Your guest post is the beginning of a conversation. A chance to connect. — Henneke Duistermaat
Copyblogger recently had a great article by one of my favorite writer/mentors, Henneke Duistermaat. Her look at the potential of guest posts points out that there is a journey involved for the reader, one that goes like this:
- your guest post catches the reader’s attention
- your author bio makes them want to learn more
- you offer an email sign-up incentive that triggers a click on the link
- your landing page is easy to navigate and they sign up
- every email, blog post, and interaction after that deepens the relationship
Frustrations Are Roadblocks
The challenge of internet marketing is the volume of stuff online shouting for our attention. Search engines filter the massive number of sites to present a probable category of what we are looking for, but with so many options, it is easy to click somewhere else.
Guest blogging is for branding purposes — starting that conversation and connecting with a reader. The links that are developed aren’t links for the algorithm robot, they are links for the reader. When the landing page linking to your guest post is frustrating, it takes a lot to get the reader to keep trying.
The Reader’s Journey Tells Your Brand’s Story
Your brand isn’t really what you say it is — your brand is actually what everybody else thinks when they see anything that reminds them of you. If the reader’s journey is frustrating and they don’t see value in overcoming the roadblock, that journey is short because your brand isn’t worth the effort.
Everything you do to keep the frustration level down on your website makes that reader journey easier to take, and they get to know you better. Your brand becomes a positive thing and your readers and customers share that positive experience with others.
Guest posts are excellent ways to introduce your brand to a potential audience, if the conversation started is one that connects.
