Every business owner's thought at some point or the other is how to get a bigger audience for their blog.
LinkedIn is one way to make that happen.
So, if you haven't thought of it before now, well, now is the time to start doing so.
LinkedIn has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that it's the most useful social media platform for B2B marketers.
But before you start thinking of how to drive more traffic to your blog through LinkedIn, be sure that you have a complete profile.
For a second, you might be wondering if it's really necessary to do so; the answer is yes!
It's essential because it's the first impression that your visitors will have about you before reading whatever content you've uploaded.
If your profile has been done haphazardly before now, it's time to get to work.
Some people register on LinkedIn, transact and leave.
But little do they know that they can take things a step further by using it to get new connections, engagement and visitors to their blog.
The beauty is that it doesn't come with any restrictions. So whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur or veteran blogger, LinkedIn will give your blog the exposure it deserves.
It doesn't give you only the chance to expand your network; it will also allow you to learn more about your industry and drive the desired traffic to your B2B blog.
This article will share six tips that will help you generate the right amount of traffic to provide your blog with the boost it deserves.
Six ways to drive more traffic to your blogging business.
Before we unveil the six powerful tips, let's look at a study by Econsultancy.
The study says that LinkedIn is now responsible for at least 64% of all visits from individual social networks to corporate websites and blogs worldwide.
So if you have been underrating or underutilizing it, now is the time to make that U-turn.
With that said, the following are six tips that will help you generate more traffic.
Optimizing your LinkedIn profile is the first place you need to look for more traffic for your blog.
Skipping the need to optimize your LinkedIn Profile and jumping to others is one big mistake you need to avoid.
Before proceeding, ensure you have the basics right.
And what are they?
They include; getting a professional headshot, a summary that better explains your business and a clear and concise work experience.
While writing your summary, try to give a clear definition of what you do.
It will make things easier for your prospects to contact you if they need to do so.
Thoroughly read out what you've written in your profile in the end.
It will help you detect any typographical error that you must have omitted.
If you're not sure about certain things, get someone to do it for you.
You can also link your blog posts, e-books and other soft copy materials to your profile to drive more traffic.
You should also go through your best posts on LinkedIn and include a direct link to your blog.
The best place to do this is in your summary section because it will give your blog maximum exposure.
Joining an active group is the next step forward.
But it's not enough to join these groups as you also need to actively participate in them.
One golden rule of content marketing that you need to bear in mind is that you shouldn't hope for miraculous traffic to your blog if you aren't prepared to give some form of engagement yourself.
The saying, do unto others what you what them to do unto you better explains this.
Groups on LinkedIn are a great way that allows you to connect with both your peers and prospects.
Not everyone is comfortable with promotion, and if you're one of them, it only means you'd have to actively engage with members of the group you're in.
Without promotion, this move may not generate the speedy traffic you need to boost your blog.
But it doesn't mean it's ineffective.
To fully utilize the power behind LinkedIn groups, first read the terms and conditions of the group.
It will help you know whether self-promotion is allowed on not.
If self-promotion is permitted, introduce yourself and say what you do.
You can then drop a link to your blog in the group, but avoid the temptation of trying to sell anything (product or service) to them while doing the introduction.
Remember, the aim is to draw traffic, not advertise.
After you're being welcomed, you can then comment, answer questions and provide solutions to some issues or challenges that they face.
If you have valuable articles on your blog that can help them, drop a link to the platform's article.
Another positive side to doing this is that other members may get interested and decide to visit you.
More traffic for you!
Over time, you could be seen as a leader of thought, and it will make these people consistently revisit your blog.
The best thing is to be active and consistent with sharing engaging posts on LinkedIn to drive extra traffic to your blog.
Your LinkedIn status is another area that needs a consistent update.
Regularly updating your status, participating in active group discussions and commenting on other people's posts are other means to drive more traffic.
You can also use the LinkedIn automation tool to gain more visibility and better publish your content.
These automation tools can equally help you schedule your posts and publish them at the right time.
This is great if you're the type that barely finds the time to post updates during the day.
Trust is essential in business, and being consistent will help those you've connected with build trust for what you do.
You reader also needs to trust that they will learn a thing or two from reading the content on your blog if they decide to leave LinkedIn.
Use LinkedIn as a tool to strengthen the relationship by inviting those on your contact list to connect with your business blog.
The bigger your connections, the more exposed you become. It's as simple as ABC.
Try to make out time to search for people you know on LinkedIn as it's a way to stay connected with your contacts.
If you keep a small circle on LinkedIn, it only means your opportunities will also be limited.
To expand your visibility by establishing more connections.
Try as much as you can to establish a connection with everyone that presents a sensible reason to bond.
Other people you can connect with include your email contacts, business partners (both past and present), colleagues, and social media followers on LinkedIn and other social networks.
It is not enough to share articles and links on your LinkedIn profile.
Always ensure that your content is informative and engaging.
That's the key to have them come back for more.
At all times, ensure that whatever content you're sharing relates to both the theme of your business and your target audience's business goals.
If you're not certain of how well your post is doing, you can use LinkedIn's analytics tools to monitor your progress.
Again, your content should give people a reason to either like, share or comment.
And when your target audience shows an act of kindness by commenting on your post, show them you appreciate it.
This will let them know they are friendly and approachable.
It will also motivate them to anticipate and comment on other posts.
By responding to their comments, you can draw close enough to them to market directly through email or direct messaging.
Furthermore, you need to know that not all your articles will demand commenting.
If this happens, you don't need to get discouraged.
Rather, what you should do is to leave one or two questions at the end that will require an answer.
That way, even if they aren't motivated to say a thing concerning the entire article, they could answer your question.
It will also motivate others to do so.
Sometimes you have to sacrifice a few bucks to get what you want.
The tips that we've shared effective, but to reap the desired result, you'd have to be consistent and patient.
Remember, before you rush to throwing money around, you need to put all the tips here into practice because your profile needs some form of background, and that is something that your target audience will see when they click on your advertisement.
It will be wrong for you to create a new LinkedIn profile or blog and start running ads immediately.
You'll only be wasting your hard-earned money.
You may need to pay to get traffic because a study was carried out by a content marketing platform known as NewsCred.
And the results showed that for every $1 they spent on a LinkedIn sponsored update, they generated $17 worth of traffic for it. Amazing, and something with a real ROI!
CONCLUSION
The tips that we've shared with you in this article were carefully hand-picked to help you drive enough traffic from your personal LinkedIn profile to your blog.
Follow them diligently and thank us later.
Thanks for reading.
