Start-Up Blogging Tips

There are literally hundred of thousands of blogs out there of various types and styles. It’s often tricky to figure out what your niche is… and can be quite intimidating to consider where your blog fits in and how to make it irresistible to visitors so that they keep coming back because, let’s face it, we’re not trying to attract ‘visitors’ – we’re trying to develop a solid, loyal readership! No matter where you fit into the blogosphere categorically, there are a few simple tips to get you started on the right track…

1. One good way to develop a solid readership is to develop a presence in a topical community that compliments your blog’s purpose

Within the blogosphere, there are countless communities. Many of the communities intertwine while others simply engage in intercommunitarial mingling. What this means is that while you can certainly develop rapport with bloggers – and blogging communities – outside your categorical niche, you likely will not find a basis for a loyal readership foundation within a group of people who do not characteristically share your interests. Find your place among groups of bloggers that think like you.

Also, you will need a brand – something people remember you by. Put serious thought into naming your blog – do some searches and be sure that no one else has a name even remotely similar, then invest in a domain to compliment that name. Build your theme around the idea behind that name… make your blog attractive, user-friendly, and easily navigable. Another great thing about blogging communities is that you can typically find a mentor – someone willing to take you under their wing and show you the ropes, revealing tricks of the trade and helping you maximize your opportunity for success. If all you want to do is have a personal blog… well, anyone can do that. Have at it. BUT if you want to become known in the business of blogging, especially in a particular niche, you’re going to have to put some thought – and work – into it.

2. Find other blogs that have similar interests and leave *meaningful* comments on them. Be sure to leave your own link behind.

One way to drive traffic to your site and gain interest in your blog is to visit other blogs which at least compliment your topical frameset and leave comments. Most blogging platforms generally have four form fields for their comment areas: Name, Email, Website, and Comment. This gives you the opportunity to link back to your own blog. Not only will the blogger visit you, but there is a strong likelihood that their readers may click your link as they skim through the comments on posts they are reading. There is no such thing as commenting ‘too much’ on a blog {bloggers LOVE comments!} unless you’re leaving comments that are random and pointless in which case, it is going to get annoying because it’s obvious that your interest is not in responding to their post but in simply driving traffic to your site. Many bloggers will blacklist your IP for such practices. You have to be genuinely interested in BOTH – their blog, and your own. So, comment well… and comment often!

3. Forums and other discussion/interactive mediums are also good for driving traffic and developing relationships w/ readers.

Think outside the box… don’t just limit yourself to blogs and bloggers – there are virtual communities, social networks, and even discussion forums all over the internet that provide a plethora of opportunities for valuable connections. Ning is a good jumpoff point for finding online communities. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook provide great means of connecting with potential readers. NetworkdBlogs is an application through Facebook which allows people to follow your blog and when you post, your entries will show up in their homepage update streams with a clickable title and a short excerpt.

4. Follow people with similar interests on Twitter. Most of the time, if ur stream isn’t spammy, they’ll reciprocate.

The best way to find people on Twitter is to search for keywords and then follow people that show up in the stream that interests you. If you already know people on Twitter, you can look through the list of the people they follow. Recently, Twitter developed a new feature called listing which provides yet another fantastic method to find great people to follow. Typically, if you are at least somewhat active and update your status regularly with genuine tweets that don’t scream PROMO, the people you follow will generally follow you back. The more people you follow, the more chance you have of driving followers to your blog. If people find your tweet stream interesting, naturally they are going to be curious to find out what you’re writing about on your blog.

5. ENGAGE; ENGAGE; ENGAGE!!! Supply content that can be appreciated and don’t be one-sided…. ENGAGE!! Readers are the most important thing to a blogger.

I can’t say it enough – people like interaction. There’s no point in blogging, tweeting, connecting, or networking with people online if you aren’t even going to take the time to have a conversation with them on occasion. TweetDeck is a wonderful tool that helps you manage your Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook accounts all from one screen. Hootsuite allows you to schedule tweets. WordPress has multiple plug ins that auto-tweet the link to your entries when you blog… your followers who are interested will click & visit. Also, replying to your readers’ comments on your blog is a great way to develop a loyal following. Activate nested comments & reply as often as you can. It makes your readers feel valued and creates a pleasant two-way experience for them!

6. Above all, be patient – don’t focus too much on your traffic at first. Focus on developing solid content & your readers will come.

I went from about 200 pageviews per MONTH to AT LEAST that many pageviews daily just within the last 5 months. It’s all in valuing your readers and providing them with content they care about. Even if your blog is simply a personal family blog (like my main blog) people will come read about your family if they feel you have a genuine interest in theirs… I’ve developed so many wonderful, lasting friendships online because I treat them like family. I’m warm and inviting and I would like to think that my readers, visitors, friends, and even the partners I team up with on projects are confident in knowing that I care for them and that I appreciate them taking the time to read what I share every day.

Lastly, with all of the other blogs out there, you’re in constant competition with some of the most clever, witty, and creative people in the world. To add injury to that insult, there are also some terrible blogs with the lamest, inexcusably horrid designs and content – and your potential readers have to sift through all of that junk to find you. So, the final tip is:

7. Be different. Be attractive. Be YOU. And always make yourself visibly accessible.

The more dissimilar you are to all the other guys {and gals} around the blogosphere, the more appealing you are going to be and the more attracted readers are going to be to you. Don’t swaggajack try to mimick anyone else’s style. Develop your OWN presence and you will find that you have WAY more staying power than the copycats out there. Also, the more networks you participate in and the more blogs you actively follow, the more relationships and meaningful connections you will form and the chance that readers will find your awesome blog out there in the sea of awesome-and-terrible-ness increases exponentially.

Hope those tips help you :) Good luck starting up your blog!!