7 Reasons Why Guest Posts Will Boost Your Blogging ROI

By now you’ll know that blogging should be an essential part of your online marketing plan. In fact, according to HubSpot’s 2014/15 State of Inbound survey, marketers who have prioritized blogging are 13 times more likely to enjoy positive ROI. What’s even more interesting is that guest posts and freelancers are integral to this ROI improvement.

Despite the claims of a few persistent naysayers, guest blogging is far from dead. Guest blogging works both ways - that is, you can provide an article that you have written for publication on another site, or you can request guest blogs from others to post on your own site. Both are beneficial to growing your reach and boosting your brand presence.

Here are 7 ways that you will benefit from making guest blogging part of your marketing strategy:

1. Increased authority

Association with particular brands helps build credibility for your own business. It shows that others recognise the value of what you have to say, or that they too want to be associated with your brand. If you’re submitting guest content to particular sites in a niche market, it’s likely that you’ll start to be viewed as an expert in that subject. Your influence will grow and you’ll become recognised as a respected commentator on industry matters.

2. Greater reach

One of your blogging goals should almost certainly be to grow your audience reach, so leverage the database of a guest blogger to help drive traffic to your site. Whether you publish on other sites, or you include guest articles on your own site, the host or the author will also promote the article to their own networks, increasing the likelihood of new traffic coming your way. A wider audience means a wider reach of social sharing and increased discussions around your article.

3. Link opportunities

Writing an article for another blog gives you the opportunity to include relevant links back to your own site. Most websites will offer you the opportunity to include these in the body copy of your article, or at least in your author bio. Aim for websites with high authority to give your SEO a boost.

4. Market to a niche

Guest blogs allow you to create or post content that is tailored for a particular niche. For example, do you want to target new mothers? Then find parenting blogs that accept guest posts. Or are your services geared towards a specific industry? Then find a popular industry blog and offer to write up a post.

5. Fill up your content calendar

You know that blogging is important, but it can be hard to find the time to regularly fit writing into your schedule. Accepting guest contributions to your blog allows you to maintain consistency on your blog, without having to do the heavy lifting.

6. Natural self-promotion

While you should never use a blog as a hard sell, it’s a great opportunity for promoting your expertise and then ultimately your services by leading readers to your website.

7. Beneficial relationships

Relationships are a strong advantage for any business. Guest blogging puts you under the noses of online influencers and gives you the opportunity to create mutually beneficial relationships with the right people. Become known as a writer who adds value through relevant and well-written blogs, and your guest post opportunities will increase, along with the authority of your brand.

So, now that you know it’s worth it, how do you go about it - take a look at part 2 where I give you the rundown on how to get your guest blogging strategy started.

Have you used guest blogging as part of your online marketing strategy? What benefits have you seen? Share them in the comments below.