I followed my first talk show on Twitter with TweetGrid last night. (It was a pretty intense.) With hundreds of people tweeting about the Q&A taking place between Anita Campbell (@smallbiztrends) and Melinda Emerson (@SmallBizLady) from @SmallBizChat (also the name of the show), there was a lot to follow. The conversation took place for an hour or so, with some very interesting tips on how to bring your blog to the next level.
Here are some notes. I found some of the tips to be very helpful, and actually implemented some last night.
1.) Things take time. My readership is slowly growing, at what I thought was a somewhat discouraging rate. Anita reminded followers of the interview that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, and that “Every blog starts small with just a few readers.” Stay consistent, and they will come. (Blog and they will come?)
2.) Things have changed in the past few years. Bloggers are being asked to provide something a little more original. To get someone other than your boss and mom to read your blog, you have to try different tactics, and your content needs to be original, or interesting at the least. For example, Twitter has helped bloggers share their posts, and has helped to be more beneficial to bloggers than say Facebook or MySpace.
3.) Focus. Having a focused topic, targeting a niche market or audience, helps keep your blog consistent. It also helps to keep content flowing; when you know the topic of your blog, it may be easier to sit down and write rather than stare at the monitor wondering, “what to write about today…?”. (You may still get stumped on what to write, but at least you know what area to write in.) Differentiate yourself by narrowing your focus.
4.) Treat your blog like a product. You are the manufacturer and distributor. You are responsible for the brand, and treating it like a product helps to give your efforts a purpose and structure to follow. Furthermore, it makes it easier to focus, which is a key aspect of gaining and retaining readers. Stay consistent in distribution, just as you would if you were selling a product. Anita posed the question, how well would your company do if you only sent our your products every once in a while?
5.) Write yourself a marketing plan. Even if your blog is not your main product, treat it as an important component of your business. It is a great way to reach current and future consumers. Create a plan for your blog so that you can stay on track, rather than blogging with no apparent method to your madness. All you need is a one page marketing plan to stay focused.
6.) Plan. This could include using an editorial calender in addition to the marketing plan. Producing content consistently is important. (A recent study found that blogs who write consistently, and daily, do better than blogs who post once a week. Most big blogs post a minimum of once a day.) Planning for your week/month with topics to write on can help you stay on track and help you post every day. Incorporate keywords from your industry to help increase traffic.
7.) Don’t worry about advertising on your blog. Focus on serving readers first. Monetizing the blog too early was Anita’s “#1 mistake made when trying to get your blog to the next level”. Once your readership is high, advertisers will come if you need them. (From other bloggers’ advice, stray away from GoogleAds. They only clutter your blog.)
8.) Be consistent. It was mentioned above, but it is worth reiterating: being inconsistent in your topics and rate of posting can hinder your blog’s growth. If you only post once a week, keep it consistent. Also keep in mind that your blog will grow at a slower rate than blogs that are posted to daily. It is more important to be consistent than to post more frequently with lower quality topics and articles.
9.) Consider guest bloggers. Ensure they are in line with your blog’s topics. Your own voice and what makes your blog unique can get diluted easily if you are not careful. Treat them as an Op Ed contributor to a newspaper’s Editorial page rather than a freelance writer.
Remember that blogging takes time, but there are some easy ways to ensure your blog is more successful in the long run. Check out @SmallBizChat every Wednesday night from 8-9PM, EST.
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