subject: Blogging Tips - Blog Your Way to Success in 6 Easy Steps [print this page] Blogging Tips - Blog Your Way to Success in 6 Easy Steps
I still can't believe that some folks out there trivialize blogging and still can't get the amazing rewards it can provide for your corporate and personal branding. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could skyrocket your credibility in your niche market eyes more than having a blog. That's why; seasoned social marketers say that blogging is the social media gateway. Here are proven blogging success tips to help you make the most out of your blog.
1. Questions are the Answer! Create a Checklist
There are certain questions that you need to answer accurately in order to turn your blog into a smashing success. Write a list of blog-success-questions and answer them one by one before you get into action some of these questions include:
What is the main topic that my blog will discuss?
Who are my target readers?
What would my readers enjoy reading about?
How could my blog standout compared to my competition?
How can I shine like pro and become a sought after expert to my readers?
2. Find The Right Blogging Platform for Your Blog
Unless you have a business website that your blog will be part of, you will need to register a domain name (go for popular extensions such .com & .net) and use a web hosting service. When it comes to blogging platforms, I am a huge advocate of WordPress because search engines love it plus it is loaded with excellent plugins; not to mention its static pages feature. On top of that, WordPress gives you excellent protection against spam. Blogger is a more user-friendly blogging option as well as Type Pad.
3. K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Sweetie
Simplicity and uniqueness are two main keywords when it comes to choosing your blog's design and layout. Going for static HTML pages will enable your blog to upload fast plus it is search engine friendly. Also, you don't want your readers to get confused with too many ads or cluttered images.
When choosing your blog design, try to find a unique design or do some tweaking to an existing design to make your own. And hey, if you can afford hiring a professional designer for your blog, it is an investment in place. Still, you don't have to obsess too much about your blog design because at the end of the day it's your blog content that will keep your readers coming back for more.
4. Diversify Your Content and Be YOU!
Your blog should feel like a food tasting festival where all the dishes have one thing in common: they are delicious! Create interesting and different categories for your blog such as trends, news, tutorials, Q&A, polls, reviews, tips, you name it! This way you will satisfy your readers different tastes' and your blog would seem fuller and richer.
Your blog is YOUR blog. So, it should reflect who you are and MUST have your own personal touch. If you really want your blog to succeed, you MUST be authentic and don't take the easy route of copycatting others!
Also, NEVER compromise quality for quantity. Your blog posts should be carefully thought about and offer your readers valuable tips and insights that they can NOT find elsewhere.
5.Schedule Your Posts So That Many People Could Read Them
Your best bet is to publish your blog posts during weekdays between 9:00 am 12:00 pm PST as you will be targeting 3 different time zones. It is a good idea to have a different theme preset for each day. For example, on Monday you would post latest buzz while Tuesdays will be for tutorials and so on.
6. Monitor Your Blog
Free tools such as Google Analytics, WordPress W3Counter Pluginand Blog Grader allow you to get accurate blog statistics, including the number of unique visitors to every post. This will help you a great deal in knowing your most read posts so you can decide what to write about in future posts. It is also a clever idea to create an excel sheet including post publishing date, title and URL.
Now that you created a fabulous blog, go ahead and share it with the word. Good places to promote your blog are social media sites, discussion forums and Q&A websites (such as Yahoo Answers). Enjoy blogging!
