First a word on what a blog is (and isn’t). A blog is a publishing platform — a rich, multifaceted and very easy one that’s search engine optimized, and easily linked to and from. It’s an easy way for anyone to control their own “press.” But whether that press is used for lengthy diatribes, scholarly analysis, running humor, video, audio, graphics, photos, breaking news, reporting, analysis, links to other things or myriad other possibilities is up to you.
Ways to achieve blogging success — whatever “success” means to you and your business:
What are you trying to do? Brand yourself as an expert? Amuse people? Get a niche audience? Sell ads to a mass audience? Drive subscriptions to a newsletter? As with any editorial product, you’ll want to know what you’re trying to do, target your audience, and give it to them.
2. Be consistent.
Whatever you’ve decided, it’s best to be consistent. If you’re doing a blog about health devices, don’t diverge too often into the habits of your cat — unless the cat is somehow a character you use to make your larger points, a way to bring people into the larger message of the blog. You can even be consistently inconsistent — sometimes scholarly, sometimes goofy, for example — if that’s what you want to have as your blogging “persona.” But you’ll have to sustain it over time.
3. Be focused.
We’re well past the stage when people can get an audience to a blog just because it’s there. Experience and numerous examples show that success in blogging, at least from a business perspective, comes to those who focus on whatever the blog is about. If it’s a niche music blog, stay focused on that niche. If you’re a video blog making fun of Wall Street, keep doing that. If you’re about sex or book publishing or New York celebrity, stay on target. You want your audience to keep coming back, and for new people to find you and then be pleased with what they see, and want to keep coming back as well, and liking what they see time after time.
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