Spend hours blogging ... to a tiny audience!! Help

[Layla T]

My business is an online advice centre for property buyers taking them through the process from start to finish offering relevant services throughout. Don't have a huge budget so I focus my time on social media and blogging. I get a decent amount of interest through SM but my blogs (30 over the 8 months) have only been seen by just over 400 readers. I have 13 followers. 13!!

I now use Wordpress which I was forced onto (recommended by everyone) when Posterous shut down. I had far more interest through Posterous ....

My blogs are relevant to buyers of any age, any stage. Insider info and tips etc, useful stuff Just need people to see it!!! How do I reach more people?

Can anyone help?

 

[Will_Authentic_Style]

You need to be patient.

Share your posts on Twitter and Facebook and make sure they are optimised. With Wordpress I'd recommend the "All In One SEO Pack" or "Joost SEO" plugins to help with this.

Try tailoring some useful blog posts towards specific search phrases too, that can often help.

You could also try giving away a simple free eBook and then run a Facebook advertising campaign around it with a relatively small budget to drive people to your content.

My final piece of advice would be to build a mailing list and contact them at least twice a month. I wish I'd have done this sooner with my business.

 

[ethical PR]

As your existing marketing plan isn't working for you, I think you need to review your marketing approach and the tactics you are using to engage your target audience.

Just because you have limited resources doesn't necessarily mean that just using online content and social media is the best approach to promote your business. If you want to have a successful business and you believe in your business model, you need to be able to invest in marketing it.

What do you know about your target audience and the communications channels they use?

Depending on your target audience you may want to look at media relations, advertising on consumer discussion forums, becoming an active member on property forums, guest blogging on relevant consumer blogs, advertising in property publications for example, SEO and PPC for your website, third party marketing with estate agents etc.

If you haven't done so already do make sure you have a sign up facility for an e-newsletter and send regular updates out to your database.

If you have extensive experience and strong track record in the property sector, you could also position yourself with the media as an expert available for interviews and comment.

If you don't already have one, put yourself together a marketing and PR plan that looks at;

Your marketing objectives
Identifies your target audience and influencers. (including what you know about your audience and their communications channels)
Your competition
What differeniates your business from your competitors

Use this information to develop a strategic approach for marketing your business, identify which tactics to use to engage your target audience and their influencers and the budget you will need to carry out your marketing plan.

You can then put together a one year plan that looks at activities you will carry out on an ongoing and month by month basis to engage your target audience and achieve your objectives.

Once you have your plan in place you can evaluate on a regular basis to measure your success. You can then invest more budget, time and resources in activities that are working for you and drop those that are not working for you.

Good luck

 

[Layla T]

Wow thank you both.

Will, I really appreciate your advice and have thought about ways to build a mailing list. As for relevant content, I have a close friend who works in SEO so I've had the run down on all the SEO tricks which I try to remember when I'm blogging. I always post my blogs on all the SM platforms and get most interest in them on Linked In from fellow property professionals.

PR Girl, thank you for you for that very comprehensive piece of advice. I know I need to rethink my strategy and get organised if I'm to have any chance of a more successful year, I will consider your comments carefully. Really appreciate your time

 

[fisicx]

Your whole approach is wrong. The reason nobody is reading your blogs is because nobody is interested. SM is not going to be a source of useful traffic. And the blogs will only have value if people are searching for that topic.

Consider as well what you are trying to acheive. Do you want visitors or do you want new clients? If you get most views from fellow professionals then that should indicate the material is of little value.

And there are no SEO tricks. If a trick is suggested then its not worth considering.

 

[technician27]

You can start with relevant meta title and description. You don't have any meta title and description for your site simply-buy.net. If you add unique meta title and description with targeted keywords you can get more visitor. Your site got PR2 so will be easier to rank on search engines. Use wordpress seo yoast.

 

[Alan]

Hi, @Layla T
I actually went to your site (so discount at least one visitor).

You say your business is an online advice centre but simplybuynet.wordpress.com is just a blog not a business( not even advertising) I don't understand?

Even if you get someone to visit your site on wordpress, it is appallingly designed, which is actually quite difficult with wordpress as it has so many features like category lists, tag clouds and the basic search.

The background image is just silly.

So I land on your site, on an article and I see the site and my immediate impression is some sort of generic text site created in the hope of getting some long tail SEO. But I can't even navigate or serach to another interesting article. The low quality & lack of effort in design make me guess that the site is just reporoducing or creating low quality articles. So my attention span is limited - and then there are these blocks of text, nothing grabs me so off I go back to google to find some decent information. Very unlikely to bookmark and come back as a reference site.

