4 LinkedIn Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic

This is a guest post by Daniel G Hebert (@DanielGHebert)

A few months ago, I found myself in a pickle: I was simply not getting enough traffic through my blog. I kept pushing stuff through Facebook and Twitter, and only received a few nibbles. So I started thinking. I mostly blog about marketing and branding, so where could I find followers that would find my posts relevant?


This is where I turned to LinkedIn for the primary media channel of my blog. Here are some strategies that you can adopt on LinkedIn that are a sure-fire way of increasing your blog traffic.

1. Blog App
If you haven’t already, set up the blog app for your profile. Your blog is probably what you want to show off the most to others. So make it available on your LinkedIn profile. If you set it up as the first thing you see on your profile, you’ll get more traffic that way.

2. Link your Twitter Account
Link your Twitter account to your LinkedIn profile. When people check out your profile, they can see your Twitter feed on the right panel. If you share your blog on Twitter, they’ll also be able to see it on your profile. Also, your connections will be able to stream your tweets on their home feed. Most people don’t have the same connections on LinkedIn than Twitter, so it’s another way to showcase your Twitter feed to non-followers.

3. Post your Blog in Discussion Groups 
This is by far what I have found most effective for increasing traffic to my blog. When you have a new post, share it in discussion groups that are related to the topic. However, don’t just post a link and leave it as it is - that would be spam, and nobody likes that. Post it as a question that will spark discussion. Have your blog set the stage for discussion. 















E.g. - If you have a post that gives tips about personal branding, post the link in a marketing and branding group. For the title of the discussion, use something like “What is your opinion on personal branding? Do you believe in it? What are your personal branding tips?” and attach a link to your blog with it.

4. Create your own LinkedIn Group
By creating your own LinkedIn group, you have the option of featuring some of the discussions within the group. If you share your posts in your group, you can feature them as a manager’s choice. Also, you can set up news feeds in the group. This means you can set an RSS feed of your blog, and your friends blogs in the group! Awesome!

These are all methods that should help you increase traffic to your blog. I would say over 60% of my traffic comes exclusively from LinkedIn. So what do you think about these methods? Will you give them a shot? Do you have any other LinkedIn tips that could be used to increase blog traffic?

Guest post: Daniel G Hebert (@DanielGHebert) a 4th year Commerce and Marketing student at Mount Allison University and Social Media Manager with NuFocus Group (@nufocusgroup).

21 comments:

  1. Jason YormarkJanuary 19, 2012 at 12:55 PM

    Great post Dave. LinkedIn has always been a great traffic source for my blog utilizing the tactics you highlight here.  Great add in about making your post to discussion groups more of a conversation piece.

    ReplyDelete
  2. davergallantJanuary 19, 2012 at 2:59 PM

    Thanks Jason, although I can't claim the fame on this one. @DanielGHebert is the guest blogger on this post. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jason YormarkJanuary 19, 2012 at 3:10 PM

    Ah geez, got so excited about the actual post that I failed to recognize the author. Thanks for the heads up and good post @danielghebert !

    ReplyDelete
  4. danielghebertJanuary 19, 2012 at 3:58 PM

    Thanks for your comments Jason! I appreciate it!

    I just found personally that I get a greater reaction from people if I post it as a conversation piece. I've noticed a lot of people posting links only, and having no likes, comments, or any engagement from it. This way, you get people to go to your blog, and strike up a conversation! Win-win :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ray HiltzJanuary 19, 2012 at 5:57 PM

    Great tips, Daniel. And while I routinely link to LinkedIn , I haven't created a group. This seems to give you some extra cool options, i.e. RSS feeds.
    I agree that it's very important to ask a question as an introduction to your post to encourage conversation.

    Took notes :-)
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jocelyn WilhelmJanuary 19, 2012 at 9:02 PM

    Great post Dave!  I will give this a go!  I have a client that I'm working with right now and most of their target market hang out on LinkedIn. 

    Thank you!
    Jocelyn

    ReplyDelete
  7. Daniel HebertJanuary 19, 2012 at 9:08 PM

    Thanks for the comment Jocelyn!

    I found that everyone that would be interested in my ideas on marketing and branding could be found on LinkedIn, so I started playing around with it. It works very well for me so far! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Daniel HebertJanuary 19, 2012 at 9:10 PM

    Thanks for the comment Ray!

