Confession session:
I’m an obsessive blog stalker.
I check up on my favorite blogs daily and follow my favorite bloggers on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat.
Think I’m creepy? In my defense, bloggers choose to post content multiple times a day and on multiple platforms. And guess what? The ones who do are raking in the cash.
Bloggers have been quitting their “real” jobs and have started blogging full-time. I was initially shocked (and a little jealous) when I saw this and would constantly wonder, how? What I’ve come to realize is that across all blogging niches (business, fashion, cooking, mommy, fitness, budget), bloggers who are diligent in branding themselves are the most successful.
Becoming a big, bad blogger is understanding the basics of branding. A consistent brand helps bloggers stand above the other 156 million blogs.
1. Use your Voice in all Content.
Being a blogging success goes beyond writing well. Successful bloggers write something that gives value to their readers. Bloggers need to know how to maximize potential from their audience, instead of focusing on expanding their audience.
You may have heard the phrase “You can be the ripest, juiciest peach, but there will always be someone who doesn’t like peaches.” The same goes for blogging. You can create the most relevant and catching content, but there will always be someone who doesn’t care about your blog. Don’t worry about those people and write content that matters to your target audience.
Writing well across all platforms is important too. My favorite bloggers provide quality content on all platforms, not just their blogs. Irrelevant and poorly written social media posts can turn off readers.
2. Find out who your fans are with analytics.
Bloggers need to use analytics to find what search words attracted readers, how long they stayed on the site and the most popular content.
The more specific a blogger’s brand, the more directed search results and audiences will be.
Bloggers must use data to see what their readers value. If bloggers notice readers spending extra time on a specific topic, they need to pay more attention to that topic.
Bloggers need to use analytics to branch out. Blogging is a springboard to launch other projects like eBooks, guest appearances, and company partnerships. Using analytics is what will make these branch-out projects successful.
Be strategic with sponsorships. Sponsorships and partnerships need to be strategically aligned with a blogger’s brand. A blogger will lose followers if they sponsor an irrelevant product. Readers will assume the blogger is doing it for the money and will lose trust.
Smart bloggers use data to pick branded sponsors. Bloggers can show potential sponsors bounce rates, click-through rates, and the number of unique visitors a month. The more niched a blog is, the more sponsors it will get.
A blog’s unique brand identity should help readers recognize the blog anywhere they go on the web. A blog will fail quickly if bloggers don’t put care into creating a unique experience for visitors that will keep them coming back again and again.
Much success,
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- 7 Actionable Tips for Creating an Engaging Blog Post
