It’s no question that building your blog is difficult but ask yourself this question: Is there a way to build your blog without spending any money? I came across some great content published by Neil Patel, where he looked at some factors contributing to blog growth in the past several years. Not to mention, exploring various different marketing channels, he was able to put together a great outline of factors contributing to blog growth, both paid and non-paid. Anyway, I was surprised to learn that we often forget to leverage what we have in front of us and spend enormous money without thinking about the results. For example,
All those bloggers who don’t have any money to invest in paid marketing will be surprised to learn there are some effective marketing methods that don’t cost a dime. They are NOT only effective in attracting customers, but also have a better return rate than some paid alternatives. I’m going to go over some methods you can start to utilize right away to build your blog without spending any money, however, some are time consuming so spread out your efforts.
Let’s get started…
Where to Find Opportunities
There are a list of “6†places outlined where people are looking for problem solving content. You’re probably thinking there are more than “6â€, but I’m talking statistically where people go to find the right type of content. I’m sure you’ve read my other content where I’ve mentioned problem solving content is the best type you can provide for your readers. Next, it’s important you’re solving a massive problem within your niche because the bigger the problem, the greater chance of higher engagement. Statistically, these places are awesome to post answers with a link back to your content.
- Niche Forums (do a quick search in Google)
- Craigslist and Kijiji (a featured listing will allow you to post a URL)
- Facebook groups
- com (awesome for blogging related Q&A’s)
These places are all FREE and won’t cost you any money to register. The only one that will cost you $7.99 is Kijiji for a featured listing. However, this is completely optional.
Next,
Incentives
This strategy should be used with email marketing because your goal is to re-market to them through follow-ups. Not to mention, email marketing is a great way to market for FREE because once visitors are on your email list, it’s as simple as shooting a message directly to their inbox. Next, creating an eBook is FREE because it’s something you create for them on your own. It’s your experience in PDF format they can download in exchange for their email address.
Here’s a great strategy…
Provide them value in your eBook based on your niche. Do research, finding out what your visitors are looking for, then give it to them for FREE. Pat Flynn created an eBook that took him 2 months to complete and the conversion was awesome with 10,000 subscribing to download it within 30 days.
Friends & Family
We all have friends and family in different industries, which you should utilize for outreach. This is so effective because they’re more than willing to help get the word out for FREE and I’m sure they know other people relevant to your niche as well. For example, I’m a blogger involved in SEO, etc., however, I know people in the health, wealth, and fashion industry. If my friend approached me to help put out the word about their blog, I’ll be more than happy to help. This is an effective strategy and you should start implementing it right away.
Networking
Getting the word out about your blog is as easy as reaching out to authority within your niche. Some quick ways to build brand awareness for FREE is by guest blogging, expert posts, and resource lists. They don’t cost you any money to create, but have a huge return. I’ve been in the industry long enough to know who I can count on to help market my content by leaving feedback and sharing it on their social profiles.
Start by…
- Researching your niche for common problems then creating content
- Research authority blogs in your niche and pitch them your content idea
- Submit your post with a complete author bio and wait until it’s published
- You can even send authority bloggers a question for an expert post
Affiliate Programs
I’m not sure why I’ve included this because it does cost money to implement into your blog, however, the return is massive. After the initial investment, you pretty much pay money to the affiliate after a conversion is completed. In the end, you’ve generated a conversion and if you don’t, then you don’t pay anything. Affiliate programs are a great way to generate brand awareness with someone doing the work for you. Here’s how it works…
First, they’ll join your affiliate program because they’re happy with the terms and payout rate. They’ll head out and market your product or blog, attracting customers for you. The affiliate’s objective is to gain sales through their marketing and when they do, you’ll give them a commission. It’s simple and effective but as mentioned, there might be an initial start-up cost to get your affiliate program online.
