If you are somewhat familiar with the concept of blogging, then you know the general functional elements that go into a blog. It starts with a domain name, then a hosting company, then we need blogging software, and then we need content and traffic.
Pretty straight forward, right? However, there are less tangible elements that every successful blogger should consider, before setting up a blog:
1. Vision. What’s your vision? What will you blog about and who will you blog to?
Having a clear and concise “picture” of what your blogging goals and purpose are is critical to your long-term success. Too often what happens is that a blogger will “think” they know what they are going to set out to do, and basically how they are going to do it. Then they find themselves on the “Super Information Highway” where information, ideas, irresistible offers and just plain “stuff” begins pouring in and they easily and quickly find themselves distracted and way off course.
Instead of spending the next 6 months, or more, fumbling around, aimlessly, trying this and trying that, and getting nowhere, create a roadmap of exactly where you want to go and how you plan to get there.
2. Passion. What do you love to talk about? Not what do you necessarily “know” the most about, but what do you get truly excited about?
Many blogging “guru’s” will tell you to find a niche that is profitable. They don’t encourage you to consider the topic, or the content of that niche, or your personal interest in that industry. And while this may work for a small percentage of bloggers, it does not work for most.
Think about it. When you visit a blog, and read the content, can you, or can you not immediately tell the difference in the content between passion and information? If it’s facts and figures, statistics and details you need, then there are plenty of “informational” sites from which to get that stuff.
Then there are those sites, and particularly blogs, where you go for more than just “information.” There’s emotion and insight and opinions and contrast on a blog that is managed by someone with passion. Passion that shines right through in their content and their online “voice”.
When you blog from a place of passion, you will find that your blogging “tasks”, mainly filling your blog with content, will be a much more enjoyable and effective process and your readers will be more responsive and loyal as they begin to connect with you.
3. Commitment. Are you prepared to make the commitments required to create and manage a successful blog?
It’s certainly one thing to put all the functional elements in place, but what happens next is where most bloggers are blind-sided by the realities of blogging.
There’s content. Lots and lots of content. Whether you write it yourself, hire outsourcers, or use Private Label Rights (PLR) material, it requires an on-going commitment to provide your readers with fresh, updated material that keeps them coming back for more.
Then there’s building and maintaining a relationship with your readers. Staying in touch and on top of the dynamic aspects and elements of your niche. Keeping their interest and building your credibility and their trust.
And of course, there is marketing. You can’t just simply create a blog and expect it to be flooded with visitors without putting some effort behind it.
So knowing and being prepared for the many different commitments necessary to successful blogging is critical to your long-term success.
4. Content. Where will you get your content from? Will you write it all, or will it be a combination of sources?
As mentioned previously, content is a driving factor behind all successful blogs. Fresh, informative, passionate, updated content is what drives new readers and keeps existing readers coming back.
Having a clear and realistic understanding of where your content will come from, and how you will present it, and how often you will provide it to your readers are all very important elements to consider before you begin blogging.
5. Systemizing and Scheduling. What days will you post? What days will you market? What days will you perform maintenance tasks?
One of the most ineffective ways to manage a blog is “on-the-fly”.
If you were to have an “inside look” at any successful bloggers daily blogging routines, you would quickly discover that there is a very organized system in place that revolves around a very specific schedule of when they do what.