It seems today that everyone wants to start a blog, given that there are more than 150 million blogs on the Internet. Despite the competition, it’s still a great idea. A blog can help you market your business or improve your hobby, but with so much competition, how can you break into the blogosphere with a bang?
Create a Plan
Just like a business won’t likely succeed without a business plan, you can’t expect to start a blog without a plan and still survive. Consider these questions as you prepare your blogging plan:
• What will you blog about?
• How often will you update your blog?
• How will you market your blog? Will you use social media? Will you offer guest posts on other blogs? How often will you use these marketing techniques?
• How much money are you willing to put into it? Where will you get the money to fund your blog?
• Who is your target audience, and how will you write quality content to meet their needs?
• What are your goals? If you’re looking to make money, how will you do that?
Become an Expert
Successful bloggers are usually experts in their niche. Audiences want to learn something new, so they’re not going to read your blog if they already understand the subject or don’t feel you’re qualified to offer advice on the topic.
But what does becoming an expert mean? Danny Iny of Firepole Marketing says that if someone asked you about the topic and you were able to spend 20 minutes explaining things the person doesn’t already know, you have enough knowledge to start blogging.
On the other hand, if you simply decide you’ll start talking about nutrition but know absolutely nothing about it, people are going to avoid your blog and instead read blogs from qualified professionals, such as a registered dietician. If you’re passionate about a subject but don’t have the qualifications to market yourself as a trustworthy source.
It’s also important to be transparent with your audience so they know where you’re coming from. For example, let’s say let’s say you’re enrolled in Monash’s online psychology program and you’ve decided to cover psych topics for an academic blog. Your readers should be aware that you’re currently a student, but are working towards a professional career in the field. There’s no use claiming you’re an accomplished expert, but no one claimed you needed to be to be taken seriously.
Announce Your Launch
No one is going to come to your blog unless they know it exists. Use these simple tips to market your blog’s launch.
1. Network with other people in your industry. Join blogging and small business groups on social media and get involved with forums. Tell people about your upcoming blog and get them to follow you on social media or subscribe to your email list so they can get updates the day your blog goes live.
2. Contact influential bloggers in your niche. Offer a guest post to go live around the time of your launch. In your bio section, make sure to link to your blog.
3. Tell everyone. Your mom might have some awesome connections you’re not aware of.
It’s true that the blogging world is competitive, but by creating a plan, blogging about what you know, and marketing effectively, you can break into the blogosphere without wondering what you’re doing wrong.
Source: Scoop.it