5 Ways to Stay Ahead of the Game When Starting a Blog

Starting a blog can offer a lot of rewards in many unexpected ways. I’ve often read about people who thought of starting a blog for one reason but then found out they loved it so much that they were inspired to do more than they had originally planned to do with their newfound hobby. The new plan often includes monetization of some sort or embarking on a freelance writing career. I speak not only from hearsay on this one, but from experience as well. I went through the same kinds of change in direction not once but three times during my first year of blogging. Not to say that change is bad. It can actually be quite good to change direction quickly rather than trying to force something that just isn’t working. In spite of the changes, however, it’s important to be aware of and learn how to avoid the dreaded ‘blogging overwhelm’. Blogging overwhelm happens after the honeymoon phase when you realize that it takes more than just writing every day or multiple times a day to make your blog successful. Some people plug along determinedly once this realization hits, but others just quit from the frustration of feeling like they’re not getting anywhere with their blog, or worse yet, like they’re not talking to anyone at all. And let’s face it, that’s not a good feeling considering that part of the reason you started blogging was for the conversation.

But take heart! Even though it may sometimes feel like you’re alone, you’re not. All new bloggers go through the stages of development that eventually builds a strong blog and loyal followers. To help hasten the process, the following tips can act as a blueprint for you so you don’t have to feel like you’re re-inventing the wheel.

1. Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan

This is a basic tenet of project management and with good reason. It’s so easy to get distracted, especially when you spend a lot of time online. That’s why I set my internet homepage to go directly to my WordPress Dashboard and my email account to open directly to the page that shows my emails, instead of an introductory page which is filled with news stories and ads that can really end up wasting a lot of precious blogging time.

Make your “starting a blog” schedule up-front

Start with making a plan for yourself that realistically outlines how much time you have in the day or week to commit to not just blogging but to other activities which will help you to promote your blog such as social bookmarking and guest blogging. Designate a block of time each day or each week for each separate blog activity that you do, so you don’t have to scramble to fit any of them in. Some people let their blogs languish post-less for weeks because they simply haven’t found the time to write.  Again, I speak from experience here, but don’t let this happen to you. I’m not saying that you should put up a lengthy post if you have nothing to say or if you’re super pressed for time, but saying just a little something every day or once a week – whatever your schedule is – is better than no contact at all.

Stick to the Schedule

More than likely, you have many other responsibilities in your life besides blogging. So it’s inevitable that sometimes you won’t be able to post as much as you would like. When this happens, though, don’t come back after the lapse to post about the lapse. We all know what it’s like to skip a day or a week and it’s okay to mention what you’ve been up to during your time away, but avoid the apology trap. Get on with talking about the things that encompass the true focus of your blog, which is what your readers have been missing in your absence.

The main point here is to know ahead of time what your blog’s focus, schedule and overall plan is and then to stick to those things as much as you can. Trust me, doing this will help you feel a lot more on track and in control of your blogging life.

2. Take a Blogging Break

Now I know this seems to directly contradict the previous tip, but what I mean here is that it’s so easy to try to get all your blogging inspiration and post ideas from other bloggers or from online sites that you follow. But inspiration is everywhere, folks. Take a quiet walk early in the morning or late in the evening and I guarantee you’ll come up with a post idea or two. Watching television, reading the paper, talking to kids – just being more observant when you’re out and about – are all ways to get creatively inspired. The author Julia Cameron has a creativity kit which is great for sparking unique ideas that could be good starting points for blog posts or articles.

3. Read Articles about Starting a Blog & Effective Networking

Mingling

One of the things I love about blogging is that it puts us all right back in nursery school where we’re learning how to act and getting a grasp of what’s expected of us in a new and unfamiliar world. How to play fair and share with others. How to make friends and learn our ABC’s. Blogging can seem like a somewhat lonely endeavor in the beginning, but it’s important to recognize that one

of the best ways to come out of your shell, so to speak, is to get out there and network. There are so many ways to connect, from Social Media sites to niche-specific forums, that there’s no excuse for not mingling a bit. I “e-meet” so many people who say they have made such rich friendships online”¦some where they feel even more of a connection and rapport than with friends they have in real life! You may be more comfortable with just casual chats every now and then and that’s fine too – as long as you make the regular effort to connect. It could mean a world of difference to your blog traffic.

