An Influencer is a person or group of people who have the ability to influence the opinions of others. Having a blog is one of the best ways to set yourself up as an influencer. Blog posts give you the opportunity to promote yourself and demonstrate your expertise. The challenge is getting noticed by the crowds of people in your target market.

Great content is a must. Here are four tips that will help you do that.

• Narrative Structure – In search engine optimization (SEO) circles, there is a saying that says “storytelling is SEO for the human brain”. This means that the human brain is optimized to hear stories. This is true in a far more literal sense than you might expect. From the beginning, telling stories is how people understood things and passed on knowledge. Stories help us feel like we know the writer and develop trust in them.

• Keep Your Audience in Mind – Think of your blog posts as your product. Be aware of who your target market is. The more connected you are to your demographic, the better your chances of spreading your posts will be. This is a great time to mention that your blog posts must be made “shareable”.

• Skim-Worthy Articles – People are busy and, let’s face it, have a short attention span. This issue has exacerbated with the popularity of social media. Take Facebook for instance. When we check-in, it’s normally a distraction. We don’t have time to read pages of text. Your articles need to be made easy to skim through. This is easily accomplished with the use of headers, bolded text, and bullet points. Your readers can quickly glance at your posts and get drawn into what they are especially interested in.

• Be the Expert – Let your readers know that you are the expert in your field; that you know your position inside out, upside down, and backward. If you decide to hire a blog writer, be sure they know your niche and subject matter. If you’re a Realtor®, find someone who works with individuals in that field. Otherwise, you could run the risk of hiring a writer who will write bland content.

BONUS TIP: Blog promotion is essential to be seen in a sea of other posts. Whether you write your posts or hire someone else to write them for you, have a promotion structure in place. Post to your social media accounts, email to your appropriate contacts, and include your blog link and/or posts in newsletters and other promotional materials.

To become a better influencer through blog posts, implement these four tips as well as the bonus tip. Check your analytics to see which posts resonate with your readers. Watch your readership grow as you are seen as an influencer and thought leader in your market.

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