The following post comes to us from way down under! An Australian native, Tony Evans has written some awesome content for us in the past, so we’ve invited her back for another dose of online marketing genius. You can read Tony’s full bio below the post. Enjoy! ~Andy
Google Communities: How It Can Enhance Your Blog
by Tony Evans
Google Communities has just been released by the search engine giant. What it is exactly is still a mystery to most people. It is somewhat similar to Facebook’s fan page system; only better! It is a place where people can gather together in groups and have rich conversations, share photos and videos and even have face to face interaction. It is also a place where you can explore your interests such as food, sports and the likes.
Now how can you use Google Communities to enhance your blog? Well, here are 3 things that you can do to increase traffic into your blog and build a secure reader base.
1. Cornerstone Content
There really is no better way to establish a solid fan base than by providing them with content and materials that have personal value. Cornerstone content in a nutshell is content that defines who you are as a blogger; as a brand. It will depend mostly on whom your target audiences are and how you want them to see you. Keep in mind that to create cornerstone content you must know who you are writing for, have a solid foundation of the message you are trying to portray and make sure your articles are well written. Most importantly though is you must completely pour your heart out into creating this kind of valuable content. I have this belief that people can sense whether or not your content was created with an intense passion that is pure with its intent.
2. Be Active and Post Regularly
So you’ve got a number of people interested in the content of your blog, how do you keep them coming back? It’s simple actually; give them something to come back to! It is a must that you come up with new content on a regular basis. As much as possible, give your audience something to look forward to everyday. Of course a big factor of this would depend on the type of content you create and the type of blogger that you are. Just make sure that you don’t leave your fans hanging.
Also be active in the comments section. Interact with your commenters by replying to their comments. Engage them in conversations if possible. Build a relationship with your readers and before you know it your blog is getting tremendous attention and traffic.
3. Hold Contests
Give away a couple of gift checks and freebies! Initiate contests with a promise of prizes for winners. Prizes don’t necessarily have to be of grandeur proportions though. Simple ones will still do the trick. But hey, if you’ve got the resources to pull off a high stake contest by all means please do so! The point is, you can get a lot of attention by doing this technique and it’s not that hard to pull it off either!
There is so much more yet to be known about Google’s new release. One thing is for sure though; using Google communities to increase attention and direct traffic into your blog is certainly worth the time and effort you put into it. Keep these 3 tips in mind and you will find yourself quite a satisfied blogger with an extremely happy audience! Always remember that your readers will only enjoy reading the content you create as much as you enjoyed creating them! So, have fun blogging!
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Author bio:
+Tony Evans is a freelance web designer, an alumna of Project Management at Upskilled Australia and a mother of a beautiful daughter, Athena. She has a passion in Aerobics and cooking healthy recipes.
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