[US blogger tour] My first lesson on blogging
By Nic Haralambous in Marketing, Social media, We Blog the World | 8 comments
I knew it and I’ve felt it for a while now. We blog about blogging about social media and tools too much in SA.
Why the rehashing of old news? Simple really, I am on tour with about ten successful bloggers or bloggers who write for successful blogs.
I have noticed a common thread while talking with them all. They don’t care about blogging as an industry, all the little tricks, latest widgets, most up to date blah blah blah…sleeping. What they care about is simple, they care about 1. their content and 2. their target audience.
This is what is important. Why? Because without a content focus you miss everyone and target no one. Without and audience you have no reason to target your content or write in the first place.
So in other words instead of trying to be the best at blogging about blogging about blogs and bloggers maybe you should find out what your audience wants and blog for them or blog for yourself.
My personal blog is riddled with a slew of relevant and irrelevant content with no focus, no target, no aim or goal. Therefore its traffic stinks. It’s so obvious to me now why that is. It’s because I don’t have a content focus and I am writing for the wrong people. Or writing for the right people but about too little of the right stuff.
So the first lesson that I have learned from the bloggers on this tour is be passionate and consistent with your content. This will help you build up an audience and once you have an audience, be passionate and consistent with your content.
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Gerhard Pieteres aka Jail4Bail | Dec 2, 2008 | Reply
Hi Nic,
Thank you I am about to start blogging and it’s great to get some short simple valuable advise.
Louise Marsland | Dec 2, 2008 | Reply
Awesome advice Nic! Those of us in the ‘content’ field have felt that way for a long time!
Dave Duarte | Dec 2, 2008 | Reply
Nice one Nic, I wholeheartedly agree with you.
It can’t hurt to have some slick software to backup your blogging effort though:)
Darren Gorton | Dec 3, 2008 | Reply
The next big step in blogging for SA [so to speak]? We always hear that content is king, and as blogs start to gain more popularity amongst non-bloggers, hopefully this will push their credibility and create some very strong niche content areas that create real value. Great post Nic.
Tinus | Dec 3, 2008 | Reply
Very cool insight Nic - it helps me a great deal, thanks.
(Ironically, in sharing it, you did it again though … lol)
Keep on rocking!!
Dolce | Dec 4, 2008 | Reply
Haha. Yeah. I’ve been writing about “me” for a long time. I think it’s great content (yeah, yeah *rolls eyes*), and my audience (bless all 6 of them) has hung on for the ride. Every now and then I wonder if I should start stressing about the stats, but then I wouldn’t be authentically warbling. And the fringe benefits of that authenticity have FAR outweighed the benefits of an off the charts stats counter. Even if sometimes I just feel like a bimbo in the tech wilderness.
Nic Haralambous | Dec 8, 2008 | Reply
Dolce - I’m not sure I wholelly agree with you. If you have incredible stats it allows you to have a platform where your opinion (on occasion) matters a bit more because your massive audience reads it.
Tinus - I know, the irony did not escape me, but sometimes it’s necessary!
Darren - Thanks for the kind words, i think time will most definitely push blogging in to the mainstream in a good way if we don’t screw it up with lies and bullshit.
endurnorb | May 4, 2009 | Reply
emm.. thanks