    Yes, it is very important to ask a question to start off your discussion. They are discussion groups, not advertising channels. But if you set up the questions right, people will read your blog, then comment on it and answer the questions. So it creates discussion, and you still manage to get that blog traffic.

    Creating a LinkedIn group is also on my to-do list right now. There are a lot of benefits too it it seems :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. jonbakerJanuary 21, 2012 at 3:10 AM

    Great bits of advice, for us many of us our target market are on LinkedIn. The only one I don't totally agree with is the linking of Twitter  and LinkedIn. I have linked mine but not so all my Twitter feed goes to LinkedIn, as there's a lot on my twitter feed! The general point about linking them is superb. 

    The one that I find best is the point you make about discussion posts, posing a question to spark the discussion is very powerful. I did originally try just posting the blog without the question, bad idea. Your method so much better.

    ReplyDelete
  10. davergallantJanuary 21, 2012 at 12:03 PM

    I've been starting to feel the same way about the Twitter/LinkedIn integration Jon. Turns out LinkedIn will be phasing it out anyways, at least to a certain degree.

    Thanks for popping in!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mattias GronborgJanuary 21, 2012 at 12:19 PM

    Thanks Daniel! Great tips! 
    I think it's time for me to start my own LinkedIn group? Are you hosting a group today? -Mattias

    ReplyDelete
  12. Daniel HebertJanuary 21, 2012 at 5:25 PM

    Thanks for the comment Mattias! I appreciate it!

    I am not currently hosting a LinkedIn group, but it's in my plans for the very near future (probably within the next week). It's been something I wanted to do for a while now, but didn't get a chance to get to it. There are many benefits of doing it though.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Daniel HebertJanuary 21, 2012 at 5:31 PM

    Thanks for the comment Jon! I appreciate it!

    The reason I link Twitter to LinkedIn is to have my Twitter feed available on my profile. Not everyone has Twitter, so it's a nice way to share your Tweets with others on LinkedIn. If you have too many posts, you could always just use the #ln hashtag for your blog posts, that way it won't overload your LinkedIn profile.

    The discussion groups have worked very well for me, so I recommend that for sure! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Keri at Idea Girl MediaJanuary 21, 2012 at 7:10 PM

    All points right on!

    Creating a LinkedIn Group is my challenge.  I'm in so many, that I'm finding a hard time creating a niche there that is not "just one more thing."  But...we'll get there.  :)

    Thanks for making this insight available!

    ~Keri

    ReplyDelete
  15. Daniel HebertJanuary 21, 2012 at 7:17 PM

    Thanks for the comment Keri!

    I understand what you mean. That's one of the things holding me back right now as well. I want to create something that will interest targets, and have a certain feel to it, not just another generic marketing group. It's a good idea to attack it with a plan :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. jonbakerJanuary 23, 2012 at 3:16 AM

    I agree with the #in function, thanks Daniel

    ReplyDelete
  17. jonbakerJanuary 23, 2012 at 3:16 AM

    Yes I just heard something about that, it will be interesting to see what gets phased out.

    ReplyDelete
  18. JanaviakkaJanuary 24, 2012 at 6:05 AM

    Loved this post and also the blog. Branding Agencies in India are also catching up with the West. Lets hope a war and more creativity.

    ReplyDelete
  19. DanMay 7, 2012 at 5:02 AM

    Excellent, Dave. I have tried creating my own LinkedIn Group, but it seems I'm having problems promoting it. Only few people have joined yet. So I tried to join other groups and try to invite them to my own group. Any tips about this one?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Daniel HebertMay 7, 2012 at 11:42 AM

    Thanks for the comment Dan!

    I would say the best way to market you group to others is in the product itself. What I mean by that is that if the title of your group is interesting, and it serves a purpose to others (like a niche or something), people will join it. Also, the more info you provide for the description of the group, the better. This will allow people to find your group more easily, and will give them a bigger picture of what it's about. Also make sure that you post often in the group. Groups that are not active are not attractive either.

    What you can also do is invite your connections to join the group. If you haven't done that already, I would start with that.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Lora EdwordJune 7, 2012 at 6:50 AM

    Thumbs up Dave. At-least one time i will try these tips. Actually i m running my own site and want to know out sources that are helpful to increase traffic.


