There are many benefits to starting a blog. It can teach you new skills, such as writing, photography, and web-design. Help you to meet new people with similar interests and passions. Give you an outlet for your thoughts and opinions and help you to carve out something that is just yours. It can even help you to make a little extra cash. In this respect, blogging can be an excellent hobby.
But, what about if you want to make it more than that? Some people manage to make a very successful career out of their blogs. They earn a respectable full-time income; they get invited to exciting events and openings, they spend time working with brands and companies that they love and their blogs are truly successful.
Because blogging can be at least a fun hobby and at most an excellent career choice, more people than ever are giving it a go. New blogs start up every day, with niches ranging from wide, such as parenting and lifestyle, to micro such as vegan foods or supporting children with a disability. While in some ways this can be a good thing. It means that when you start out, there is a blogging support network out there ready to take you in. To offer you help and advice and to show you the way. It also means that brands are now much keener to work with micro influencers, knowing that these campaigns could be effective.
However, it also means that there is much more competition and if there’s one thing your blog needs to become successful, it’s readers. So, let’s take a look at some ways to get your blog noticed and help it to stand out from the crowd.
Find Your Voice
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Writing it your own voice is one of the biggest challenges for new bloggers. You may find yourself trying to write like other bloggers, or being overly formal, whether you realize it or not. The best way to solve this issue is simply by writing. The more you write, the more comfortable you will become and the more you will develop your own style of writing. Soon, you’ll be typing to your readers exactly as you would speak to friends in real life.
A mistake many people make is failing to appreciate the importance of finding your voice. A blog isn’t just a magazine or newspaper. It’s personal and real. With so much content out there, most of the time your ideas and opinions will already be out there. Your voice sets you apart. As an example, think about a food blogger sharing a chocolate chip cookie recipe. There’s already a million very similar recipes out there. The blogger’s voice and personality
are what makes theirs different.
Take Great Photographs
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The internet is largely visual. Imagine reading a long article like this one as just one big block of text, without photographs or subtitles. Your photography is what grabs people’s attention as soon as they land on your site. It’s what encourages the skimmers to read an article in full. High-quality photographs can be what sets a professional blog apart from an amateur.
That said, when you are starting out, it is possible to take some amazing photographs on your iPhone if you know what you are doing.
Post Frequently
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Once you’ve got someone to read your blog, you need to find ways to keep them coming back for more. One way is to post frequently. They won’t keep coming back for long if there is nothing new to read. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to how often you post, but try to be consistent.
Reply to Comments
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Another way to ensure people come back is by making them feel valued. If someone writes a comment on your blog or on one of your social media feeds, reply. Take the time to thank them for feedback and answer their questions.
Utilize Social Media
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Social media is a wonderful way for new bloggers to promote their work. If you haven’t already set up Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram feeds at the least and start using them. Share your work as well as other things your readers might find either useful or interesting. Then, just be an active user. Comment on and share other people’s posts and get chatting. Falcon Digital Marketing can help you get to grips with social media as well as other digital marketing strategies.
Find Your Audience
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It’s important to find out where your target audience is, in an online sense, so that you can promote to them directly. Look for forums and Facebook groups relating to your niche.
Tell Your Friends
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New bloggers often worry about telling their friends and family about their blogs. Perhaps due to embarrassment. But, it’s a great way to get readers. If anyone is going to share your posts, it’s your mom.
Even those that start off anonymous tend to tell people eventually, so do it straight away to get some views when you really need them.
Look at Your SEO
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SEO or search engine optimization is all about getting your blog found by search engines. It can be very complicated, but to start, make sure you are using appealing titles, filling in the alt text and titles for your images, using keywords and giving each post a meta description.
Make Sure It’s Mobile Friendly
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Most websites are now loaded on mobile or tablet screens instead of desktops. So, while you design and work on your blog on a bigger screen, it’s important to make sure it looks and works equally well across all platforms.
Customize the Design
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A professional logo and color scheme which is used across all of your profiles is an efficient way to make sure your blog stands out. Don’t put this off, or you’ll just have to change everything later on.
Be Interesting
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Read all of your posts well. If you don’t find them interesting, no one else will either. Remember, the odd personal post is great. Your audience wants to get to know you. But, most of your posts need to contain either informative or entertaining content.
Despite the competition, blogging still offers you an excellent opportunity to make a living from doing something that you love. So, why not give it a go?