One of the best ways to share your views, beliefs and passion with the world is by blogging about it. Blogging is the foundation of many businesses and has allowed many to generate income and connect with the world through writing blog posts. It might be a good idea to start your own blog if you agree with me when I say that sharing is caring!
Take a look at these additional blog related statistics pulled together by Ignitespot.com:
77% of internet users read blogs
70% of consumers have learned about a company based on articles rather than ads
Small businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads
81% of US consumers trust advice and information from blogs
61% of US consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post
It is clear that having a blog is a critical platform for either building a business or promoting an existing one. So if you haven’t considered creating a blog yourself, now is the time to give it some serious thought.
Even if you aren’t sure what your passion is, blogging can help you find your passion. But before you even begin to build your blog, it’s important to know some of the common mistakes to avoid from the start. Therefore, here are five blogging tips to help you start your blog on the right foot.
You build your blog before you have a solid plan.
Many people jump head first into creating their blog before they know much about how to create a successful blog. I was guilty of starting a blog before I knew how to myself! You must think through what you want to write about; the purpose of your blog, what it's going to be about. What's you'r specific niche or topic? Think about who you will write for, who will read it, and how you will attract those readers. Also, if you want to generate income from your blog, think about how you can monetize it by advertising, selling products, or anything else. Also, figure out how to drive search engines to your blog to build traffic. And last but not least, what you want your blog to look like; design, navigation, layout, etc.
You forget the “golden rule” of blogging.
What is the golden rule? It’s this: serve the reader, serve the reader, serve the reader. Connect with your audience on a personal level. Let them know how you feel, respond to their comments in the comment section. Never miss a chance to get personal with your readers!
You underestimate the pre-profit work involved.
It takes time not only to create your blog, but also to build it so you have a solid following of thousands of subscribers and daily readers. It might take a little more time than you first expected it to. The key is to never lose patience and keep going by continuously trying to build your audience and, in the meantime, not losing your current readers by keeping them occupied with posts that interest them and interacting with them.
You lose focus.
When you first start blogging, you might be full of brand new (business) ideas and you'll find yourself starting off feeling enthusiastic but that feeling might soon die out if you're diving in too quickly and too enthusiastically. Don't push yourself too much, it'll make you lose focus. Also, don't get discouraged when your blog doesn't seem to gain too much attention while you're basically still learning the ropes, you never know when your blog posts are
going viral!
You isolate yourself.
It’s really easy to remain hidden behind your computer, plowing away at your posts and growing your blog. But blogging is also all about making connections, not only with your readers, but also with other bloggers! It's easy to promote other blogs and get promoted, it's going to be like a trading business here and there. Befriend other bloggers, share tips and learn a few new tricks on your way while forming awesome new friendships with people that have the same interests as you!
Take a look at these additional blog related statistics pulled together by Ignitespot.com:
77% of internet users read blogs
70% of consumers have learned about a company based on articles rather than adsSmall businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads
81% of US consumers trust advice and information from blogs
61% of US consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post
It is clear that having a blog is a critical platform for either building a business or promoting an existing one. So if you haven’t considered creating a blog yourself, now is the time to give it some serious thought.
Even if you aren’t sure what your passion is, blogging can help you find your passion. But before you even begin to build your blog, it’s important to know some of the common mistakes to avoid from the start. Therefore, here are five blogging tips to help you start your blog on the right foot.
You build your blog before you have a solid plan.
Many people jump head first into creating their blog before they know much about how to create a successful blog. I was guilty of starting a blog before I knew how to myself! You must think through what you want to write about; the purpose of your blog, what it's going to be about. What's you'r specific niche or topic? Think about who you will write for, who will read it, and how you will attract those readers. Also, if you want to generate income from your blog, think about how you can monetize it by advertising, selling products, or anything else. Also, figure out how to drive search engines to your blog to build traffic. And last but not least, what you want your blog to look like; design, navigation, layout, etc.
You forget the “golden rule” of blogging.
What is the golden rule? It’s this: serve the reader, serve the reader, serve the reader. Connect with your audience on a personal level. Let them know how you feel, respond to their comments in the comment section. Never miss a chance to get personal with your readers!
You underestimate the pre-profit work involved.
It takes time not only to create your blog, but also to build it so you have a solid following of thousands of subscribers and daily readers. It might take a little more time than you first expected it to. The key is to never lose patience and keep going by continuously trying to build your audience and, in the meantime, not losing your current readers by keeping them occupied with posts that interest them and interacting with them.
You lose focus.
When you first start blogging, you might be full of brand new (business) ideas and you'll find yourself starting off feeling enthusiastic but that feeling might soon die out if you're diving in too quickly and too enthusiastically. Don't push yourself too much, it'll make you lose focus. Also, don't get discouraged when your blog doesn't seem to gain too much attention while you're basically still learning the ropes, you never know when your blog posts are
going viral!
You isolate yourself.
It’s really easy to remain hidden behind your computer, plowing away at your posts and growing your blog. But blogging is also all about making connections, not only with your readers, but also with other bloggers! It's easy to promote other blogs and get promoted, it's going to be like a trading business here and there. Befriend other bloggers, share tips and learn a few new tricks on your way while forming awesome new friendships with people that have the same interests as you!
