Money Rail: Checklist: 12 Things You *Must* do After Writing a New Blog Post [with Infographic]

Learn how to be a better content marketer with this 12-point checklist.

I see a lot of great blog posts go to waste simply because the writer or marketer didn’t understand how content marketing works (if this includes you, read this post on 98 Content Marketing Articles to Make You an Insomniac). These people are relying on the “build it and they will come mentality” which just doesn’t work unless you have a giant powerhouse with a massive existing readership.

So how can you get the word out about your latest and greatest?

The infographic below is a 12-point checklist that walks you through an excellent process.

Keyword optimize your post: Focus on the title of the post and use the Google AdWords keyword research tool to help.

Syndicate your content: Automatically feed the blog content via your RSS feed to multiple destinations. Including your Facebook Business Page, LinkedInProfiles, Plaxo and Ning.

Shorten your post’s URL: Gives you more space on Twitter and allows you to gain some insight into your posts success through the analytics provided by shortening services like Bit.ly.

Tailor your status updates: Write for your audience, so the message is appropriate for the people hanging out at each destination.

Post teasers on other sites: Write a compelling headline or question as a forum post title, then include some thoughtful commentary followed by your shortened URL. Lastly, ask for readers to provide feedback on the forum to continue the discussion

Bookmark your content: Posting your content to popular social bookmarking sites (Digg, StumbleUpon, Delicious, SERPd etc.) can still be a great source of traffic, backlinks and overall exposure.

Comment on other blogs: Providing helpful, valuable comments on other blogs can be a great way to generate traffic, develop relationships, build a following and add backlinks.

Seek and assist on Twitter: Search for relevant discussions happening on Twitter and join in to provide some advice. Follow this up with your shortened link. Don’t lead with the link though, establish yourself in the conversation first.

Add to your email signature: Wisestamp for Gmail will pull your latest blog post headline into your email signature automatically.

Share your blog post with target customers: If you have an email list of customers, share the content with them in an effort to help them do their own jobs more successfully.

Add your blog post to your next newsletter: If you have a newsletter, add your best content to it – then check the analytics to learn which content is most successful – this will give you ideas for future content.

Ask other bloggers to mention your post: Don’t abuse this, but if you have an extra special post, reach out to your network and ask them to tweet it for you as a favour. (Remember to mention that you’ll do the same for them in return). Conversion tip: The most effective way to do this is to include a pre-written Tweet and a link built using ClickToTweet.com so that people don’t have to put much thought into it.