The Internet Home Business Magazine for Moms & Dads

Unsuspecting Secrets to Fast Blogging Success

 
From the eMoms ArchivesThis series of articles from the archives would HAVE to include this post - it is the one that really put me on the map as a blogger. To this day, I kind of chuckle when I think of the lack of credentials I had while writing it, but now, nearly a year and a half later, I have to say I was pretty right on with this one and I’m still proud of it. :)

Most of you know by now that this little blog here was never intended to be anything more than a hobby site. I just really had a passion for starting up businesses, the online space, and really know the ups and downs of being a work at home mom. But now, just over three months later, this site/blog is consistently spending (on the daily meter) time in the Alexa top 100,000, and I am looking back on how the heck this all happened in such a short amount of time.

I have been carefully studying what I have done to date to determine what I am doing right - not only so that I can duplicate it in the future, but so you can duplicate it yourself.

Some of my ’secrets’ aren’t very sexy, and certainly some aren’t even fun. Some sound totally fluffy and inconsequential. A long time ago, I would have even dismissed some of these items. But I do believe each one are key ingredients to my success thus far, so here they are:

  1. Search your soul before you start.
    I mean dig deep, too. As in, the big questions of life. What are you on this planet for? What is your ultimate purpose in life? If your family was reading your eulogy after you had passed on, what do you want them to say about you?I made the decision long ago that anything worth saying is worth saying from the heart. My ultimate purpose on this planet is to help people get in touch with their own hearts. This is what led me to start eMoms at Home. Your ultimate purpose is probably different. You need to know what it is, and let that purpose be the compass for your content development.
    ~
  2. Let the real you shine through.
    I have shared my successes and my challenges on this blog - the transparency of letting the real me shine through allows others to relate. People naturally want to connect with others. The more you can share about who you really are, the more people can find something to relate to.
    ~
  3. Study the success stories.
    Some of my favorites include ProBlogger.net, CopyBlogger, BlogHer, Guy Kawasaki’s Blog and one of my new favorites, Duct Tape Marketing. To be even more honest, I haven’t even been around long enough to know about many of the other big bloggers. These blogs are doing lots of things right, and I am always looking to learn from people more successful than I am. I analyze what I like about their work and figure out how I can apply the knowledge in my own way.
    ~
  4. Add value in every post - well, almost every post.
    You wouldn’t care a bit about me if I didn’t offer you something to come and read this blog. I’m here to impart knowledge, to make sure that when you come, you come to get something of value. And my goal when you leave is to tempt you back with the promise of more things of value. I’ll admit to a bit of self-indulgence every now and then, but my goal in nearly every post is to give you more than I expect to receive from you.
    ~
  5. Network like crazy.
    Although my traffic is growing in leaps and bounds, I have gotten my biggest boost from associating with other bloggers online. I’ve learned a lot from them, offered them my expertise when appropriate, and by doing so, I’ve started to rapidly grow inbound links and exposure to the blogging community. This is true of any offline business, so it makes perfect sense that it would be critical to online blogging success as well.
    ~
  6. Be passionate about your chosen topic.
    If you are bored, your readers will be too. Same goes for blogging about a topic that you think will bring in the traffic and the money - but in the end, isn’t really what you are passionate about. I LOVE starting businesses. I LOVE online marketing. I LOVE helping people. I could write about this stuff for free and be happy. If you are happy with your work, I mean really happy with what you are doing, the fun and passion will be so obvious to your readers they will catch the great feelings from you.
    ~
  7. Trust your intuition and your instincts. Be true to them.
    I’m certainly not the biggest blogging success story around, not by a long-shot. But something within me said, “Write This Article”. I kind of backed away from it for a few weeks, thinking, who the heck am I to be writing about this? But I know in my heart the eMoms at Home blog is the start of something bigger than I had dreamed it would become (Added 01.08.0 :: OMG, if I only knew!!). So I took the leap of faith and listened to my intuition and wrote the article. I may get flamed, I may get laughed at, and I may make a difference for many people who really want to be professional bloggers. If I help one person do that, then this article is a success to me. (Added 8.18.06 :: mission accomplished!!)
    ~
  8. Do your homework about blog set up, SEO, and site design:: Techy Stuff.
    If you want your blog to go anywhere someday, use a strong blogging platform such as WordPress, TypePad or Movable Type . Be sure to incorporate good keywords into your posts and post titles (but not at the expense of good copywriting), and get the blog listed in as many directories as possible. Use Technorati tags. Set up your feed accurately with someone like FeedBurner. And make sure your blog has a clean design and is aesthetically appealing. All of these things are like going to a professional networking event in a business suit with your business cards, rather than your grubby painting jeans and no contact info on hand.
    ~
  9. Be disciplined.
    I post a bare minimum of 4 times a week. And now that my blog is getting consistent traffic and subscribers, I am posting more often. There are definitely days when I don’t feel like writing and when I don’t have a lot to say. But I have made it a MUST to continue to write and make the content good. On my dry days, I turn to a list I have made of blogging topic ideas as my backup content. As one blessed with ADD, I really don’t enjoy being disciplined. But with ANY business comes frustration and boredom at times, blogging included. It’s up to you to get over these things and continue to deliver valuable content to your readers who are depending on you, period.
    ~
  10. Blog with a higher purpose in mind.
    The big bloggers are blazing a trail for the rest of us - and thus, are making a huge impact on the internet as we know it. Even blogs with commercial content are adding value, by putting information out there in a format that invites a conversation vs. pure marketing hype. They are spreading information on how to start your own blog and make money at it, and are giving great advice on personal and business challenges.I really want to help parents who want to work at home, but even more so, I want to inspire people to pursue their dreams and follow their hearts, no matter if they do it in a home office or not. Can I do this via blogging? Absolutely. It has been a critical component to pursuing my own dreams. There are others out there who need this platform for the pursuit of theirs, and I am happy to be a stepping stone on the way.

