Having a blog on your website is a powerful way to generate traffic, engage clients, and attract opportunities for media interviews, consulting, and professional speaking. In order to get the best results from blogging, ideally you should update your blog several times each week. However, finding time to add new content can be challenging. Here are some ways you can add new content on a regular basis. 1. Share link to other articles and blogs. Blog posts don't always need to be long. You can post a quick paragraph with your thoughts on an article or industry news and include a link to the article so your readers can see it too. Remember, when you host a blog the goal should be to provide valuable information for your readers--whether that's information you create or it comes from other sources.
2. Compile round-up posts. Ask a question and compile the responses into one long post or a series of posts. You can even submit your request via http://helpareporter.com or reach out to your social media networks to solicit responses. Contributors will be glad to be featured in your blog.
3. Invite guest blog contributors. These can be friends, peers, or people you don't know. Put out a call for submissions and add submission guidelines to your site to attract content on a regular basis. As an added bonus, guest contributors will also share the link with their networks, bringing your site even more traffic as a result.
4. Compile an index of previous posts. If you've amassed a series of blog posts about a specific topic, why not put them all into one easy list for readers to discover? A friend of mine did this recently and reported a big boost in traffic as a result.
5. Post a video. Not all posts must be written. A quick video blog can attract new readers and give your carpal tunnel syndrome a break!
6. Host a blog carnival. A blog carnival is a round-up of links to other people's blog posts based on a theme. Some blogs feature these on a regular basis because they can be great for generating traffic. You can gather submissions and get more ideas via http://blogcarnival.com.
7. Hold a comment contest. Ask site visitors to post a comment with an answer to a trivia question or explaining how they do something. Give away a free ebook, audio recording series or other prize and enjoy the amount of buzz you can generate as a result.
8. Compile industry news. Become a valuable source for your readers by compiling a list of industry news stories. You might do this once each week or once a month. Whatever the interval, providing links to interesting industry information can be a great asset for your readers. Think of it as your Twitter feed all added to one big blog post!
9. Conduct interviews. One of my favorite features that we've added here on BusinessInfoGuide.com is our column featuring interviews with entrepreneurs and authors. We have a simple contact form that users can fill out and if the content is right for the site, we will feature the interview on the home page--and forever in our archives. This creates a win-win situation for all involved. The featured interviewee gets additional exposure from our site and social media, while we provide interesting content for our readers and ensure we're adding content to the site on a regular basis. (Want to contribute an interview? Get the details here.)
10. Hire some help. If the above suggestions still sound like a lot of work for you, then consider hiring someone to help. Hiring a blog content manager was one of the best decisions I've made. I still write all of my own content, but my content manager helps with round-ups, guest blog posts and other tasks that I no longer have time to manage. This frees me up to focus on what I love to do and ensures that we consistently publish great content. A virtual assistant or an intern can make it all much easier in the long run!
Stephanie Chandler is the author of several books including "Own Your Niche: Hype-Free Internet Marketing Tactics to Establish Authority in Your Field and Promote Your Service-Based Business." She is also CEO of http://AuthorityPublishing.com, a custom publisher specializing in non-fiction books, and http://BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of resources for entrepreneurs.
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