Guest Blogging Can Be A Game-Changer
Let's be honest. Guest blogging can seem like a pain in the butt. Asking people to write 500 words in exchange for (presumably) nothing in return is uncomfortable. Formatting becomes an issue. What happens if their writing stinks? Is it mandatory that you return the favor? But, once you solve for the anxiety and "what ifs" of recruiting guest bloggers, it can be one of the most vital tools in your content marketing shed. Here's why guest blogging is important:
One of the most important factors in search engine optimization is the number (and quality) of inbound links that your site earns. Inbound links are links to your site from other websites. The more links you garner, and the more authoratative the sites these links come from are, the better your site's search engine ranking will be. When people blog on your web property, it's likely they'll share a link to the piece on their own domain and social platforms, which will do great things for your SEO.
Think about the posts you currently write. Each time you promote those posts (via email, Twitter, Facebook) you are reaching the same audience you did for your last post (and the post before that, and the post before that...). Imagine a door-to-door salesman hitting the same neighborhood over and over and over. New business often comes from new audiences. Even if your guest blogger is in your industry and zip code, it's likely their (website and social media) audiences will still feature dozens of unique faces (and more importantly, unique email addresses).
If inbound links and unique audiences are the meat and potatoes of guest blogging, then a new voice is the garden-fresh salad on the side. It just feels good for readers to consume different opinions, approaches, vocabularies and writing styles. Would you watch a news station that's anchor, weatherperson, sports reporter, and local correspondent were all the same person? Of course not. Your guest blogger should ideally be an expert of the subject about which they write. You wouldn't ask Brett Favre to blog about women's health issues in the same way you wouldn't employ Miley Cyrus to write about international law.
.....and if new voices are the garden-fresh side salad, credibility is that French wine you ordered that the waitress was impressed you could pronounce. Think about how much more powerful it is when your friend recommends a movie to you compared to seeing a trailer online for that very same film. Third party endorsements are used in media all the time (whether we notice them or not), and the reason is because they lend credibility. Consider that most books have a "foreword" section written by a notable person other than the author, and Peyton Manning tells you to eat Papa John's Pizza; the latter is of course bought and paid for, but both are examples of third party endorsements. Commissioning a respected figure to guest blog for your business's website will lend a great deal of trust to both you and your company.
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Think of recruiting guest bloggers like asking out a crush. It can be intimidating, but if you approach it with confidence, you might be surprised how interested the other party is.