Offering valuable advice and information to prospects through your company blog is one of the best things you can do for your business. However, it can often be tough to get your clients or customers engaged with your work. To find out how other business owners gain leads with their content marketing and blogging programs, we asked the following question:

What are some ways to engage customers and get them actively reading my business blog?

Here’s what YEC community members had to say:

Quote Them

“We've found that actively quoting customers/clients is one of the best ways to get them to actively engage our blog. Most of the time they will come back monthly to check the site. The more you quote people and the companies they are working on, the more they will come back. It’s a great technique to get them also to share information about your company and the amazing time they've had with it.” ~Peter Daisyme, Host

Answer Their Questions

“Turn to your clients and customers for their burning questions and make a point to answer them through a video or written post. Keep a running list of content ideas and who had the question so you can reach out when the post goes live.” ~ Kelly Azevedo, She’s Got Systems

Send Them an Email Notification

“Your customers are busy professionals. Often, businesses publish their blog post and let it sit in their blog’s archives. The best way to get your customers to read your blog is to send them an email notification once a week to let them know about your best, new content. After a few newsletters, they'll come back to check themselves (granted that you're producing top-notch content).” ~ Syed Balkhi, OptinMonster

Reveal Everything

“There is a strong tradition in business to play your cards close and not “reveal” anything not required. Be different and interesting at the same time by sharing honest stories on your blog, showing some flaws and showing how you are diligently trying to fix them. Deep down, your clients know you're not perfect. In this way, you show them how you handle not being perfect.” ~ Brennan White, Cortex

Post Valuable Content Regularly

“The key is to regularly update your blog with content that is valuable to readers. The content should include information that the reader can use in his or her own business. This helps the reader, and also has the added benefit of establishing your company as an authority in your field, helping to generate future business. Never try to sell your product or services on the blog.” ~ Jyot Singh, RTS Labs

Link to It in Your Email Signature

“Getting in the habit of updating your email signature with your latest post is a very simple and effective step that many neglect. This is a highly viewed piece of real estate and featuring your blog here shows customers that it is an important part of your business.” ~ Jeff Rohr, SquareOffs

Share the Links on LinkedIn

“One of the best ways to drive traffic to blog content is social media. Don’t forget that most brand professionals are active on LinkedIn nowadays, and it can be a powerful way to spread the word about business content you create. Leverage your LinkedIn company page to drive more traffic to your content, especially if it addresses common client questions.” ~ Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.

Make Your Clients Part of the Site

“A great way to get clients to read your blog is to make them a part of it. One example is to creatively profile them. Do a Q&A that allows them to speak to their business acumen, but in a unique way. Also, ask them to be regular guest bloggers. For example, if you have a client that can speak to innovation in technology, create a monthly feature in which they provide a 350-500 word entry.” ~ Megan Smith, Brownstone PR

Host Your Site on a Known Content Network

“Linkedin, Quora and Medium: All platforms with built in audiences and the ability to directly reach that audience with a blog post. If you're thinking about starting a business blog, or not having success with your current one, consider posting your industry expertise on a known content network instead of your own website.” ~ Brett Farmiloe, Markitors

Advertise Special Offers

“Let your customers know that exclusive (and desirable!) offers will be revealed on the blog — and email them reminding them to check when they're available.” ~ Alexis Wolfer, The Beauty Bean

Invest in Design

“Take a hard look at your load time, your bounce rate and the amount of clutter you have on your business blog. More often than not, low engagement comes from poor design and long load times. Consider investing a little more into the ease of usability on your blog. This will help all of your other efforts to share articles on social, mention customers, etc. be ten times as productive.” ~ Jared Brown, Hubstaff