One of the best ways to share your passion with the world and enjoy it yourself is through blogging. If you have found your passion or think you know what it might be, blogging about it and sharing great content with readers is one of the best ideas you can have.
If you doubt whether or not you can connect with people interested in what you have to say, take a look at these blog related statistics pulled together by Ignitespot.com:
- 77% of internet users read blogs
- 70% of consumers have learned about a company based on articles rather than ads
- Small businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads
- 81% of consumers trust advice and information from blogs
- 61% of US consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post
Yes I know those statistics are indeed juicy, but starting a blog needs some expertise and good advise. And we’re gonna offer you some today!
I’ve found some common mistakes that beginning bloggers (or would-be bloggers) make. Read this article and know what to avoid when joining the blogger world.
10 Common Mistakes When You Begin Blogging
- Not understanding the audience you want to target:
The biggest mistake bloggers make is to misunderstand who their audience is. I see blogs where the bloggers clearly understand the topic, but they fail to connect to their audience with their posts.
Bloggers must understand the problems facing their audience and what the audience already knows about the topic to craft posts that deliver useful information
- Building your blog before you have a plan:
Yes I understand your eagerness to get out there and just wing it, but don’t you think it’s better to understand what makes a successful blog so you can also make yours a success?
Make sure to identify stuff like purpose, niche, ideal reader or demographics, how to attract visitors etc.
- Covering too many topics:
Ooh man there’s nothing the internet hates than a ‘Know it all’. A big mistake you can make as a blogger is covering too many topics. Many bloggers want to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, so they write about a myriad of topics.
The problem with this is that the scope of the blog can become lost and possibly disengage the audience. Defining a few key areas that a blog’s posts will cover can finely hone the content and laser-focus the knowledge and expertise of the blogger.
- Inconsistency:
A common mistake made is inconsistency, both in quality and in publication frequency. The tricky part is that these two elements of success often work as opposing forces.
Making publishing routine does not mean, “let’s just throw up a random boring post because I have committed to writing three per week.” Quality always trumps frequency. Five mediocre posts per week will not get you as far as two outstanding posts per week.
- Using a sub-domain (ex: myblog.abcde.com):
If you’re going to go to the trouble to start a blog , then you owe it to yourself to get started right. Even if you decide to use one of the many popular free blogging services, you should register your own domain name.
There are many reasons for this, but the most important is control over your website URL. This is one of the few decisions about your blog that is going to be difficult to fix later. Trust me on this one, the price is worth it.
And with domains (both local .co.ke & international .com domains) going for as cheap as Kshs 999 per year, I don’t see why you shouldn’t get a domain name for your blog!
- Not telling anyone about it:
The beginning days of a blog are the hardest. There’s really only one source of traffic: Direct contact. The best way to get a new blog launched is to tell people in your network that you now have a blog.
I know it feels a bit weird asking for people to kindly read and share your blogs, but trust me, you need those people to do it. Otherwise you’re off to a very slow start.
- Getting discouraged too early:
Most things in life worth doing take time. Blogging is no different. You should give yourself at least 6 months (perhaps even a year) to determine what kind of interest there is out there before giving up due to lack of traffic. Early momentum is hard, but once things start moving, lots of things will start working in your favor.
- Only talking about your company, your products & your services:
If potential customers are seeing your blog for the first time, they don’t care about you yet. They care about their problems and how your product or service can solve them. Informative content such as tips/tricks or how-to posts are much more effective.
- Not engaging with your readers:
A huge mistake is not engaging with your readers in the comments section. Creating exceptional content is one thing that can get lots of visibility. But acknowledging and responding to your readers as they comment helps build stronger relationships and more “brand loyalty.” People remember you when you take time to reply.
- Not collaborating with other bloggers in your industry:
By collaborating with and promoting your peers, everyone benefits from increased traffic and visibility. You gain visibility to new audiences, and have your readers enjoy content that is more diverse.
I’m sure there are many more common mistakes. Which ones do you see people make the most often? Share your thoughts and leave a comment below.
It takes 10 years to be an overnight success! ?
— Maleek Berry (@MaleekBerry) February 16, 2017
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