By John Siebert
What led to the invention and acclamation of blogging? I assume it to be organic SEO practice. Search engines deal with content and truth of the matter is the one who offers more, reflects more in the search results. And there will be many businesses to confirm this belief as many businesses who have embraced blogging have experienced increased revenue.
As more and more people are turning to content marketing, let me acquaint you with 5 important decisions to be considered while blogging.
Reason to Write
Out of all the other jobs in the world, you have chosen blogging as your core job. There must be a reason for you to settle on this decision. Get that objective defined by and for yourself. Once that objective is outlined, it becomes easier to move with your plans ahead.
This objective can be anything from positioning yourself as an influencing force over audiences, to project yourself as a freelance blogger, to promote your products (), etc.
An objective will be the fulcrum of your blog. Whether it’s a finance related decision or a content related one. All the blogging decisions will vary with your blog’s purpose.
Length of the Post
Posts are scanned at falcon speed. For those of you who are not aware of the name, falcon is the fastest bird on earth.
And therefore at such a speed only a peak through the content can be managed.
A peak through view gets you keywords, headings and subheadings images or lists at max. And hence when you write posts, it is important to allocate ample time to assimilate the right keywords that yield desired reader halts.
Cognitive principles dominate the content marketing sphere. The rule book simply consists of observations and analysis.
Short posts cater to readers having restless demeanor. Such types of posts fare well when you have a hardcore objective. And to outreach your audience you don’t need to beat around the bush, instead coming directly to the point head-on helps more. Whereas longer posts cater to people with more grounded purpose.
Be as precise as you can. Although complex statements and heavy words project a rich appeal. Clarity works with all types of audiences. A simple statement has a widespread appeal, and if you are producing something for the masses, I guess you would prefer it to be viewed and commended by as many audiences as possible.
Determining the Audience
There are two ways to selecting the right voice and tone for your blog. Either decide a tone and then wait for the suitable audience to or spot the audience first and then shape your tone in accordance to their liking.
And this is directly proportional to the point number one – Your writing objective. If you are writing to entertain keep it light and engaging. But if you have a clear purpose, let the tone be informational (formal or not depends on your exact context and audience) and content comprise lot of reference and links for authenticity.
In times when information litters all websites, people have abundant choice offerings to skim through. In this situation a writing style that is prompt in engaging online surfers is recommended. Adding stories and anecdotes to your recital makes it enjoyable and memorable. Moreover explaining a complex problem with the help of metaphors will not just turn out to be a more comprehensible option from reader point of view but will also make the task of narration easier. You can even a use a personal experience as an illustration, provided that experience is one most people can relate to in their lives.
Your audience can even help you with blogging ideas.
Manage Publishing
Create a publishing schedule for your blog. Much before you embark upon your writing expedition map out the milestones. Draw out the schedule for producing and publishing content. This publishing calendar period can range from a week to even a few quarters. Sticking to a schedule for a year is desirable to judge campaigns outcome. However when it comes to creating schedule, short term schedules are recommended for maximum effectiveness. As this gives the liberty to change your perspective and approach on obtaining reader feedback.
And not to mention reader feedbacks are an important cue to bloggers for improvement.
And if you are not the only writer for blog. A calendar is more useful in delegating and coordinating tasks amongst all the writers.
Nowadays there are many blog editorial calendars available to curtail your burden. These calendars provide with you many additional features such as post update notifications, comment notifications, workflow assignment, social sharing and reminder alerts.
This calendar will help you mirror your own work and strategize your work better.
Handling Finances
Most people wonder – Do bloggers really make money by scribbling those sheets regularly or is it some kind of myth? There exist many aspects to earning through a blog. Some bloggers earn through posting advertisements, some affiliate with promotional campaigns, some market their knowledge & oratory skills while some blogs are subject to membership fees.
Some bloggers have taken it as a full-time dedicated job whereas some do it as a part time. Those who do it part time have other static income sources.
As this branch has grown all by itself there are no fixed prescriptions to success. Where one formula works for someone it fails for others.
However if you want to take up this job just for the sake of earning more money, you might miss the essence. Blogging is entirely a creative field, like some people like Michaelangelo others are crazy about Picasso’s paintings. Do this simply to help your readers out there and you might be helped back in return.
Remember content marketing is not about instant sales. It builds audiences over time which help you achieve sales in the later run.
John Siebert is the president and CEO of Tranquil Blue – Web Design Tampa Company that focuses on all kinds of website design, mobile app development and search engine marketing. Stay connected at @tranquilblue.
