So You Want to Be an Internet Marketer, Huh?

Gina Chen has worked as a newspaper writer and editor for nearly 20 years. She blogs about parenting at Family Life and about journalism and new media at Save the Media

When I started blogging about parenting nearly two years ago, little did I know I’d have to become an Internet marketer. I have no training in marketing. My educational background is in journalism, and I have spent nearly the last 20 years writing and editing for daily newspapers.

But to blog well you must understand the basics of Internet marketing. If I can learn it, you can, too.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Promote yourself mercilessly: If your background isn’t marketing, this may feel weird. It did for me. By you need to tell everyone you know, everyone you meet about your blog. Do it in a conversational way, so you’re not annoying. But do it. Post your blog address on your Facebook, MySpace or Linked In pages. Put it on your business cards if you have them. Keep it in your e-mail signature.

Link, link, link: Now I don’t mean to link willy-nilly to blogs for no reason. Find good content that supports your point; link to it. Highlight on your blog other blogs that make an interesting point or reveal something new. Your readers gain because you’re the source of the information. Linking also creates a conversation with other bloggers in your topic area. You link to them; they may link to you. That eventually will help make your blog come up toward the top of Google searches, which can increase your traffic eventually.

Be a top commentator: Blogging is all about connecting with other people in the blogosphere. Greater connections will lead to more readers. So comment on other blogs. Engage. Blogging isn’t just broadcasting your opinion; it’s listening to what others have to say. If people comment on your blog, talk back. That encourages conversation and makes your readers feel like you’re paying attention.

Allow subscriptions through RSS and e-mail: That way, readers can pick which method they prefer. And readers who don’t understand RSS won’t be deterred from subscribing. Subscriptions work because they encourage one-time readers to become repeat readers, and that’s where you can really make ground in building a community and boosting your traffic. Think of it this way: Say you have 500 readers daily; it you have to attract a different 500 people each day you’re not really adding to your base — you’re just standing still. But if you attract 500 and then 100 new readers and then a 100 more and so on, you’re expanding your readership.

Use your keywords liberally: Keywords are those words you suspect people who are looking for a blog like yours would type into Google to find your blog. If your blog is about raising llamas, the word llamas should be in your headline and the first few paragraphs of your post as often as possible. But don’t be forced about it; remember, your main goal is for humans to understand your blog. If your blog is truly about your keywords, it shouldn’t be hard to get them in. Keywords will help your search-engine optimization, which is about making it easier for search engines to find your content.

Write good stuff: You can do everything right from a marketing standpoint, but if your content isn’t quality, people won’t return to your blog. What’s quality content? It’s like what they say about obscenity: You’ll know it when you see it. Quality content gives readers something new, presents it well, substantiates facts and is accurate. It doesn’t steal others’ content, but it expands on what others are saying. It makes people smarter. It makes them think or laugh or cry or all three. It resonates with their experiences and expands their view.