You were probably excited at the prospect of starting your own blog - getting your words and your views published and making money at the same time! But before too long, the excitement began to fade as you sat there typing away, wondering if anyone was even reading your posts. If you want your blog to really get noticed, you have to keep asking: "What are the top bloggers doing that I'm not?" You need blogging content suggestions!
Let's look at some of the top blogs out there and see what they're doing to get millions of visitors viewing the content they create.
1. Ian Cleary
Razor Social:
Give serious thought to selecting your blog topic.
If there are already a hundred blogs like yours, you might want to investigate your second choice - unless you can come up with a strategy that really sets yours apart. Your blog must be completely focused not just on your topic, but on your way of presenting that topic. Cleary is not only a self-confessed geek, but proud of it. In the field of social media blogs and marketing, Cleary is the one willing to dive into all the latest apps and tools before most people are even aware of them. In this way, he establishes himself as the go-to guy for those exploring new functionality in their social media pages. A simple two-frame page layout with big headlines and big graphics works, along with a freebie blog guide always a click away to the right.
2. Jenn Herman
Jenn's Trends:
You have to make the effort to understand your key readers and what it is they need.
Your blog is for you audience's consumption. It shouldn't be about narcissism and self-indulgence. Take the time to be familiar with reader interests and issues so their needs can dictate your content. If your blog is about a specific product or services, that may encompass past users, industry trends, influential people, trade journals and finance specialists. Cover the whole experience. Jenn has portrayed herself as a marketable persona, creating a simple yet elegant home page with neat graphics and descriptive paragraphs on a variety of social media content. The secret to her success? Asking the readers what they want to read about.
3. Kevin Shively
Simply Measured:
Plan your blog content - not just as info on a topic, but every stage of its creation.
To be a successful blogger, you can't just rant about whatever moves you, or post empty facts that nobody really cares about. Ask yourself - would you take the time to read that? You can't just pound out a post just for the sake of updating content. You have to pick a topic that people care about, and plan it in a way that users will go for. It can take hours. Do the research and find out what topics can get your audience buzzing. Keep track of social media and the competition so you can find out where the focus is, what's driving traffic and how they're converted to leads. A good blog post isn't like tossing crumbs to a pigeon, it's about crafting art for those who will appreciate it. Adding value to a blog is about adding better content, not more content. His blog is about solving problems, not simply providing information.
4. Mike Stelzner
Social Media Examiner:
Don't be satisfied with just text. Use different formats to broaden your market.
Even within your niche, not everybody is going to have the time or the inclination to read a page of text, so make it more interesting and interactive. You can post photos, videos, audio, infographics, pdfs, slide shows - your content doesn't have to be limited to words. At the least, include a good photo that makes your point and draws visitor attention. Social Media Examiner is a big fan of podcasts. They attract an audience that appreciates a more intimate, personal experience. Even the posts that are text are transcribed to audio to broaden their appeal. Don't get the idea that blogs are just about writing. Expand your vision into a media-rich empire that targeted traffic could get lost in.
5. Francisco Rosales
Social Mouths:
Make your audience feel special.
Every blogger want to build lists, but understand what your audience wants to get out of it. For Social Mouths, the established audience gets VIP treatment. Let them know they're appreciated. The subscriber gets perks that a casual surfer never knows about. They deserve a more valuable experience. And it keeps them coming back.
A lot of blogs will offer freebies to get people to sign up, but once they have it, there's a good chance they won't come back. In addition to the public blog, provide private resources that only subscribers know about.
If you're ready to not just blog, but make your mark, all you need to do is open an account with a reliable host that can provide a speedy, feature-rich website. Pick your topic, find your audience, find your angle, and come up with a post that will wow them. Then come up with another.
If you find yourself posting a flood of generic content, you're going about it wrong. Check out the top blogs in your category to see if there's a special niche you can make your own - a way of looking at things that none of the others have thought of. Play to your strengths. Then determine what your objectives are. Decide what steps need to be taken to get there, and what metrics will measure your success. Think about the kind of audience you want to go after, and tailor your content to them.
