The Benefits of Guest Blogging

Thinking about guest blogging? Here are 7 reasons why it is good for you and your business:

1.    Showcase your expertise – guest blogging will raise your profile and help you to be seen as an “expert” in your field. After all you wouldn’t be asked if you didn’t have something of value to say!
2.    Increase your reach – maybe you have not been blogging for long or don’t feel many people are reading your posts. Guest blogging helps you reach more people – especially if you guest post on a popular blog.
3.    Trackbacks – enabling the trackback feature available on all blogging platforms, allows you to see which readers are linking to your articles. (More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trackback).
4.    Comments – this is the best way to engage your readers. Asking a question (or two) at the end of your post to encourage response really gets the conversation started. If you don’t find you get many comments on your own site, being a guest writer on a popular blog can get you started.
5.    Find inspiration – feel a bit “rusty” or stuck for inspiration? Guest blogging encourages you to “up your game” and produce a good post. After all you’ve been asked to contribute!
6.    Ask for the favour to be returned – it’s great to have a fresh voice from time to time on your own blog. If you have guest posted for someone else, ask them to write for you too.
7.    Bio and links – don’t forget to write a short (think Twitter-style) bio with a link back to your own site AND social media profiles to be included at the end of your guest post.

Finally, you are probably wondering how you get asked to guest post.

Find a few blogs you enjoy reading yourself - start to comment and build a relationship with the authors (this will honestly only work if you actually like their content!) It is primarily through building connections online that you will be asked to guest post.

Kate Bacon helps small and bigger businesses stand out online through website development and social media training (including blogging). To find out more: http://katebacon.com or start the conversation @KateBacon on Twitter.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk