Official 2011 Second Guest Blogging Contest Post #18
Contest Article
I automatically thought of that recent blockbuster movie where the hot guy gets the opportunity to use all of his brain by taking this one little pill resulting in him becoming very successful. I did not see the movie but I do think it is a genius idea to have a little pill that would allow a blogger’s blog to be a hit overnight. Unfortunately there are none so it is up to the blogger to create a plan to turn their dull blog into a successful brand.
Some bloggers assume that the branding/marketing starts after creating their blog. The blogger needs to think about that before the blog is created. What kind of message do you want to send out? When visitors leave the blog what do you want them to say about the experience? All of this together helps a blogger figure out how they want to brand their blog.
The two biggest mistakes a blogger can make when creating a blog is not having 1) a detailed plan and 2) goals for the blog. In the beginning when blogs were a new idea that might have worked but now with people realizing the impact blogs are having they are taking them more seriously. Now blogs are looking like professionally done websites! Here are some things to consider:
Look at your competition
Check out established blogs with the same niche see what they are doing to keep a consistent amount of readers. Obviously they are doing something right.
Write down exactly what you want
Going into it with your fingers crossed is a sure fire way that the blog will blend in with the sea of other blogs.
Create a writing schedule
It is easy to say ‘I’ll write tomorrow’ however there will be another blogger that will write a bomb post today and steal the fans that might have been yours.
Have some back-up posts
Life happens. There will be days when an emergency prevents a blogger to be able to put something out that day. Go into the stash pile of posts and paste it on.
A blogger may not think this is an important aspect for creating a brand but it is – personality. Does personality drip all over the blog or do the posts sound like a monotone robot? Readers want to relate to the blogger, if not they will walk. I’ve read blogs that lack personality and professionalism and was immediately turned off. I myself am a blunt blogger but I know how to get my message across.
Sometimes bloggers will make the mistake of not taking the time to create a memorable marketing image (what the readers will see and remember when they visit the blog). What kind of logo or gravatar do you have? Does it have anything to do with the blog? Is it professional, something that could be easily remembered? Do the color schemes mesh together? I’ve seen blogs where the colors almost made me have a seizure. Bloggers need to work with different color schemes, space and logo ideas until they are comfortable with the product. Look at other businesses. What comes to mind when you think of Starbucks? Coca-Cola? Nike? Speaking of marketing images these are some sponsors who have successfully created a brand for themselves:
My point is have fun while creating your blog. Always think of ways to reinvent it, be consistent and original. I know I am missing something. What has been your most successful blogging tip? Or what did not work for you? Lets start a conversation!
Peace & Luv!
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Thanks for this informative post! I especially like what you say about competitor analysis, about looking at those with blogs in your niche and seeing what they’re doing. Like you mention, if they’re successful, you know they’re doing something right. I think it’s also important to know your audience, to know what they’re looking for and how to communicate that to them in an interesting, effective way. Content, like we hear, time and time again, is king. If you’re not producing good content, all of the SEO effort in the world won’t help you. Sure, people will find you, but they won’t keep coming back.
Petra recently posted..Auf dem Weg zum Web 30
I agree. I get so frustrated with doing SEO in posts that I sometimes forget about the quality of my work. I did that on my current blog and realized 1) I’m not feelin’ any of this and 2) I was sounding too much like a robot with not consistent amount of readers coming back on a regular basis. ONce I figured out what I wanted for the blog it was more enjoyable.
And I do feel that tapping into what your readers want is key. If it wasn’t for them there would be no blog for me, lol.
Thanks for the comment!
These are really great information. I badly need this one because i have just started blogging and i must admit that i do not know much about these stuffs yet. Thanks for sharing this one. This is indeed very helpful to all the bloggers out there. I hope i can learn and explore more things about this.
trip recently posted..Don’t Be a Quitter
Trip I’m glad these ideas have helped. It can be overwhelming at first. I’m still trying to weave thru it all myself. Good luck
Twitter: coreyrab
Great post. I think sometimes bloggers(including me) do forget that branding is a continue effort that has to be present through. Staying on topic and have a clear path that you want your message to follow are certainly great pieces of advice to follow.
CoreyRab recently posted..What is SEO
And most important…patience. this is a crazy thing called blogging, lol
talia recently posted..Vote!
This is SO true. After being told outright by several men I dated (and their friends, some of whom I’d only met once) that I was basically “too dumb to date, but pretty enough to sleep with”, I decided I’d better damn well focus on my looks because that was the only way they’d overlook my apparent stupidity. This did not work out well! Natalie, I hope you know how much you are doing to help people – you are truly amazing
Mahesh Rathi recently posted..IBS Blog
Twitter: kirapermunian
I strongly agree with having a look at the competition. It is really advisable to rank in a certain niche.
You’ll instantly spot your ups and downs in in the web via search engine results and social media monitoring.
I believe the aim of branding is to gain steady ranking growth by smartly setting you apart from your competitors.
kirapermunian recently posted..Distinguishing the Right Guy to do SEO
Creating a steady flow to the top is so true. I’ve had some bomb posts that received great numbers but then keeping that high of a expectancy is a little much. Having continuously great posts exceeds having one in a blue moon post any day.
talia recently posted..Vote!
i also agree, in this tips it is very useful, in my opinion when becoming a sponsor you will be included in all our guest blogging contests and articles including website e-mail announcements. All guest blogger contestants write about the content including sponsors links on their blogs.
angel recently posted..How To Make a Good Impression- First Date
Talia,
Thanks for all the great tibits. I’ve really been mulling the idea over in my mind for a few days, or weeks, oh, ok I admit i’ve been sitting on some sound ideas about blogging for sometime. But lately, I’ve been thinking about a name that details my focus, and even hiring a photographer to capture this idea I had for a logo. But then I was thinking, maybe i should just use the facebook format to see if people might be interested in my point of view before i invest money into the notion that they will. Anyway, thanks for your ideas about forethought, and having a schedule to write, and especially the advice about having some posts tucked away for rainy days.
I’m glad that you took something away from my post. It’s good that you wanna see if people will respond to what you have to say thru FB, whatever you decide to do keep that FB page up and link your blog posts to the FB so you don’t have to bounce to different social sites every time you create a new post.
Another thing to think about is using say like a WordPress blog to start (it’s free), play around with it and then when you’re ready to create a website you can integrate the blog with your website. Simple as pie.
I hope that helps and thanks for the comment!
talia recently posted..Why Having A Plan Is Key