Yes, you guessed it; I am going to use the old stand-by for helping you make sense of this whole blogging thing. Shall we jump right in then? I should think if you want to start the day of right – that would be the best choice.
Who are you blogging for? Knowing this is critical to building a successful blog. You may be blogging for yourself or you might be blogging for an audience. For example: If you are trying to get that darned book written, but find the enormity of it is overwhelming, then writing a little at a time (hint…a blog) will go a long way in getting your thoughts down and the content underway. Additionally, if you have commenting you may get more ideas, fodder and feedback on said book before you go to publish something that misses the mark.
If you are writing for a particular audience, however, your tactic should be different. There are so many opportunities to write about certain topics, but again you need to know who your audience is before you go running your mouth. Are you writing for fellow bloggers, small business owners, Dads, Moms, Investors….. It doesn’t matter who you are writing for, but you do need to decide that 1st. The rest will follow.
What are you writing about? Again, the more specific you can be in determining the topic the better off you are going to be. Please know that this can and should change as you go. Think strategically around this one. If you are trying to sell a new service, use the blog to educate your audience about the benefits of such. Use it as a way to nail down your message.
Why are you blogging in the first place? Too many people will tell you; because so and so told me it would be good for search engines. Not good enough! They are right in some sense, but if you don’t have any idea why you are doing it and for who- you will be wasting a lot of time and energy. Are you trying to gain credibility with potential clients, educate others or are you writing purely for entertainment purposes? These first three steps are designed to help you stay on track and not get too distracted by all of the options out there.
When are you going to find the time? Social media is great if you can figure out how to manage it well. There are so many opinions on how often you should post, but I will tell you – CONSISTENCY is the key. If you only write once a week or once a month- so be it! Just don’t let it get stale. Make a plan that works for you. (I can imagine the avid bloggers are probably shaking their heads, but at the same time secretly wishing they could get a handle on their addiction.) The reality s that this is only one marketing tool and that you have to manage your time on it. Be realistic.
Where will you be posting blogs? Well, again you have options. You can post only on your site or you can guest post on others’ sites. Now that you know whom you are writing for and what you are writing about…. you can decide the best place for you to attract readership. If you really want to bulk up traffic on your site, then stick to writing solely on yours until you reach some of your goals. If, however, you know that a colleague has a blog site that might help you gain some respect, perhaps find some new clients, or just because he is passionate about the same subject matter as yourself, then try to get on board either randomly as a guest or become a regular.
I think the problem for most people is that they have too many ideas and get themselves all worked up and overwhelmed. The great thing about the Internet is that you can have many different blogs depending on what your goals are around them, BUT you have to take them one at a time and not mix your metaphors. Try not to get off on a tangent or mix up your style too much within one blog- you will confuse and then lose your audience.
So- Start from from the Who 1st and work your way down. If you can’t figure out any one of these…. ask for help.
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Great who,what,why,when,where analogy you apply to blogging.
I really like how you say “There are so many opinions on how often you should post, but I will tell you – CONSISTENCY is the key. If you only write once a week or once a month- so be it! Just don’t let it get stale.”
So the key is to be regular to your postings. Readers will then know when to expect the next post.
Nabeel
To simplify the post into a couple of sentences, evaluate why you are blogging to help people?
I can answer that question right now; I am blogging to help people get a website or blog going. Mainly younger people.
By asking yourself these questions, you can easily pump out great content because you will then be delivering information that your readers will probably want to read.
Great post!
Absolutely! Business is personal, writing style is personal and blogging is personal! Niche/Personal, it makes no difference as long as you are purposeful in what you are trying to accomplish. If your personality doesn't show through in your blog- whether it is for education, information or even inspiration, you won't find your target audience. People will follow you because they like your style AND the content.
And you should expect another post from me next Tuesday;) Thanks for the comment.
If you really listen to what your readers have to say, both good and bad, you will be able to provide them with what they want to know more about. Thanks!
In a perfect world all potential bloggers would take their 5 index cards with answers to someone qualified. When and only when that person handed them back the cards saying, “you're good to go” would they then begin blogging.
Actually that is a great idea Dennis!
lol thanks man.
So whatcha think…a rough estimate on how many less crap blogs would be clogging the net…anyone? anyone?
Simple and to the point and yet most people probably don't know most of these and continue to blog. Hell, I need to think about these as well but it's becoming more and more clear to me each day.
Though if I really didn't have a clue I wouldn't be doing half the stuff I do each day.
Thanks for the tips Keith!
Great tips really i read over internet ever. I love to visit your blog again and again, because it
provide me up to date knowledge on different topics. Tully class act. Thanks for all the good posts.
Thanks so much. I am glad I am providing useful information and food for thought.
Sam
Great Question! I think it all matters on the person who owns the blog, how he promotes it and how it is being monetized.I will definitely build one soon.