Guest Blogging – a Powerful Way to Build Your Brand

This is my post number 9 in Connie Ragen’ 30 days blog challenge.

Two days ago I had my friend Trapper Sherwood to write a guest blog on my blog, The Sleep Secret. It was a huge success. We recieved lots of kind comments, and I had the second highest number of visits to my blog ever that day!

This has inspired me to bring a series of blog post about guest blogging:

Build Your Brand through Guest Blogging

Blogging is such a big business these days. It is a great way to communicate and connect with other business people as well as customers or even just friends. As an online business owner or professional blogger, writing for others can get you noticed and build your reputation.

Your brand is your unique stamp. With big product companies like Coca-Cola or Nike, it is their trademark product and tag lines. But, they didn’t start that way. No one knew who either of them was or that they were solid products until they were marketed and that brand reinforced with endorsements and such from people we did know.

So, how can guest blogging help? Well, first of all you have to have a blog or website of your own. You can’t establish a brand unless you have a place to showcase it in the first place. It may take a while, but your blog can establish a loyal following you can count on to follow you other places.

Bloggers are smart people. They will know if you are just after them for their name. Before you approach them with your request (probably one of hundreds more popular bloggers get), get involved in their blog. Post comments on a daily or weekly basis. Pose thought-provoking questions. Show that you have something to offer!

All of this shows that you are attempting to understand what has made them such a valuable brand on the Internet. Also, they get to know your “face” as it were because you are always around. The only thing that works better for a new blogger trying to establish them self is nepotism (and it is always welcome!).

You will probably later want an endorsement for your brand and/or your product, so offer the blog owner a free product or a trial of your services. Doing so is a courtesy that will pay off for you in the end.

Writing for another blog gives you a chance to talk about other topics in front of a new audience. If you talk about the guest spot on your own blog, many of your loyal fans will pop on over for a look see. And, through your bio blurb, the existing audience on that blog will know where to find you. This is not to steal their readership but to share it since you are not necessarily in a competing market.

In an effort to put your stamp on the world of Internet business, try guest blogging. When done correctly, you can gain increased traffic and new business connections that will serve you well into the future.

Ressources:
Ebook published by Claus D Jensen: Blogging for Profits