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How to blog

September 8, 2011Joseph LancasterInternet MarketingComments Off on How to blog

How to start your blog, get readers and keep them returning

It's easier than you think

This article assumes you already have a blog or a website that offers a blog. If not get a blog and come back to learn how to get readers who’ll not only read your articles but also help you market your website. Blogging is not hard but it can be time consuming. With this in mind you’ll want to get the most from your efforts.

The word blog is short for weblog but it is used for much more than just sharing what is going on in your life. Let’s quickly point out some tips for how to start a blog and ways to grow your readers and popularity. Obviously I haven’t covered everything so you are encouraged to contribute your input or to ask questions.

 

 

Tips on starting a blog

  • Create an editorial calendar allowing you to determine what you’ll cover in certain months. Example:
    • Dec: planning for your new years resolution,
    • Jan: stick to your resolution,
    • Feb: get your lover involved in healthy changes,
    • March: spring cleaning should include your pantry and fridge,
    • April: Miami Beach TRX….
  • Focus on providing free information that is related to your service or product offering. This way the article is not a sales pitch but genuine real information people will want to share and read more in the future.
  • No matter what you talk about it should encourage action and leave the reader feeling positive and energized about the action rather than seeing it as homework or a difficult experience.
  • Add ways to engage your reader. Ask questions to make them think. Include lists so that they have different ways to see your point of view or to take various actions. Another way is to include statistics so that the article can be referenced so readers will want to share your blog entry online with others.
  • Get the reader’s attention early. Try to include great headlines using play on words or adding interesting photos. If your topic or subject is not picture perfect try to make the photo funny or in some other way catchy.
  • Including videos will help better describe your thoughts. It is also said to be a factor when search engines are looking to rank your website with others. Even most cell phones take decent videos and will be easy to add to most blog software.
  • Make sure your blog is share-ready. You’ll want social buttons and RSS feeds installed so that your readers can recommend or LIKE it on Facebook, Tweet about it on Twitter, share it on StumbleUpon, Digg, or other bookmarking service and RSS which is a syndication service.
  • Be specific but be accurate. Be careful of being too wordy or using words outside your audience’s understanding. You want them to feel like you are speaking directly with them. Notice I didn’t say to them. Guidance is always better than pushing. Certain topics though can use more forceful encouragement such as coaching or suggesting major changes in personal lifestyles.
  • From a search engine marketing standpoint, use your main keywords for your topic in your blog title and again with variation in your title tags. Include links within your blog post to specific pages elsewhere on your website. When linking to other pages use the keywords rather than the worthless “click here” or “learn more” text.
  • Lastly I’ll say attempt to get users to add to the blog post by getting them to write a response or reply. When you end a blog post you should leave them with an action to take whether it’s asking them what they think so they’ll leave a response or to call you for more help concerning your topic (see example below):

It’s not a complete list, just a start. Knowing how to write helps but perfection in layout is not critical. Have no grammatical or spelling errors, use basic paragraph and essay structure. Since it is a blog you can be more personable. (Dori’s Online Nutrition Blog)

So have fun, be yourself and enjoy the process of growing your blog in both articles and readers. No blog grew overnight so be patient. Also, keep the end in mind. Why did you start blogging in the first place? This will help keep you on track. I started blogging to help educate my clients and later those who need help marketing online whom might not be a client. Let me know how I am doing, how I can help and if you have any input, please write below. I love feedback and welcome the discussion.

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