Sproutdecks

5 safe ways for bloggers to win

Jamel Hassell

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Ok getting into the game of blogging and establishing yourself takes time money and effort.

You can penetrate the market without marketing dollars but that will only get you so far .

The organic methods are  somewhat limited in my opinion but are very impactful .

Good content promotion and
search engine optimization can drive  waves of traffic to your website .

But a lack of will and discipline to execute is the problem .

Mind some bloggers  have good intentions but lack the guidance in some cases.

Take a look at some of The basic ingredients of a successful content marketing campaign

Are but a few of the methods used to help  pick up small wins .

On the flip-side you can also use a few marketing dollars to boost your most popular post .

Anyhow this is not a traffic post but the message ties into my main theme .

The road to success is never easy but  over a period of months years you can build something sustainable .

Blogging like any other skill set takes time to develop before you can take it to the next level.

I am sure you have read blogs  and seen many of the success stories to date.

So it shows that great things can be accomplished with the right mindset and attitude.

There are bloggers making an impact.

Even if you do not know what to do the information is out there so you can learn.

And how is it done ?

First of all you have to define your purpose and what needs you will serve in the market before you get started .

After you figure our what void  you will fill in  the market you can set a foundation and  build upon it.

Basically your Goals and intent  needs align with the demand and needs of your audience .

You also need to know how to shape,mold and customize your content .

Every post that you put out should meet the demands of your readers.

This might mean spending a few extra hours throughout the week tracking .

Once you have your ducks in a row  you can document or create blog post that meets specific needs.

The ultimate goal is to win over people .

So therefore Strategizing and focus is the key factors in achieving that goal.

A lot  of bloggers have good intentions but have no affirmative plans to achieve their desired results  .

Here is another dose of reality.

Not one Social -media expert in the field became successful overnight it took them a period a period of time .

 

All started from humble beginnings .They had to go through a learning process .Each one of them are still learning and thriving today.

And people trust them .

Having people Trust you  is an added  bonus !

Take note that Each of the writers that I mentioned above has a unique way of doing things that resonates with their audiences.

With that in mind there are many ways you can win.

But he best way to win is to win people over because once you do that you have their

  1. Hearts
  2. Sole
  3. Minds
  4. Keys to their pockets

 

But unfortunately many authors including myself do not get a passing grade in the service  department . Something we need to do if that dream is to become a reality.

There is so much more to service than writing and promoting .

Some of us write hoping something will stick then wonder why we aren’t making Progress.

We should have  rough ideas as to how and why we are writing any given post.

Fortunately there is a cure for the issue.

See…A lot of the things that we need are already at our disposal we just do not realize they are there.

Sometimes it could be as simple as surveying to get feed back .

Study the Bloggers that are podcasting developing and producing. You might just learn a thing or two that you can use as a part of your strategy.

The information is on the web

seek and you shall find.

Some of us have a better understanding  of the importance of producing so much so that we write  in a manner that ignites,sparks the minds of  readers.

And that is because they are in tune.

Some of them pay more attention to detail than others.

Doing some of these things Is not complicated .Somethings look intimidating at first until you get the exposure and experience under your belt then things start clicking.

But It all depends on your

 

Do you have the drive ?

I hope that you are getting value .

Do you have a strategic plan in place?

Let me jot down a few quick pointers that you can test out.

 

It makes your job easier when you are interacting because you learn what gets  people ticking and what does  not.

So that way you  make  it easier to connect with the minds of your readers.

But there is no magic in the process.

  1. Hard work
  2. studying
  3. testing
  4. Not over thinking will get the job done

 

You do not have to do anything out of character to captivate people .

Give them the value they need build trust and win their loyalty.

But even building loyalty is not a difficult task.

Being yourself is  a good starting point because no one can customize your personality or ability to relay a message and build divine connections like you.

And having a good Personality not being snobbish unruly  towards people is another area that you can pick up on big gains.

We as writers would be better off if we kept it simple not over thinking ,chasing vanity metrics.

We want traffic and money instantly.

So now It is time to turn it around and tap into the resources at your finger tips.

 

Your mind is the biggest asset because it is your mind that gives birth to your ideas.

Train your mind to identify.

And you can only do that by learning and executing .

Absorb the knowledge and use it .

Hold on for a minute. I have a quick question to ask .

How far do you want to go as a writer ?

I want to be in a position  to establish my self as leader on the web hence why I am using my blog as the gateway  .

