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An Effective Blog

5 WAYS TO BUILD A BETTER BLOG

By Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

An effective blog doesn’t just titillate, entertain and inform – it can attract new customers, improve communication with your existing clients and increase your exposure to the whole wide world!

Your blog is a great way to delve deeper into the business you love – or a topic about which you’re passionate. But building a blog isn’t as easy as slapping up a post or two each month and admiring your handiwork.

Effective blogging requires specific strategies. Luckily those strategies aren’t difficult. In fact, they can be interesting and rewarding…

1. Find a niche about which you’re passionate

What could you read, talk and write about forever and ever, amen? Your blog doesn’t necessarily have to be about your business although blogging is a great way to build your brand. “Pick a topic that you know a lot about and you’re passionate about,” says Leo Babauta, creator of Zen Habits blog (zenhabits.net). “Don’t pick it just because you think it’ll be popular. Brainstorm all kinds of names and words associated with your topic until you find one that reflects your main message and is memorable.”

Your blog should reflect things you can’t stop doing or thinking about. For instance, I started a blog called “Quips and Tips for Successful Writers” because I was learning so much about freelance writing for magazines and wanted to share it with the world. I started “Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals” because I love motivating and encouraging people. To build a better blog, you need to post articles regularly (weekly or more often if you have time). Writing regularly is brutal if you don’t love your topic, which is why it’s crucial to find a niche you’re happy with.

2. Write short, succinct blog posts

Your blog posts should be about 400-600 words long (more is too much to read online and less may not be indexed by Google). Each post should capture one main idea and stay focused on that idea. It’s also helpful to give readers the opportunity to get more information such as by linking to other posts within your blog or external links to other blogs.

Break up your posts into short paragraphs and put bold subheadings at the beginning of each paragraph. This helps readers scan the article easily. And remember: the more posts you write, the more you learn so don’t wait until you “know it all” to start blogging!

3. Send a single message about who you are

“You need to be consistent about your message in everything you do,” says Babauta. “Once you’ve carefully crafted your core message, you need to align everything you do with this message. If you do things that conflict with the message, you will be sending confusing signals. Instead, be consistent in everything: keep the same message in all your posts, headlines, comments, blog design, guest posts on other blogs, comments on other blogs and so forth. The more consistent you are, the better.”

If your blog niche reflects your personality and interests – and perhaps even your business – you’ll find it easier to send a single, unified message.

4. Write for a target audience,

a specific type of reader

Some bloggers don’t just write to a specific audience, they write to a specific person. Don’t try to talk to everyone at once; focus on your niche audience and serve their needs.

Here are a few questions to ponder about your target audience: Who do you want to attract to your blog?

What does your typical reader look like – where does she live and work? Even the most general blogs appeal to a

specific audience.

5. Embrace who you are as a blogger

Your modus operandi or MO (method of operating) is your manner of working and it can define you as a blogger. For instance, I’m a tips-based blogger. I give information in short, easy-to-digest bursts (much like the tips in this article!). Building a community isn’t my strong point; reading, researching and writing about achieving goals and making the most of life is. My MO isn’t about commenting on other bloggers’ posts or finding like-minded folk on forums. I’d rather be tweaking my blogs, writing e-books and articles, and responding to reader comments. In this way, I may not fit the “traditional” definition of a blogger, but it’s who I am.

Who are you as a blogger? Figure out your MO and be who you are!

Be sure to check out MOMpreneur®’s blog on

themompreneur.com!

Get Started with Blogging

So you have an idea for a blog…now you just need to get those thoughts online! Host your own blog or choose a free blogging service that is hosted for you such as:

• WordPress.com

• Blogger.com (by Google)

• Spaces.live.com (MSN Spaces especially for those with a Microsoft.net Passport Account)

• 360.yahoo.com (Yahoo’s free blogging service)

Looking for more advice?

• theadventurouswriter.com/blogwriting

• www.howtostartablog.org

• blogbuildingu.com

• www.artofblog.com

Dont try to talk to everyone

at once; focus on your niche audience

and serve their needs.

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