How to Start a Successful Blog

Blogging is becoming an ever-important aspect of digital marketing, with companies introducing blog pages to their websites (check out ours) and publishing fresh content on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. If you work in digital marketing, you may already work for a company that has a blog – you may even write for it! But did you know it is also important for you to start your own personal blog?

If you work as a writer and produce copious amounts of content daily, you will know the importance of content writing. However, it is essential you retain your personal blog, create your own social media following and dedicated audience. Use the knowledge and experience you are gaining from your current job to improve and build on your personal blog. As a writer, you should always be working on personal projects outside of work to keep your creativity flowing. Blogging is a major part of this and it will also help your writing and name become well-known.

Read on to find out our top tips for starting a successful blog.

Come up with a Strategy

If you are a writer, or aspiring writer, you will have come across the notorious writer’s block. This frustrating form of procrastination comes at the most unexpected times and can last for extremely prolonged periods of time if you do not act. We all know the feeling of opening our laptops and staring, blankly, at the empty page in front of us. Some of us can even become mesmerised by the monotonous flickering of the cursor on the page and our minds can become as desolate as the page itself…

Anyway, back to my point. When starting your blog, it can be exciting to jump right in and begin writing straight away but this throw-it-all-in strategy can often lead to despair and a lack of direction further down the road. The best suggestion I can offer you is strategy. Strategy is the key to any successful blog. You want to plan the content you are going to write, the tone of voice, the message you are trying to get across, where and when to write, the best time to post, the times you will share on social media and the length and the regularity of your writing. Sometimes, success is all about planning. And yes, that can be frustrating and, let’s face it, sometimes it’s even a little dull but it will certainly help set you up for success and give you ideas for those days when you can’t think of a single thing to write.

Find a Space

Writing can be a challenging task. It is always nice having a couple of stories bouncing around in that imagination of yours but sometimes it can be a struggle to get them down on paper because your work environment is hindering you.

When attempting to write a successful blog post, find a work space that works well for you. If you have a quiet home or enjoy an hour to yourself once the kids have gone to bed – pour a glass of wine, crack open your laptop and make a start. However, first thing in the morning may be the best time for you. If so, wandering to a local coffee shop may be a good motivation if household chores constantly steal your attention at home. Alternatively, for a quieter space with less interruption or external noise, you could try spending a couple of hours in your local library. Libraries are perfect spaces for those who need a quiet, peaceful space to gather their thoughts and coherently express them on paper.

Finding a good working space is essential for the success of your blog. Nobody likes to read half-finished sentences or fractured sentences that jump, randomly, between subjects. Find your space, whatever it may be and make sure it fits your needs so that you have the freedom to produce some top-quality blog posts.

Post Regularly

Once a month, minimum. That’s my advice. Nobody wants to read a blog, enjoy the post and then wait a couple of months for the next article to be published. Irregularity loses readers. Your audience wants a blogger they can rely on. If you post regularly and your content is of a consistently high standard, people will keep coming back for more and you may even get some shares on social media. Regularity in blogging always pays off. If anything, it will certainly help improve your writing and organisational skills.

Set Realistic Goals

As with most things in life, it is extremely important to set realistic goals. If you don’t, you could easily become disappointed and prone to giving up. Realistic goals, such as reaching 100 followers or gaining several email subscribers and social shares, are a wonderful way to motivate you in the growing of your blog but they are also good for receiving a certain amount of encouragement that you are doing things right. Goals are good to set and work towards and if you don’t achieve them, instead of becoming disheartened, analyse your strategy and evaluate what you could do to improve. You are sure to see the benefits soon enough!

Consider Different Formats

One thing that is important to consider with blogging is different formats. Social media is getting bigger every day and people’s attention spans are shortening as bite-size content or short, informative videos and attractive images are becoming the norm. Nobody wants to spend their time scrolling through a 1,000-word blog post. So, my advice would be – shake it up! Add headings throughout your content to make it scrollable, include clickable headlines, disperse images throughout your writing to keep your readers interested and maybe even add some video content in there to just to mix things up. There are so many options out there, all you have to do is get creative!

Final Words

Here at Bamboo Nine, we love seeing how people are creative and we encourage creativity and the pursuing of personal goals in our staff. Blogging is a terrific way to appeal to your audience and get your name and ideas out there. If you would like more information, get in touch with us. We would be happy to help.