Mind you, I won't pretend that "standing out" is easy. It isn't. With the zillions of blogs out there, setting yourself apart is always a challenge. But if you follow the 10 tips/advice below, you'll at least give yourself a fighting chance.
1) Be different. Find your unique voice. Find your niche. Find your perfect brand.
2) Try harder. Post compelling content. Provoke. Entertain. Inform. Help. Instruct. Inspire.
3) Get on Twitter and Facebook (make sure to register your blog with Networked Blogs) and, with discretion and consideration, blast out invites for people to subscribe.
4) Blog as many times as you can in a day. Even if it's just to post a great YouTube video. People quickly lose interest in static blogs.
5) Find out who your competition is and not only copy what they're doing well but add your own personal layers on top.
6) Don't try to do it alone. Too tough. Invite guest bloggers and cross promote.
7) Subscribe to, among others, HubSpot and Chris Brogan and Copyblogger. Those sites will help you immensely with great tips on blogging as well as the marketing of blogs (including the very important principles of Search Engine Optimization).
8) Submit to as many blog directories as possible. Technorati, BlogTopList, etc. Read the 10 Blog Directories You Should be Listed In http://www.blogtrepreneur.com/2009/01/15/10-blog-directories-you-should-be-listed-in/
9) Go to blogs with great traffic and comment on what they're writing about, making sure to leave YOUR BLOG LINK in the signature.
10) Develop a great blog roll - people who have a much better readership than you - and tell them you've added them to your blog and would appreciate reciprocation. Which brings up an must-do with blogging to succeed: To get, you must give!
And please remember to be patient. Results don't happen overnight. It takes months, sometimes a year or longer for a blog to develop traction.
I refer to the wonderful line in The Shawshank Redemption, said by Morgan Freeman's character:
"...pressure and time. That's all it takes really."
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2 comments:
Great article Mike for all of us planning for a fresh new decade this week. I'm taking your advice and will be adding your blog, which I read regularly anyway, to my new blog roll today.
David Weedmark
RE:Submit to as many blog directories as possible.
The backlinks from blog directories should be combined with the backlinks from the articles submitted to article directories (on topics closely related to your blog's most important keywords).
A properly developed backlink program will deliver far more targeted traffic to your blog due to its impact on the search engines than due to the actual directory links themselves.
I maintain a list of The Top 101 Blog Directories & RSS Submission Sites on my blog at:
Blog Directories List
Since I update this list weekly there are now 512 entries listed with NO DEAD LINKS.
Try to submit to 3-5 directories PER DAY. This discipline will pay big dividends over the long run.
If you find sufficient value in this list, please link to it in your sidebar.
Thanks.
Best of success,
Robert A. Kearse
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