Over the years though I did write more and more – every time I wrote an article I grew a little more – I found my voice a little more – I was able to think up great topics and research them a little better. Once you find your voice you will know it, and your audience will to. Engaging and connecting with your readers through your writing is crucial to growing an audience and standing out from the rest. These days writing is much easier for me and I actually enjoy writing a lot (and a few people have actually mentioned that they like it too. I enjoy being able to help inspire and teach people online through my writing, it is more than just a blog – its a passion! So keep writing, the internet needs you!” Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog Utilize the social networks for good results. Concentrate on the big three: Twitter, Facebook, Google+. Connect with fellow bloggers, engage with them, and promote their content consistently to make your blog’s announcement. Reciprocity is the key here. Keep in mind, limit self-promotion. More over, Whether you blog 3 times/day or 1/week, always follow a schedule to let your readers know you’re here to stay. Forget SEO, for starters, priority should be on providing quality content. Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog Twitter | Google Plus | Blog Now I rely on my intuition to craft clear headlines that will compel readers to click. I craft them first and sometimes won’t even write an article if I can’t generate interest with the headline I may not write the article. I know that I’ve written a compelling headline when people are responding to the headline on Twitter or Facebook without reading the article. Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog I personally like to write the way I speak, in order to create conversations. One advice most newbies will ignore is responding to comments. Make sure the comments come from legitimate users and not spam. It’s hard to differentiate between the two, since they (spammers) have become pretty sophisticated. But take the time to look at the URL they are coming from. I know you want to approve all of them in order to look like your blog is popular…but don’t do it. In conclusion mix things up, don’t just write great content, make great videos, share great conversations, and keep it coming monthly. Don’t stop, it takes a while but very well worth your time! Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog What do you want your blog to accomplish? a) Do you want to inspire your readers? b) Do you want to educate them? c) Do you want to share your expertise? d) Is your goal to have fun or to make money? How often will you post? a) Once a week? b) Twice a week? c) What day? What time? What will you post? a) Short snippets and paragraphs? b) Photos and/or videos c) Will you have guest bloggers? You get the idea. No matter what you decide above all else, you have to be consistent. Consistency is the holy grail of blogging. Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog Aside from editing your written post, it is also imperative that if you use video as a main component of your blog to have a trusted colleague watch your video before you post it publicly. Is the information on your video accurate? Are there any technical issues? Does it flow properly and tell a story? It is important to share content that is relevant and well made. You only have one chance to make make a positive first impression. Don’t blow it by sharing mediocre content. Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog Build relationships! Respond to your readers questions and comments. Take time to interact with readers on your social media networks, like Twitter and Facebook. Visit their blogs and leave a comment. Just get started and GROW as you GO. There will always be more to learn, new tricks, new tools, and something “shiny” you need to have, hold, or install. Just jump in! The magic is in the action! And most of all, HAVE FUN! Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog The 5W’s of Who, What, Where, When, and Why are written in order of importance in your post. The focused data is the point of the pyramid. The rest is to build the base, which includes your personal story, quotes, statistics, and other information that validates you as an expert. Readers often scan rather than read. Therefore, this style caters to your future readers, as you organize your thoughts effectively, and present your key details up front. Writing that engages readers with info-rich content, will entice them to read your whole post, and keep them coming back. Twitter | LinkedIn | Blog A successful blogger is someone who sneaks a peek at other successful blogs, particularly those that write about similar topics. Sure, you know your audience, but that’s today, and your audience changes as they consume (and produce) content in a shifting landscape. Heed advice and learn to shift with them. Can you tighten up your writing, or simplify your blog’s layout? Can you learn to incorporate other media along with the typical text and images? If you take your own photos, are you an expert at snapping memorable, moving shots? Never stop looking for ways to improve on what you know, so you can meet and exceed your readers’ expectations for content. Every awesome blog grew incrementally, along with the skills of its writer. You can do this, too. On top of committing time to blog weekly (or more often if possible), consider dedicating time to reading lists like this, subscribing to blogging improvement sites likePodJam, and perusing trending blog lists like Technorati. If time and budget allows, join other earnest bloggers in improvement sessions at blogging conferences like BlogWorld once a year. You’ll get the support you need to stay focused and fresh. Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog It is fairly intuitive to use — you enter a word or phrase that you think is the one customers are searching. It will tell you approximately how many and then below that it will suggest other keywords and phrases that have more (or less) search volume. I rarely write an article or blog post without first consulting the Google Keyword Tool. Twitter | Google Plus | Blog Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Blog Write for one person. To this day I remember what my manager told me when I was a new DJ at a radio station; picture yourself talking to one person, or having a conversation with one person. You want a lot of people to read your blog, but write it as if you were writing for just one person. Record yourself. Recording yourself talking about the blog topic will help you to write as you speak and can help you avoid writers block. Relax and talk about the topic, then listen back to the recording and write your post! Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog Be sure to give yourself several days for each post. It is always best to sleep on a post before publishing. In the morning you have a fresh eye to catch grammar, spelling or even more focused content. Also, extra days give you the time to run the copy by a friend or eagle eye mentor for edits. Twitter | Google Plus | Instagram | Blog Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog Blogging is a great way to share information. Use this platform to share information that is helpful to your readers. Not only will you help them grow, but you will also show them you truly value their time. In the long run, taking the extra time to create useful and well written content will not just drive traffic to your site, but will also attract loyal readers and subscribers. Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog You will NOT make any real money by JUST blogging. It will take time to make REAL money with your blog. You need to work hard every day. Knowing all that, my personal advice to newbie bloggers is to know what you really want to blog about before you start. Once you have a few ideas, choose the one that you have the most knowledge in. This will first make it easier for you to share quality helpful content and second, make it easier for you to write that quality content on a regular basis for the long term. Knowing the truth up front and having a clear idea of what you want to blog about, will help you enjoy and respect the journey and have you seeing results much faster. Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | Blog