Action plan
1. sort out the site - its WordPress use some of the features, it is easy enough but if you cant pay some one it will only be a few hundred to get something better.
2. think about writing style - some headings and sub headings and bullet points
3. do you own simplybuy.net (an empty self hosted Wordpress site) if so move simplybuynet.wordpress.com - if not hmmmm



@technician27 I think you are mistaken simplybuynet.wordpress.com is PR0

edit
-----

Ah ha - I see Simply-buy.net IS a business. But there is your problem. No point just blogging on simplybuynet.wordpress.com when you have some asp (ugh) website on a completely separate domain.

Get a WordPress expert to convert your Simply-buy.net into a WordPres POWERED site and them migrate your blog posts onto it. THEN you will be leveraging a PR2 domain and you will have any blog traffic ACTUALLY on your money site.

Converting your existing site Simply-buy.net wouldn't bee too difficult, its not that large or complex.

 

[Layla T]

Well that's me put firmly in my place. I don't know if my blogs are so bad that nobody's interested ... harsh!! You make a good point though about the interest coming from the wrong people.

Thank you for your comments Fisicx. SEO seems to be a touchy subject. Perhaps tricks was the wrong word. I try to keep in mind what helps in optimising search results but I don't go in for the cheats and all the rest of it. Everything I write, tweet or post is my own words, genuine and relevant. I've done this tirelessly for just over a year and it has helped my ranking and enquiries come in now slow and steady.

Whatever I'm doing though, clearly it's not enough. I will reconsider my approach.

 

[fisicx]

Put you articles on the main site - the wordpress site is of no value to you. But you also need a major overhaul of the main site - it looks very dated and the lack of any contact details make you look a bid dodgy.

Do you know the article have helped your ranking? Maybe there are other reasons why your business has improved. And if you did just the basic optimization on your man site you would get a bigger ranking boost than from a 1000 blog posts.

 

[Layla T]

Thank you for pointing that out @technician27. I'll be removing the last line of my signature so as to avoid another battering.

I don't know much about blogging platforms or how to set up the page, I designed my site and waited seven months while the site designer messed about and charged me the earth. In the end I was so desperate to get it active that I left some of the finer details unfinished because he was utterly useless.

Since then I've taken advice and tried to do my own research but really I've been doing this blind.

Thank you all for your contributions. An overhaul is needed I agree.

 

[Layla T]

Fisicx are you sure you're looking at the right site? Its white with pink and charcoal? The initial site was built by a friend who didn't really know what he was doing using some rubbish template occasionally I still land on that site somehow by accident so I hope that's what you've come across.

My site is modern and clean ... most people would agree. There are things that need updating, some of the text namely, since the market has changed since I first put it together, but otherwise I think the look is okay

 

[fisicx]

Yes, that's the one I'm looking at. It's not modern and clean, they styling is typical of template sites from 10 years ago. If you want a review you will need to join as a full member.

But as quick example: there is nothing above the fold that tells me what you do. All I can see is a huuuuuge image and a set of 1980s style tickertape messages

 

[technician27]

Nothing wrong with design of simply-buy.net. It is clear and images and logos superb and modern. Only you need to add meta title and description relevant to your site with keywords. At the moment your title is Simply buy you can change it to first time home buyer advice, mortgage advice etc and similar meta description. Job done.Check this link for your meta title and description screenshot http://imgur.com/S90XTkQ Use http://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/ free for seo. Also use a slogan (3-5 words) just under your logo with h1 tags and good luck on your business.

 

[threenine]

Why don't you write a blog post, for business zone. It's a great guest blogging channel.
Also you need to start contacting all the main property portals, in order to see if you can provide content for them. i.e. RightMove, propertynews , primelocation etc.
I have no idea what the criteria is, but I'm sure a phone call or an email will help.

These can be great way to build credibility for yourself, and get to be known.
At the moment, probably nobody has heard of you and therefore some may feel your may not be sound. Also hanging out on Property Forums and answering questions may be a good idea. This will also help you to build a reputation.

 

[threenine]

Use http://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/ free for seo. Also use a slogan (3-5 words) just under your logo with h1 tags and good luck on your business.

Not the best advice ever, as I noticed your site makes use of asp.net, word press plugins just won't work on it!

To be honest I think the design is ok, it's not going to win any design awards or anything but it is functional and most probably 99% of visitors won't care what it looks like.

