear 418 ZE Electric Start Snow Blower Review
Nobody wants to read crap contents. Each post don’t have to be of high quality even simple post can relate a lot more to a reader. What is important is connecting and keeping the reader engaged.
Brandon Patton recently posted..Effective Online Real Estate Search
Creating crap content is the #1 mistake of most people who market their blogs. Most of them are after of the quantity of link rather the quality so they wouldn’t mind even they send out thousand of crap contents to other directories.
Chris recently posted..Sunny Health & Fitness Pro Indoor Cycling Bike Review
Good john! Content is the heart of the Blog. Blog will help lot to gain the traffic. Every one should keep in mind one think while writing content ” write the content for people not for the Spiders”
Thank for the information john…
Twitter: Canklefish
Going out and trying to find places to promote a blog is very tricky business, and many go about it the wrong way.
I believe I’ve been guilty with this in the past, but tomorrow is a new day and doing things right from the start is crucial to ensuring longevity…
Cankle recently posted..How to get rid of sugar ants in house and home forever
Twitter: dmcihomesofficial
Content is King! We have to create relevant content, something like news maker type so that readers will be encourage to visit our site! Do regular research on Google, the latest news and topic to keep your blog up to date!
Twitter: tigersaycon
You definitely have to watch out for these three when blogging. Content, branding, and marketing are the most important factors to be successful in blogging.