But  for any this to work

I have to be active in the market .

I have to prove that I am reliable .

This is why I create and produce weekly .

Another thing you need to look at is the gaps needed  to be filled.

Oh so sweet because As long as there are problems there will always be a demand for bloggers.

And I do not see problems walking away from earth any  time soon .

So hello there !

The name of the game is service not just ad revenues affiliate marketing sales .

“A happy customer is a paying customer ”

A happy reader is one that will buy

  1. Products
  2. Services
  3. Subscribe
  4. Rent ad space
  5. Give good reviews

Once that door opens you have the potential for long-term growth.

Do the simple things and  get extraordinary results .

So if you are writing articles that solves you end up winning in the long-run.

After having read most of what I have had to say thus far I do  hope that you are inspired to readjust and make smarter moves if need be.

You have got to know how and when to pivot too.

You can’t always dig a deeper hole.

No matter how good your strategy  is it is igoing to take time to bear fruit.

Because it is well worth it when you get reviews like one of the examples I am siting below.
Some one might  say  (hey I have Been following your blog for the last 2 years and I am impressed with the value that I get  )

Wouldn’t that be a big accomplishment ?

Now of course you want to measure your ROI but you get my point ?

See it is about making history making it memorable for your reader.

And Keeping them thirsting for more.

Keep them intrigued and running back for more.

Since We want people to subscribe ,buy products and services shouldn’t we give them top class service ?

Furthermore -How often do you interact with members in your tribe?

I do not  interact with my readers like I should be so this is an area that I need to buck up.

So if  you plan on winning then your readers must be apart of the plan .

Do you have a content schedule ?

Are your goals longterm or short term ?

What happens if you fail to reach one of your goals ?

Now me ..I prefer to you have longterm and short term goals .Having long and short term goals gives me the opportunity to gauge and my measure results bi-annually  or annually.

But If I am not measuring my results how would I possibly know what needs more attention .How would I know if I am servicing the right departments ?

Those are questions for you and me .I just thought I would bring them to your attention.

Let’s move on to my next point .

The opportunities in the blogosphere is tremendous .
Hence why we must take heed of the advantages .

Producing
Syndicating
Out reaching
Repurposing

All play a major role .

You do not have to be an expert to excel but it would help if you understood the basic principles of content marketing .

And if you do not know that is cool too .

Google
YouTube
Forums
The library

Are your best teachers.

Once you get the knowledge you have to apply and deliver .

Show the people you an produce top quality content .

When you produce and share quality people will come. Here is why (people follow blogs because they are benefiting some sort of way )

But once you get people on your blog you cannot drop the ball because your readership will decline.

For example

A dormant blog
Producing sub par content
Not staying connected

Those are a list of  things thay you must avoid if you want your blog to grow.

On the flip side of the coin many of us bloggers identify winning as in ranking on the first two pages  of Google and to a degree we are right.

But take note .

You can rank on the first page of Google and still not make money.

Why ?

1 Maybe you used search terms that your readers are not interested in

2 Maybe you gamed the system using black hat seo techniques

 

But to win you need a plan .

Planning gives you direction.

So it does not make sense writing about a topic just because it is popular to get traffic if you do not have any interest in it.

And Yes trending topics can get you a spike in traffic but if the article is very low quality it  can cause more harm than help.

So it is either we are in it for the long haul or we are not blogging because being in-between will not cut it.

We have to devote time and energy to our blogging  in order to reap the benefits.

And yes we all want

Traffic
Sales
Big subscription numbers

But who is willing to put in the work ?

The time it takes to reach the pinnacle ?

It is time to get excited about your readers now if you haven’t already.

It is time to rid yourselves of the bad practices that are holding you back.

Maybe it is time to de- clutter your blog .

Sometimes we reach stages in where we become stagnant  there is no growth .

So When we fail to up-grade our skills sets we fail to take opportunities to grow.

Remember every post that you write should be a marked improvement.

There is no time for mediocrity .

It might Sound like I am asking for a lot but I am not. All I am asking  for is your full commitment .

Your very best and that is it.

Put your best foot forward and everything else will take care of itself.

The readers will get more enjoyment out of reading your content .

Your name will generate a buzz and when people on the line  starts mentioning your brand in a positive way you will start winning all around.

More on this below  Listen  out.

I jumped into a Q&A session on Saturday August 4th on quora to respond a question from a new blogger asking “How can I start a blog and make money from it ?”