    How
    To Use Linkedin

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

4 LinkedIn Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic

This is a guest post by Daniel G Hebert (@DanielGHebert)

A few months ago, I found myself in a pickle: I was simply not getting enough traffic through my blog. I kept pushing stuff through Facebook and Twitter, and only received a few nibbles. So I started thinking. I mostly blog about marketing and branding, so where could I find followers that would find my posts relevant?


This is where I turned to LinkedIn for the primary media channel of my blog. Here are some strategies that you can adopt on LinkedIn that are a sure-fire way of increasing your blog traffic.

1. Blog App
If you haven’t already, set up the blog app for your profile. Your blog is probably what you want to show off the most to others. So make it available on your LinkedIn profile. If you set it up as the first thing you see on your profile, you’ll get more traffic that way.

2. Link your Twitter Account
Link your Twitter account to your LinkedIn profile. When people check out your profile, they can see your Twitter feed on the right panel. If you share your blog on Twitter, they’ll also be able to see it on your profile. Also, your connections will be able to stream your tweets on their home feed. Most people don’t have the same connections on LinkedIn than Twitter, so it’s another way to showcase your Twitter feed to non-followers.

3. Post your Blog in Discussion Groups 
This is by far what I have found most effective for increasing traffic to my blog. When you have a new post, share it in discussion groups that are related to the topic. However, don’t just post a link and leave it as it is - that would be spam, and nobody likes that. Post it as a question that will spark discussion. Have your blog set the stage for discussion. 















E.g. - If you have a post that gives tips about personal branding, post the link in a marketing and branding group. For the title of the discussion, use something like “What is your opinion on personal branding? Do you believe in it? What are your personal branding tips?” and attach a link to your blog with it.

4. Create your own LinkedIn Group
By creating your own LinkedIn group, you have the option of featuring some of the discussions within the group. If you share your posts in your group, you can feature them as a manager’s choice. Also, you can set up news feeds in the group. This means you can set an RSS feed of your blog, and your friends blogs in the group! Awesome!

These are all methods that should help you increase traffic to your blog. I would say over 60% of my traffic comes exclusively from LinkedIn. So what do you think about these methods? Will you give them a shot? Do you have any other LinkedIn tips that could be used to increase blog traffic?

Guest post: Daniel G Hebert (@DanielGHebert) a 4th year Commerce and Marketing student at Mount Allison University and Social Media Manager with NuFocus Group (@nufocusgroup).

21 comments:

  1. Jason YormarkJanuary 19, 2012 at 12:55 PM

    Great post Dave. LinkedIn has always been a great traffic source for my blog utilizing the tactics you highlight here.  Great add in about making your post to discussion groups more of a conversation piece.

    ReplyDelete
  2. davergallantJanuary 19, 2012 at 2:59 PM

    Thanks Jason, although I can't claim the fame on this one. @DanielGHebert is the guest blogger on this post. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jason YormarkJanuary 19, 2012 at 3:10 PM

    Ah geez, got so excited about the actual post that I failed to recognize the author. Thanks for the heads up and good post @danielghebert !

    ReplyDelete
  4. danielghebertJanuary 19, 2012 at 3:58 PM

    Thanks for your comments Jason! I appreciate it!

    I just found personally that I get a greater reaction from people if I post it as a conversation piece. I've noticed a lot of people posting links only, and having no likes, comments, or any engagement from it. This way, you get people to go to your blog, and strike up a conversation! Win-win :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ray HiltzJanuary 19, 2012 at 5:57 PM

    Great tips, Daniel. And while I routinely link to LinkedIn , I haven't created a group. This seems to give you some extra cool options, i.e. RSS feeds.
    I agree that it's very important to ask a question as an introduction to your post to encourage conversation.

    Took notes :-)
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jocelyn WilhelmJanuary 19, 2012 at 9:02 PM

    Great post Dave!  I will give this a go!  I have a client that I'm working with right now and most of their target market hang out on LinkedIn. 

    Thank you!
    Jocelyn

    ReplyDelete
  7. Daniel HebertJanuary 19, 2012 at 9:08 PM

    Thanks for the comment Jocelyn!

    I found that everyone that would be interested in my ideas on marketing and branding could be found on LinkedIn, so I started playing around with it. It works very well for me so far! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Daniel HebertJanuary 19, 2012 at 9:10 PM

    Thanks for the comment Ray!

