If you’re struggling to convert blog readers into clients, read this

Have a look back at your last three blog posts.

First, do they have any value?  If the answer is no, go back to the drawing board.  You can either do better, or you can give up blogging.

If you’ve passed that first hurdle, onto the next:

Who are your blog posts of value to?  Who finds them useful?

I’m a website designer.  Sometimes, I share information that is of value to other website designers.  (This normally happens when I’ve spent ages trying to crack a specific problem, the solution to which I think will be of value to other website designers – see this post for example).

But if you look back through my blog, you’ll notice that most of the content there is not targeted at other website designers.  It’s not technical.  It’s not about the latest gadgets.  It’s not about any of that stuff.

Why?

Because other website designers are not my target clients.

My target clients are organisations of, say 5 – 30 people, who need help with building and running a successful website, and who are prepared to put in some effort to make their website really work for them.

So my blog is targeted accordingly.

Writing technical stuff would in many ways be easier.  And I’m sure I’d get a load of traffic (the technical blog post I mentioned above is one of the most visited posts on my website).

But it wouldn’t be the right sort of traffic.

The people that I want reading my blog are people who will read what I say, find it strikes a chord/is useful, respect me for it, and go on to contact me to help them further.

So in summary:

• Who are your target clients?
• What will they find useful/of value? (why not ask them?)
• Write about it!
• Share it with them, through a newsletter, social media, etc.
• Every so often, touch base with them again to check you’re still on the right track