“You do not have to be great to get started but you have to start to be great.” Stephen  King

The Truth of the matter is  rarely if ever does anyone hit the jackpot  right out of the gate without having prior experience.

It is better to start out writing about subjects that you love topics that resonate with your audience otherwise your career might not last too long.

https://blogginginternetmarketing.wordpress.com/2018/06/29/5-of-the-best-content-scheduling-tricks/

Moreover I think that when you set out to make money blogging during the early stages of your career it causes you to cast doubt over yourself when you do not make money.

It takes away from the fun and it starts to get  boring and when that happens there is no winner.

Hence why I think that it is better for you to think longterm so that you don’t end up discouraged or bunt out.

So try attacking your goals indirectly ,focus on producing quality content to solve,entertain ,inspire .

I know that you have bills mounting up on you so you feel pressed to make a quick buck.

Now ,there is nothing wrong with wanting to make a few dollars  but you must prioritize and your readers must  come first.

Make them happy. Make them feel like winners.

Look at it this way;you need visitors spending time reading your blog,without them you wouldn’t be getting views or traffic which also means that there will be no potential opportunity to rent advertising  space on your blog because there is no traffic .

So here is what you do.

As you can see thus far you aren’t escaping the work that it takes to establish yourself blogging so you might as -well dig deep and get to work .

I don’t want to come across as If I  am talking down to you because I have not made a dime blogging .

 

With that being said it takes patience and a strategy to be a successful blogger but you can do it as long as you learn to apply the correct techniques and have the mind and attitude to do it.

Link out to the post below for more on  this topic.

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/beginner-blogger-mistakes

There is no shortage of information being shared on google ,twitter ,Facebook however I am advising you not to consume too much information without testing what you already know .

My reason for saying this  to you is  to help you avoid the pitfalls  that I faced when I first started blogging.

In life you creep,crawl,walk  before you can run at full speed.

Here are some tips below that you can use to guide you on your  blogging venture

Identify your audience

Once you know what types of content your readers want ,you can draft it up and put your train of thoughts on your note pad ,blog etc.. .

I have a few sites you can use to find the hottest topics ,trends

Another thing I want you to know is that ” success leaves clues” a quote  I picked up while  reading  Rodney Stokes Facebook status.

You might have zero experience but there are blue prints layed-out from others you can use to  your advantage.

On to my next tip

Keep it simple

When you are starting out it is best not to focus on the technical things, instead drill down on  format ,keyword usage and content  .

Keyword search can help you to track down search

10 free ways to boost your socialmedia strategy

The reason why I am telling you these things is because you don’t need technical skills and it is pretty much straight forward

A good tool that you can use for keyword search is google adwords keyword search tool.

Give your readers a reason to come back

Your audience is your advertisement so if you give them something unique and memorable they will return and boost you by word of mouth.

Another benefit that you get from having repeat visitors it is that it shows that they want to listen to what you have to say.

So the main point here is to keep their attention by giving value so that you can position yourself as an authority figure which can also help you to sell products and services .

Brand your blog

There is a right way and a wrong way to do this .The last thing you want to do is spam someone with your blog link .

So what you want to do is set up a nice capture page on your blog collect your readers email in exchange for your latest blog post tips a tutorial or pdf.

The main thing is to Give them something valuable in exchange for their email so that you can follow-up and advertise .

Write to reach specific goals

It is good to brain dump blog post ideas but not all of your ideas are going to align with your general message and readers needs,So you need to tailor your content.

You can use

And also some of the search tools I talked about earlier.

Edit but don’t try and be perfect

You can ask any of the established bloggers on social-nedia if they are perfect writers and if they are honest with you  ,their answer will be no.

Take pride and edit your work yes.Chase perfection no.There will always be something to improve  in your post like the title,grammar,Depth of post,post formatting,imaging and possibly more.

A baseball player doesn’t have to be perfect with the bat to smash a home run ,so save yourself time, draft your content ,proof read it, tag it properly ,strike the publish button.

If you Waite for the perfect time you will never build a tribe ,sell merchandise.

I have a small tribe now and my website design is outdated ,heck I don’t even have a custom domain yet.

Had I waited until everything was perfect I would not have a tribe of readers which also means that my blog wouldn’t be getting traffic.

What advice do you have for bloggers ?

Shout out to me in the comment section below.

 

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