Blogging Success – The New Blogger’s Guide – Part 1

Everything You Wanted to Know About Blogging but Were Afraid to Ask

Blogging is one of the most powerful methods for building your reputation and engage with your target audience. Here are several tips on how to make a better first impression.

If you already have a blog, then you might want to read this just to see if you’re getting the full benefit from your blog. Or to find out if your blog… uh… sucks.

Because frankly, most blogs do.

If you don’t yet have a blog, then you’re likely leaving money on the table and you don’t even know it. Blogging is a great way to reach your audience, build rapport, and get people interested in handing you money for your products and services.

Plus, believe it or not, blogging can be a lot of fun!

Let’s get started…

You Already Have The Skills

You might think that blogging takes a great deal of talent, but anyone, with a little coaching, can blog.

Yes, that absolutely does include you. 😊

A Few Tips To Get You Started…

There aren’t any right answers or perfect formulas. It’s okay to follow your intuition and even experiment.

Don’t compare. Don’t get bogged down by comparing your blog to other blogs. Someone else will always get more attention and more retweets. Learn from others but stay true to your own unique strengths.

Don’t give up. Your blog might take off in 3 weeks, 3 months, or 3 years. In the meantime, keep blogging. It’s a learn-as-you-go process, and if you’re tenacious, you will find your audience and they will find you.

Focus on your passions. It’s difficult to blog for years about a topic that bores you to death. Write about what you love and the passion will show.

Be flexible. You might think your blog is about one thing, and 3 months in you realize it’s about something entirely different. That’s okay. Most new bloggers don’t find their footing right away because it takes time.

Be consistent. Blog at least once a week or more often. Blogging once a month won’t get you the search engine traffic, brand awareness, or customer connections you’re looking for.

Know your ‘why.’ Focus more on ‘why’ you’re blogging than ‘how’ to blog. Don’t get so bogged down in technical details that you forget why you’re blogging.

Why Are You Blogging?

Facebook and Twitter might be less intimidating, but blogging offers a much greater potential to your business. If content is the fuel that runs the social web, then blogs are the engine.

Benefits of blogging include:

Creating brand awareness. Keep in mind that you might very well be your own brand, depending on your business.

Becoming an authority in your field. It doesn’t matter how much you know if others don’t know that you know it. Share your expertise with the world and let them know you can help them.

Selling stuff. A blog is an excellent platform to show people how to do things and the best tools to get those things done.

Catching the attention of leaders in your field. Create round-up posts where you ask the movers and shakers in your niche to answer a question or two. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to others in your field. Don’t forget to link to their sites, too.

Creating partnerships. Do you want to partner with other marketers? A blog showcases your talents and point of view, making it easier to create connections that lead to profitable joint ventures and partnerships.

Search engine traffic. Google loves blogs because they are updated regularly with new information that is helpful to searchers.

Social media traffic. Share your new posts on social media and ask others to share them as well.

Building your email list. This might be the biggest one of all since a good email list allows you to sell products at the touch of a send button.

Blogging Action Steps

Decide to be committed. Whether you’re starting a personal or business blog, be prepared to keep at it for at least 2 years. There are no shortcuts. It takes time to find your following.

Not sure of your passion? Write out 30 different blog post headlines that you would like to write. Now look over the headlines and find the common theme. Is it aligned with your business goals? Adjust and refine as needed.

Conduct an audit. Every six months, ask yourself these questions:

• What posts were the most fun to write? How do you write more of these?
• What posts received the most interaction or feedback? What did you learn from them?
• Are you still enjoying this topic, or do you need to broaden your scope?

Use deadlines. To keep yourself from procrastinating, let your readers know when you’ll be making your posts. For example, Monday and Thursday morning, or whatever. Then publish at those times, even if your post isn’t perfect.

Stop worrying. Yes, sooner or later a troll will say something harsh. But 99 out of a 100 people will be kind. Don’t let one or two negative people keep you from publishing your posts.

Make it personal. When you write a blog post, try to connect the subject matter to your own experiences, your story, or your perspective. This creates a personal touch and helps you to connect with your readers.

Image Credit: Geralt