Are there other “Success Secrets”? Of course. Even things that aren’t so secret. Visit some of those favorite blogs of mine mentioned in #3 to learn even more from the pros. Study up. But don’t spend too much time researching - it’s more important to find your own voice than to spend all day listening to someone else’s.

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  • Discussion

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    Comments

    1.
    On January 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 am, Alan Johnson said:

    As far as I’m concerned, value has always been my business model. If you publish quality cotent on a regular basis, it is only a matter of time until you will be rewarded.

    A website/blog without quality content, in other words, a resource built on a shaky foundation doesn’t stand a chance.

    Alan Johnson

    2.
    On January 3rd, 2008 at 10:55 am, lornadoone said:

    I think these are really great points. A lot of posts like this only list things like “tweak your template” and “optimize your titles.” That’s great advice (and you covered some of it), but you manage to go a little deeper into the actual blogging experience. Thanks!

    3.
    On January 3rd, 2008 at 5:58 pm, Suzie Cheel said:

    Great post Wendy and I like how you have outined each point- just dugg for you and now off to reassess my blog to make it an outstanding success in 2008

    4.
    On January 3rd, 2008 at 6:11 pm, Carlos Hernandez said:

    Wendy,

    Felt blessed to meet and hear you speak at Blog World & New Media Conference, Las Vegas in November ‘07.

    I especially relate to the sense of blogging for a higher purpose, i.e. to follow one’s heart.

    Getting in touch with who I am and asking the question “What is my purpose?’is pivotal.

    5.
    On January 3rd, 2008 at 8:55 pm, Dorothy Stahlnecker said:

    I’m printing this post and will do everything here. Thank you so much..I will pass this on to my partner for discussion. I’ll be visiting the recommendations after this comment. I’m in a funk and this started edging me out.

    Thank you….

    Dorothy from grammology
    remember to call gram
    http://grammology.com

    6.
    On January 4th, 2008 at 6:25 am, Alan Johnson said:

    lornadoone, I couldn’t agree more, you can tweak your template all you want, have the best design in the world and spend a lot of money on advertising, it will end up doing you no good if everything is not built on a solid foundation as far as value is concerned.

    Alan Johnson

    7.
    On January 4th, 2008 at 2:14 pm, Barbara Rozgonyi said:

    Thanks for breaking into your archives and warming up January with this post!

    Reading about your success intentions then and knowing where you are now proves another secret to success: you have to present and envision yourself as the success you want to be - even at the beginning.

    8.
    On January 4th, 2008 at 10:11 pm, Alan Johnson said:

    Yes, envisioning success is an important first step but a lot of people just leave it at that. Let’s face it: when you are setting goals but are not willing to give it 100% as far as achieving them is concerned, you are not envisioning, you are simply dreaming.

    Alan Johnson

    9.
    On January 5th, 2008 at 11:10 am, Courtney said:

    Thanks for posting your advice. I will be putting a lot of to good use in this coming year.



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