    Yes, it is very important to ask a question to start off your discussion. They are discussion groups, not advertising channels. But if you set up the questions right, people will read your blog, then comment on it and answer the questions. So it creates discussion, and you still manage to get that blog traffic.

    Creating a LinkedIn group is also on my to-do list right now. There are a lot of benefits too it it seems :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. jonbakerJanuary 21, 2012 at 3:10 AM

    Great bits of advice, for us many of us our target market are on LinkedIn. The only one I don't totally agree with is the linking of Twitter  and LinkedIn. I have linked mine but not so all my Twitter feed goes to LinkedIn, as there's a lot on my twitter feed! The general point about linking them is superb. 

    The one that I find best is the point you make about discussion posts, posing a question to spark the discussion is very powerful. I did originally try just posting the blog without the question, bad idea. Your method so much better.

    ReplyDelete
  10. davergallantJanuary 21, 2012 at 12:03 PM

    I've been starting to feel the same way about the Twitter/LinkedIn integration Jon. Turns out LinkedIn will be phasing it out anyways, at least to a certain degree.

    Thanks for popping in!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mattias GronborgJanuary 21, 2012 at 12:19 PM

    Thanks Daniel! Great tips! 
    I think it's time for me to start my own LinkedIn group? Are you hosting a group today? -Mattias

    ReplyDelete
  12. Daniel HebertJanuary 21, 2012 at 5:25 PM

    Thanks for the comment Mattias! I appreciate it!

    I am not currently hosting a LinkedIn group, but it's in my plans for the very near future (probably within the next week). It's been something I wanted to do for a while now, but didn't get a chance to get to it. There are many benefits of doing it though.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Daniel HebertJanuary 21, 2012 at 5:31 PM

    Thanks for the comment Jon! I appreciate it!

    The reason I link Twitter to LinkedIn is to have my Twitter feed available on my profile. Not everyone has Twitter, so it's a nice way to share your Tweets with others on LinkedIn. If you have too many posts, you could always just use the #ln hashtag for your blog posts, that way it won't overload your LinkedIn profile.

    The discussion groups have worked very well for me, so I recommend that for sure! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Keri at Idea Girl MediaJanuary 21, 2012 at 7:10 PM

    All points right on!

    Creating a LinkedIn Group is my challenge.  I'm in so many, that I'm finding a hard time creating a niche there that is not "just one more thing."  But...we'll get there.  :)

    Thanks for making this insight available!

    ~Keri

    ReplyDelete
  15. Daniel HebertJanuary 21, 2012 at 7:17 PM

    Thanks for the comment Keri!

    I understand what you mean. That's one of the things holding me back right now as well. I want to create something that will interest targets, and have a certain feel to it, not just another generic marketing group. It's a good idea to attack it with a plan :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. jonbakerJanuary 23, 2012 at 3:16 AM

    I agree with the #in function, thanks Daniel

    ReplyDelete
  17. jonbakerJanuary 23, 2012 at 3:16 AM

    Yes I just heard something about that, it will be interesting to see what gets phased out.

    ReplyDelete
  18. JanaviakkaJanuary 24, 2012 at 6:05 AM

    Loved this post and also the blog. Branding Agencies in India are also catching up with the West. Lets hope a war and more creativity.

    ReplyDelete
  19. DanMay 7, 2012 at 5:02 AM

    Excellent, Dave. I have tried creating my own LinkedIn Group, but it seems I'm having problems promoting it. Only few people have joined yet. So I tried to join other groups and try to invite them to my own group. Any tips about this one?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Daniel HebertMay 7, 2012 at 11:42 AM

    Thanks for the comment Dan!

    I would say the best way to market you group to others is in the product itself. What I mean by that is that if the title of your group is interesting, and it serves a purpose to others (like a niche or something), people will join it. Also, the more info you provide for the description of the group, the better. This will allow people to find your group more easily, and will give them a bigger picture of what it's about. Also make sure that you post often in the group. Groups that are not active are not attractive either.

    What you can also do is invite your connections to join the group. If you haven't done that already, I would start with that.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Lora EdwordJune 7, 2012 at 6:50 AM

    Thumbs up Dave. At-least one time i will try these tips. Actually i m running my own site and want to know out sources that are helpful to increase traffic.


    How
    To Use Linkedin

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)