I’ve been blogging for several years, both for my personal blog (no longer in service) and my business blog.
I haven’t made it big. And no, I never made enough that I could quit my job and do it full-time. We’ve all heard of so-and-so’s friend who’s done it, right? If I’m being quite honest, I think those types of bloggers are quite rare. Maybe an urban myth? It’s hard to say, but you can still write a successful blog.
There are things to consider before starting a blog. Let’s look at them:
- Who is your audience? Who are you writing for?
- What problem does your audience have?
- Why would they want to keep coming back?
- What can you write about to solve their problem?
- How often will you write?
Who is your audience?
If you don’t already have a website, then it’s important to figure out that part first. What is the purpose of your website? How will a blog help bring your audience to you?
People read blogs because they are looking for advice of some kind. If a blog offers enough helpful articles, people will keep returning to the blog. They will grow to trust it and you, the author. You will build credibility and people will be talking about it. Going one step further, sharing your blog posts across social media will help you to reach a bigger audience.
Figure out who you’re writing for, and the types of things they’re going to want to read about.
What problem does your audience have?
People who read blogs do so because they have a problem and a blog offers solutions. Of course, it depends on your business, but if you’re writing about how your services can help them, or offering tips and tricks about specific things that you deal with on a daily basis, then those are helpful to your audience.
Why would they want to keep coming back?
By focusing on the problems your audience has and continually sharing solutions to those problems, you quickly become a trusted authority on whatever the subject is.
By writing about issues that your audience deals with on a regular basis, you’ll show them that you know what you’re talking about and that will leave them wanting more. They’re going to want to come back and read the next blog post.
Proving your authority is as simple as writing about your passion or expertise. If you’re doing it correctly, it should feel almost effortless to write about it.
What can you write about to solve their problem?
Everyone has a problem that needs solving. And everyone is looking for ways to solve that problem. If you can prove that you know about their problem and freely offer advice on how to solve that problem, you’re immediately on the radar, which is what will bring them back.
Your ideal reader has a problem and it’s up to you to write about fixing that problem. This is why it’s so important to figure out who your audience is.
By learning about your audience, you’ll learn what they need and you’ll be able to write TO them, specifically.
Lastly, by including a blog on your website, you won’t only be helping your readers with their most pressing issues, but you’ll also be bringing more traffic to your website. Going one step further and sharing your key blog posts over social media will keep you in the limelight, too.
I can help with setting up and maintaining your blog. Book a free consultation call with me and let’s discuss it.
