With the blog site in place, the fun part of blogging had
begun. What a wondrous opportunity for a
writer to compose, present and collect feedback, in real time. Not yet convinced blogging was the right method
of exploring my writing voice, I dove in anyway. Producing content was tougher
than anticipated. Finessing the words
was pure joy. When rules began
interrupting the creative flow, the experience became something else entirely.
I expected the odd creative block, therefore, mitigated the risk
by collecting an abundance of material for 1-2 posts weekly. My challenge was sticking to the rules for
‘successful bloggers’ gathered through internet research and referencing social
media stars. After navigating the
plethora of advice, I narrowed it down to 10 key points.
10 Content Rules
for Successful Bloggers
1.
Specialize
in one topic per blog – a clear vision of content attracts a more targeted
and loyal audience.
2.
Catchy
titles – have yours be the enthralling headline that drives someone to
click and read.
3.
Consistent
post frequency – whether posts are daily, weekly or biweekly – some amount
of consistency is best to keep new followers.
4.
Avoid
venting – use your power for good!
Very few people can garner a faithful following of their complaints.
5.
Subtitles,
bullets and pictures – organization and succinct thought presentation make
for easy reading, especially for those who scan first before reading.
6.
Promote
comments and feedback – creating a conversation with your followers
generates three benefits; valuable feedback on content, follower retention, and
new followers wanting to weigh in.
7.
Make it
easy to share – provide easy ability to ‘share’ and ‘promote’ within social
media sites.
8.
Subscribe
capability – keep RSS feeds and email notifications ‘opt in’ prominent on
the page.
9.
Under
1000 words – the ‘sweet spot’ for most blog readers is between 600 - 1000
words.
10.
Credibility
– display relevant credentials, awards, and accreditations so readers have
confidence in your content.
Broken Rules:
The internet offers an overwhelming amount of information
about social media. I have handled the
abundance of advice the same way I manage parenting tips. I read through material that interested me,
and decided what made sense before drawing my own conclusions.
Without creating a number of separate blogs, I could not
follow rule number one and stick with one topic. Since my blog goal was to find my writing voice,
I needed the ability to explore a number of avenues that were incompatible and would
attract different audiences. While the
blog name, “JustMomSensations” suggests impressions from a Mom, it could not be
a well-targeted Mom-blog alone. It also needed
to include short stories, snippets of manuscripts in development, business
ideas, and favourite works of other writers.
I broke blog rule number one and I moved on with a chaotic collection of
topics.
Rules Followed:
With the exception of rule number one, the remainder of
rules were easier to follow. My posts have
not been as consistent as planned but it is balancing out over time. Since my first entry in September of 2012, I
have averaged 1.5 posts weekly. I’ve
managed to save my venting for journals and my husband, along with the
occasional leak of steam on my personal Facebook page. The
remaining rules guided me to structure the site and enable gadgets, all with
the purpose of maximizing promotional opportunities to gain followers.
Results:
The inconsistency of post numbers reflects my chaotic
approach to topics. The most popular
post is a short story called “Picture in a Wallet” – a cautionary tale about
unsuccessful child abduction. Short stories top the leader board in posts
and shares, providing the feedback I was looking for.
I had less than 100 viewers when the blog first
launched. I shared posts on my personal
Facebook, and emailed family and friends.
To increase my audience I needed to engage my existing marketing skills,
and learn new ones with social media. Social
media became my late night companion for weeks.
Within a month my viewers topped 500, then 800, with consistent growth
from there.
At first glance, social media appears to be free. One can use most tools without spending a dollar. The real and significant cost is human
resource time to create an authentic presence in each of the tools. Each site had its’ own nuances, tricks and
etiquette rules.
My education in going
social continued as I learned how to use tools to push and pull viewers to my
blog. ‘Build it and they will come’ is
nice dream. Commitment and persistence
is the reality of gaining blog viewers.
Next column: The Push and Pull of Blog Promotion
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