I would say though that they way the content is presented is a bit boring! There is streams of text, which I just switched off too. Try make the presentation of your subject a bit more compelling, short snappier easier to read content BUT more of it!

I couldn't really find a blog, but I did find pages of content! Subtle difference but a difference!

Your site lacks case studies! There are also no traffic driving features to your website
i.e. Mortgage calculator, House Price Guide, etc

The content on your site, is the same that I can find on any 1001 property related websites, nothing stands out, nothing unique and most importantly nothing "remarkable".

Take a fresh look at your content, see how you can add more Tang to it.

 

[Elliottc26]

Hi,

You're bound to be frustrated with working hard for little results. Struggling to find the buyers. Blogging is more than just article writing. It's useful and interesting, working to gain you traffic and conversions. Wouldn't you like a site that draws in the buyers and creates new enquiries?

If your blog isn't a part of your main site then you're wasting your valuable time. With commerce, everything is geared to creating targeted traffic flow, and responses. You need to sell it and convince me, the prospect to become a paying customer.

Remember that honesty and transparency are vital. If there's any confusion then you'll struggle online forever and a day.

A good test is to try to use your own site as a new visitor looking for a service to solve a problem. If you can't find a solution, then neither can they. Be objective. To me, I thought your site would be full of free information, hints, tips and advice. Your copy on your site is also teaching, rather than selling.

To be honest, a website review on the full members area would steer you in the right direction. You'd get frank advice and constructive criticism to help you progress and succeed. Wouldn't this help your business more than trial and error?

 

[simoncrabb]

Perhaps you're trying to be too broad? Too general?

Instead of having "blogs are relevant to buyers of any age, any stage", focus on one ideal customer.

That might be first time buyers, or high-end millionaires, or sheltered retirement accommodation purchasers.

Then, you'll get visitors searching exactly for that, the blogs will speak to them directly, and answer their problems more precisely. (As well as other less precise people.)

Call them to action, of course, and from a blog, often that's most useful into an email list.

Do all the social media, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube (yes, do video...) and spread your message far and wide.

Hope this helps?

 

[HazelC]

Interesting that you state your blog is suitable for any age / any status / etc - maybe that's where it's going wrong... maybe it's not direct enough for one type of person?

 

[HazelC]

Maybe consider posting some articles as guest posts too? That way you can attract a wider audience?

 

[HarveyIT]

Fisicx are you sure you're looking at the right site? Its white with pink and charcoal? The initial site was built by a friend who didn't really know what he was doing using some rubbish template occasionally I still land on that site somehow by accident so I hope that's what you've come across.

My site is modern and clean ... most people would agree. There are things that need updating, some of the text namely, since the market has changed since I first put it together, but otherwise I think the look is okay

Have to admit that I haven't read every single word on the site, but I'm actually really impressed with the overall look. I really like it. Nothing seems to clash at all from what I can tell. It looks really professional too.

 

[JJHRmsart]

I look after a blog for a large HR company and views on blogs etc is something that i am monitored on.

Something that i find useful is to advertised not only on social media status's but join relevant groups and communities. People on these groups specially google + are happy to take a look at other peoples blogs.

I would also insure that the link to your blog is posted everywhere it possibly could be. Something that usually gets allot of traffic towards our blog is posting the link on a press release.

 

[sophiaanderson321]

start liking other people blog on wordpress so that they come over to your site. List your website on local directories.

 

[Banksbroo]

Hi Layla

I think people may have a problem finding you. A web search for your domain takes me to your facebook page. Your actual website is not search engine friendly - looks nice, but I suspect Google has no idea what to do with it - no h1 tags, I'm not even seeing a page description tag, just lots of feeds - I suspect Google thinks it's just a spam site. You also have content spread across 3 sites - Twitter, Facebook and your own site. Do they repeat each other? As a user I can't tell which one is the authoritative site.
I see your twiter feed references simplybuy.net (a wordpress site with no content), but your main site is simply-buy.net (can't see a blog on here).

I'd suggest rationalising your web presence with a clear role for each site, check that unused / obsolete sites are at least forwarding to your main site, and find a web development company who can write more search engine friendly code.

Also, I think the solution is in the name - keep all your sites as simple and clear as possible. A "less is more" approach may help. Clear and simple presentation. Clear and simple writing.

Best of luck

 

[Nuno]

If you want to establish a presence using blog posts, apart from the advice above, some of which is good, I would suggest 30 posts in 8 months is far, far too few. I would suggest trying do do a minimum of 3 (shorter) posts every week, more if possible.