I just finished reading an interesting blog post about what matters most to bloggers by Darren Rowse, and I can’t help but put my own two cents. Keep in mind though, some of the topics might overlap (note: ive only read the bold bullet points, I have not read his full explanation yet, I want to see if we are similar or not)
I’ve been blogging for a little over a year now and I’ve seen the ROI. It might not be monetary in my case, but my network has definitely grew and I’m left with a feeling of fulfillment. However, there’s several tips I like to follow on my own when writing blog posts; similarly, this is how I look at other bloggers/blog posts as well.
The 4 C’s of Blogging
- Content: the content of every blog is key in attracting an audience and retaining loyal readers. A good way to narrow down the blog content is to establish a foundation/purpose for what content will be published; whether or not its general topics, industry-specific, or who the target audience is. I’ve seen many good examples of this, here’s one; I picked this example b/c Marc has managed to generate a great amount of traffic/comments/ROI in just a few short days. Although, the key is to stick to it and not drift off to far from the overall purpose (unless you’re evolving with time/industry/users).
- Clarity: this has probably been the hardest obstacle; often, I have trouble conveying my thoughts clearly and instead some blog posts are full of unnecessary text. So I’ve adapted a motto that less is more. If I could, I’d go back and revisit some of my old blog posts and rewrite them just for kicks. I’m sure (at least I hope) that I’ve improved as a writer/blogger…if so, then that’s all the ROI I need.
- Cost: there’s no real, tangible cost for blogging, at least for what I do. However, the opportunity cost is very clear as time plays a big factor. If I wasn’t blogging, I could be doing other things like Tae Kwon Do, Salsa dancing, working (hahaha!), or even watching TV. But, I have a passion for blogging and thats what counts. To me, its not a cost, but a privilege to have somewhere to express my thoughts and have others add in their own input.
- Conversation: the phenomenon of blogging. Engaging others in a conversation about something you’ve started is very rewarding. These conversations are almost like reading a text book with commentary b/c on the surface there’s opinions, but when you dig deeper the facts arise. Through the research you gain so much more than what you started for and it almost leads you to another topic/journey of knowledge. Its a never ending conversation.
- BONUS – Customer: this is really a bonus, because not many people get this. Believe it or not, your readers are like customers…you have to shape your posts according to the audience. This will help keep your blog posts focused and it will keep users coming back. As a user, I like bookmarking a site that I know will always have relevant information to me. It actually makes me feel good that someone out there cares about my interests, cares about what I’m reading, and cares about me.
I hope I’m pointing in the right direction…if not please let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well. Later, I’ll update this post with Darren Rowse’s/ProBogger’s thoughts.