Marketers can use social networks and key word optimization to increase their blog following.

Blogging with no followers is like the sound of one hand clapping. Building a following can be time consuming and resource intensive. Below are 10 tactics for gaining traction and building a solid community of followers.

10 tactics to increase your blog following:

1. Be an expert in your subject: make sure your core topic has not been extensively covered elsewhere on the web.
2. Create a professional presence: first impressions and functionality contribute to the users’ experience. If you are not familiar with landing page design, find someone who is.
3. Have content ready to go: being under the gun to produce content leads to writer’s block and uninteresting subject matter. Have at least 30 blogs ready to publish before launching your blog site.
4. Keyword optimization is essential: search engine optimization for keywords helps drive traffic. Invest time and resources in learning Google-friendly optimization. When in doubt, seek professional advice.
5. Use social networks: make a point of tweeting about every post and sharing it on Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn. Join relevant LinkedIn groups and post to their discussion boards.
6. Use your contacts: review your email list and address book for followers. Send an email to them with a link to your blog post.
7. Add the blog link to your email signature: give more people the opportunity to find your blog site.
8. Use social sharing: post your blog posts to Stumble Upon and Mashable to increase the reach of your postings.
9. Comment on other people’s blogs and articles: seek out people that are writing about similar subjects, and comment with a link back to your blog.
10. Monitor your analytics: monitoring your analytics will tell you what’s working and what’s not resonating with your audience. Blog posts with higher analytics numbers indicate topics your readers are interested in.

I’m interested in hearing from my fellow aviation marketers. What has been your best tactic to increase blog readership? Please share your experiences and most successful tactics in the comment section below.