6 Smart Tips For Better Blogging

You’ve read about it…you’ve heard about it…and now you want to get in on it. The blogosphere is waiting for you! BUT...if you want to consider blogging as a means to build a customer base, make sure you understand what you are getting yourself into.

Bloggers have something to say and this is their conduit to communicate their ideas to the universe. They’ll welcome you if you’re on the up-and-up and send you down in flames if you’re trying to pull a fast one.

If you want to use the Internet to build your following, you have to be disciplined and passionate about communicating your message online. If you are doing this just for publicity, it will show and you’ll be rejected. If you are doing it without a purpose, it will show and you’ll be rejected. If you are not involved personally in communicating with your readers, it will show and you’ll be rejected.

In other words, do it right or don’t do it at all.

The 6 Smart Tips For Better Blogging

If you have the dedication and constituency to get your blog out there, post regularly and keep the relationships in the blogosphere going, you might see the fruits of your labour.

1. Do It the Easy Way. Don’t get complicated with your blog. If you have to depend on someone to maintain it for you, make sure it’s someone you can count on. The moment the blog stops being fun, the moment your interest starts dwindling because posting is complicated…that’s the moment your blog starts to die.

2. Be Hard On Yourself. Make sure you have the discipline to post at least twice a week if you want to create a disciplined following. Be consistent about when you post new info. If your posting schedule is all over the place, you stop being a reliable source of information and people are going to place their attention somewhere else.

3. Don’t Be A Bore. People appreciate the written word, but in general are more entertained by more dynamic content. If possible, include video or audio when you get a chance. Most blogging platforms today can easily integrate content from YouTube or any video site.

4. Be A Collaborator. You don’t have to be the author of all your blog postings. Collaborate with colleagues. This is a great opportunity for cross-promotion. “You write for me and I’ll write for you.”

5. Tag Like Your Blog Depended On It. (It does!) Make sure to tag all your articles and entries. This will make it easier for the search engines to find you and can be used to navigate better on your own blog.

6. Unless You’re A Designer, Let A Pro Do It. Even the tastiest morsels of information are hard to swallow when a blog looks dreadful. A badly designed blog has a negative impact on your credibility. It’s like showing up to work unwashed and in your old clothes. In most cases people will have a hard time getting to your message because your appearance is not consistent with it.

Unless you’ve got some graphics skills, use a professionally designed template if possible or hire somebody who knows his/her way around blog design.