Blogs, now one of the most popular ways to put out information online, are often free and ready to be taken up by even the most amatuer users. Sites like Tumblr, Wordpress, and Blogspot offer templates with easy-to-use interfaces that make designing, inputting, and uploading content a breeze. In a few clicks, a blog can be up and running.
While blogs are easy to create, they are less easy to make successful. Existing in cyberspace with a kajillion other blogs, any blogger might feel unappreciated. Instead of feeling lost and alone in the cybersphere, there are ways to make your blog one to notice. Here are a few best practices for blogging:
1) Figure out who your people are, and figure out what you can do for your people.
In other words, identify what you can offer your online community. What do you do that separates you and that will make your readers want in on your blog and not someone else’s? This will help you not only find your voice, but will help you target your audience, which is EXTREMELY important.
2) Communities are interactive. As a blogger, facilitate the interaction.
Don’t just sit by and watch what happens after you post. Getting comments? Good! Engage your audience even more by replying when appropriate, but don’t go overboard. Comments don’t require a thank-you card size of a response, and some don’t need a response at all.
3) Connect your audience to your blog.
Just having a blog isn’t enough to grow a community of followers. Tweet about a recent post or include a teaser on your Facebook with a link. Track audience engagement with a free and easy-to-use analytics tool like Google Analytics where you’ll be able to see how people are getting to your page and what they’re looking at when they get there.
4) Stay true to your message.
Nothing will turn off even the most loyal followers than a blog that is all over the place. Readers are coming to your blog specifically for what they get out of it - whether that be your advice, information, product, angle, creativity, or simply the way you write. It’s great to grow and expand... It’s less great to have a blog about giraffes and suddenly start posting about salamanders. You would be making some people who like giraffes really unhappy.
5) Be consistent in posting.
Don’t post 5 things in one day and then not post anything for a month. Your readers will lose faith that there will be new content to check up on, and your audience will likely start shrinking pretty quickly. Posts can be short and should be conversational, so the idea is that they aren’t too time consuming. The good thing about blogging is that the more you get comfortable with your voice and with posting, the more naturally it will come, and frequent posts will feel less like a chore.
There you have it! These five practices will ensure that your blog isn’t just a nice template, but one with substance. My favorite blogs follow these rules and serve as some fantastic examples. Check out The Daybook, Nat Geo Intelligent Travel, and the NYT Well blog.
Happy blogging!