Blogging with a plan

Posted by Jeremy L. Knauff | March 24th, 2009

Despite the tremendous growth of social media, blogging is still just as powerful as ever if used properly, the problem is that most people don’t have a plan and end up approaching it with the wrong mindset. They often start with a rough idea, try a little of this and a little of that, move on to the next hot idea and then wonder why they aren’t getting the results they want.

Like anything else, you can only achieve the best results from your blog when you have a plan. You need to start with the end in mind and work towards it. Compare it to navigating a sailboat – if you don’t know where you want to end up, chances are that you’ll simply wander around the ocean until you capsize in a storm or run out of supplies. However, if you develop a blogging plan with clear and quantifiable goals, you’ll you probably achieve them. Without a plan you’ll probably just waste your time and energy.

The first thing you’ll need to do is set some goals. For some people, it may be a certain amount of revenue. Others may be interested in a particular number of visitors or subscribers to their RSS feed or newsletter. Whatever your goal is, make sure that it is clear and measurable. That way, no matter what happens, you can always adjust your actions to keep moving towards y0ur goal.

Decide precisely what you want to blog about. Neil Matthews does a great job of this by focusing on Wordpress blogs. Chris Brogan writes about social marketing and developing relationships and Donna Fontenot provides people with the information they need to start their first online business. What niche are you going to focus on?

Your next step is keyword research. Blogging isn’t going to do you much good if it doesn’t drive any traffic and unless you write about something people are searching for, it won’t. Michael Gray made a great point on the subject, saying “If your post title doesn’t contain something someone might ever type in a search engine then YOU SUCK.” You can also use Aaron Wall’s SEO toolbar to dig into some of your competitors’ websites for keyword ideas and strategies. While conducting your keyword research, you may want to plan out your blog posts in blocks of 10 or 20, helping you to avoid writers block.

Content may be king but if no one knows about your blog, your content will go unread, so the next thing you need is some exposure. You need to get other bloggers to write about you, and ideally, to link to your website in their posts. Despite most people’s initial reaction though, the answer isn’t to just start firing off emails asking people to write about and link to you. Instead, you should develop relationships with other bloggers by regularly posting relevant, useful comments on their posts and linking to their website in your posts. The idea is to make yourself a valuable resource to them. When they do write about you, be sure that you show a little gratitude.

You’ll need to figure out exactly how you’re going to make money with your blog. You can use it to promote your own products or services, which is usually the most effective and most profitable option. You could also use it for affiliate marketing by promoting related but non-competing products or services. You could sell display ads (banners, rich media, etc.) though the one or more of the ad brokers. Shane Pike is a big proponent of private ad sales (ads sold by the website owner directly to the ad buyer rather than through a middle man) and I agree that it’s a great way for both parties to get more out of the deal. The last, and least effective option is contextual advertising, such as Google AdSense. You should avoid this if possible because the revenue generated is usually very low and you’re sending your visitors directly to your competitors. Keep in mind, no matter what method you use, don’t go overboard. When someone visits a blog covered in ads, they usually leave pretty quickly and don’t return. When in doubt, less is better – remember, people are coming to your blog because they are looking for information. If you provide that information while keeping your advertising subtle, they will appreciate it and probably come back soon.

With a solid goal, a clear action plan and a bit of hard work, you have no choice but to be successful. What are you waiting for?

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1 Comment »

One Response to “Blogging with a plan”

1. David
   November 4th, 2009 at 9:31 pm

   Hey, I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I like what you have to say. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.

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