Learning Your ABC’s

It should be clearly obvious by now that there’s a lot more to blogging than, well, just blogging.
There are many people who have walked the same walk before you and it would serve you well to learn from their successes and well as their failures. Again, it’s about learning to work smarter not harder and the more you read blogs by people like Chris Brogan and Darren Rowse, as well as the main authority sites in your particular niche, the more you’ll understand how the blogging machine works and what to do to position yourself and your platform for the most effective reach.

4. Re-Think Twitter

I know I’m not alone when I say that I just did not get the whole Twitter thing at first. Even though I’ve finally figured out a way to make it work for me, I still talk to many people who are either utterly baffled or steadfastly refusing to jump into the 140-character fray. Believe me, I feel their pain. While I agree that Twitter is much more challenging to get the hang of than, say, Facebook or Linked In, I will share with you the three things that made a difference for me after reading, ironically, a Twitter post by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits:

• Don’t follow so many people. Trying to find people you know or that interest you in a stream of ten thousand thumbnails is impossible. Even if you ruffle some feathers by unfollowing, you will ultimately have an easier time keeping track of people when you’re only following fifty to a hundred really interesting accounts. Plus when your stream is manageable, you can interact more – which is the point.
• Don’t try to play catch-up with conversation threads. No matter how hard you try you won’t be able to see everything that happens on Twitter. You will have a much better experience if you simply follow in real-time instead of trying to save things to comment on later. Your list will get so long that you’ll never get to all of it. Instead, Leo likened the Twitter stream to an actual stream in which you jump in for a few minutes at a time, enjoy the interaction during those moments and then jump back out.
• Don’t feel compelled to say anything. It’s a natural urge to want to respond to things that we read on Twitter, but unless you’re retweeting or adding something interesting to an already existing conversation, you don’t need to act on every single tweet. By the same token, if you don’t have something funny, witty or interesting to say, it’s okay to say nothing for the moment and just be content to read other people’s links or tweets. Believe me, there will be plenty of things you’ll feel passionate about putting into the tweet stream, so wait for those moments.

5. Set Your Blogging Goal Up Front

I remember noticing a headline for an article once that was discussing whether or not to worry about getting comments on your blog. I clicked through to read the whole article because “who wouldn’t want comments on their blog?!” I thought. And, by the way, the fact that I stumbled upon a wonderful, informative site, Biz Chick’s Blog, which I now read and learn from regularly is proof of my earlier point about the importance of wandering around the blogosphere in search of enrichment tools. Anyway, the article made an excellent point about taking the purpose of your blog into consideration when deciding on your blogging plan of action. For instance if you’re selling a product or service, then your goal might be to simply create buzz around the product by offering informative articles and positioning yourself to answer questions from interested parties. In that case, your main concern is most likely focused on affiliate sales and building a mailing list of people who will buy your product or services and you may not care if you only get a couple of comments a week – as long as people are opting in to your list. On the other hand, if you’re building an authority site or you’re trying to raise your social media profile for yourself or a client, then engagement via regular interaction and comments is key.

Ride the Momentum

Once you have a clear idea of what your blogging goal is it will be much easier to know who to follow, what to blog about and how to plan out your blogging calendar.

These are just a few tips to get you started, but of course, there’s a wealth of information literally right at your fingertips. Take your time and recognize that blog success is really not an overnight endeavor. Create solid content, nurture reciprocal online relationships and read as much as you can about the business of blogging. Yes, the learning curve may seem really steep when you’re starting a blog, but the good news is that once you start to gain some momentum, there are lots of ways to leverage it for more opportunities that can help your blog grow even quicker.