“More content = More traffic.”
It’s that simple.
Or so you thought.
Now here you are. Staring at your blog and the numerous posts you’ve published and you cannot help but feel proud of yourself. You want to give yourself a big pat on the back.
But when you look at your traffic, it’s rather shocking to say the least. It’s downright depressing.
You don’t even want to think of the man-hours that you’ve put in. The sleepless nights.
It seems like in your world, there is no correlation between your posts and traffic from potential customers.
You feel cheated. Trapped.
“So where did I go wrong?” You ask, shaking your head in disbelief.
It’s not your fault
You think the best performing blogs get hundreds of thousands of readers. Right?
Well, think again.
The truth is, they do not get much traffic on 50% of their posts.
So why do they seem so successful?
Here’s the thing — they keep posting and posting until they see which post performs well. Kind of like throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing which sticks.
But top bloggers have now realized that this strategy does not work.
Frequent posting sucks
After years of churning out one post after another, the said top bloggers have now realized that frequent posting sucks. It’s actually counter productive.
Here’s why:
- Coming up with new topics daily can be exhausting: For top bloggers, new topics do not just fall from the sky. They research and research again to see which topics are working and which ones are not. This tedious exercise done on a daily basis can suck the living day light out of anyone.
- Frequent posting leads to shorter posts: Due to time constrants, frequent blogging leads to shorter posts which can be very shallow and do not achieve much. Google also favours long posts (at least 1,000 words) so in spite of the bloggers best efforts, many of the short posts go unnoticed.
- Shallow posts do not entice people to subscribe or buy: Let’s face it. People are busy. Many just skim through posts and move on to the next. If a post is too shallow, chances are, it will not connect with readers on an emotional level and why would people buy from a post that is not engaging?
- Frequent emails can be annoying: Again, let’s face it. Once your name becomes synonymous with short, shallow posts, people will soon start to dismiss your email. It’s best to space out your email. Give people time to miss you. At least a week or even a month.
- Your friends who proofread for you may not always be available: We all need a second set of eyes to look through a post and see what we might have missed. Imagine having to ask your friends to proof read for you on a daily basis. Very soon, they’ll be ignoring your calls and even crossing the room when they see you at a cocktail party.
- No time for promoting: With frequent posting, you’ll be so busy working on your next post that there will be no time to promote your last. The truth is, in todays noisy world of content marketing, posts do not promote themselves. They need that push.
- Difficult to track poorly performing posts: Becoming a top influencer does not stop at promoting posts. Promoting a post does not guarantee that it will do well. One has to track and track scientifically to see which one is working and this can be time consuming if the posts are published on a daily basis.
- No time to do fun things outside your business: It’s no secret that life does not come to a stand still just because we are busy. There are birthdays to celebrate, weddings to attend and even an old friend waiting for your call. You get too busy and life passes you by. If there is no time to enjoy the money that you work so hard for, what is the use of it?
New traffic hacks
Here’s the good news.
Experienced bloggers have now used the lessons learnt from frequent posting and have come up with a new way of getting traffic. They have made their mistakes so you don’t have to.
The good news is, the new strategy does not include putting out one post after another. Instead, it involves becoming more strategic. More deliberate in terms of posting and promoting.
If you want to adopt the new strategic, this is how you can go about it:
1.) The newbie phase: The phase before 1000 subscribers.
Prior to getting your first 1,000 subscribers, focus on the following:
- Creating a bribe: A bribe is anything that can make work easier for your readers. A template, a cheat sheat, a free course. Give this to your readers for free in exchange for their email address.
- Guest blogging: Let’s face it. You are the new kid on the block. No one knows you. No one is paying attention to what you have to say. The best way to change that is to make yourself visible. Put yourself where your potential readers are. To do so, target the publications that your readers are reading and propose to write a killer post for them then go on to put your bio.
- Ego bait posts: This is what you do. Find out who the top influencers in your niche are then mention them in a post in a positive light. You can then reach out to them and ask them to share the post. This tactic works like a charm.
- Advertising: Advertising has become affordable. You can now reach thousands of readers for as little as $10. So write a killer post, preferably an ultimate guide, boost it on social media then sit back and watch your traffic grow.
2.) The engagement phase: The phase after getting 1000 subscribers.
Once you hit the 1000 subscriber mark, shift your focus to the following;
- Digging in to see what is working for other bloggers: Use sites like Buzzsumo and Ahrefs and you will get to know what your readers are reading. Also spend time on social media to see that questions your readers are asking.
- Writing a killer post: Once you see what is already working, write a killer post on the said topic. Make the headline irrestible and the post SEO friendly.
- Fighting for your posts: A post going viral does not just happen. It takes a lot of work. Fight for your posts by reaching out to influencers and asking them to share it on their social media, send it to your friends and ask them to share it and don’t be afraid to advertise and target your specific audience.
- Connecting with top influencers: Don’t just write a post and sit back. Instead, keep reading on similar posts, comment on them and seek advice. Keep learning by signing up for courses from those that you admire.
Less is more
Top bloggers have been able to reap the following benefits from less content and you too will soon reap the same;
- They now have more time to research and see what their readers and ultimately their customers really want. They also have more time to spend on social media to see what questions their readers are asking and what their struggles are.
- They focus more on putting outstanding content since there is no rush. They write a post, let it marinate overnight then get back to it in a day of two with “fresh eyes”. This allows them to spot any errors or rewrite parts of the post that may need editing
- .They have mastered the art of building relationships with their loyal followers. They read posts from influencers in their niche and they have time to engage with them, comment on their blogs and even attend conferences and seminars.
- They get repeat customers because their customers see their reliablity. They have managed to whet their customers’ appetite with deep content that has left them asking for more.
- They enjoy life. They have time for friends, family, and even Netflix.
Wake up to New Possibilities
Imagine the new possibilities that your newly found connection with your readers and subsequently potential customers will create.
You’ll get increased traffic without the grind of writing tedious posts one after another.
You’ll connect more with other bloggers and your customers. You will get to understand them better. Know their pain. Know what makes them tick.
And all the while, you will get more time with your family doing other things that you love.
All this will happen because you have a vision. You are using a strategy.
Enjoy your new found life because from here on, you’ll be attracting new customers almost effortlessly and soon, you will be that influencer that other writers will be reaching out to.
You will have earned it.