{"id":730,"date":"2014-11-13T06:00:55","date_gmt":"2014-11-13T14:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.thinkapps.com\/?p=730"},"modified":"2014-11-12T16:35:36","modified_gmt":"2014-11-13T00:35:36","slug":"five-tips-successful-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkapps.com\/blog\/launch\/five-tips-successful-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips for Creating a Successful Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><a title=\"Marc Andreessen - Software is eating the world\" href=\"http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/articles\/SB10001424053111903480904576512250915629460\" target=\"_blank\">With apologies to Marc Andreessen<\/a>, blogs are eating the world.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s a pretty safe assumption that any company or service you currently use has a blog. But that begs the question: do you read it? <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Just because you may be a loyal user of the product or service doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you\u2019ll visit their blog. For example, take <a title=\"Uber blog\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.uber.com\/sf\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"s2\">Uber<\/span><\/a> and <a title=\"Flywheel blog\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.flywheel.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"s2\">Flywheel<\/span><\/a>, two prominent e-hailing companies in the Bay Area. Did you know that they both have blogs? And if so, do you read them?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Blogging is\u00a0a relatively easy way to publicize and promote your company, and it<\/span>\u00a0can have a substantial impact on\u00a0cultivating a community that\u2019s mobilized by your vision or product. But in order for a blog to be successful, here are five\u00a0factors you need to consider.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">1. Fresh, unique content<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Before you put up a new post, ask yourself:<b> <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Is this topic covered elsewhere online?<b> <\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Is this article going to engage my users\/customers?<b> <\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Is this post going to make them want to come back and read more like it? <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Your first few posts should be killer. (Well, every post should be, but you get the point.) You should aim to have some \u201cfeatured\u201d posts that knock it out of the park in terms of compelling, shareable content. It\u2019s ideal if these posts get picked up and shared among your industry, which will not only get your company\u2019s name out there, but help establish your blog as a prominent voice. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">2. Strategy and vision<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">What\u2019s your blog going to do? Will it provide short and sweet updates about your product or service? Longer-form posts with an informative angle? Story-telling pieces meant to engage your community? All of the above?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">It\u2019s not enough to just write\u00a0posts as ideas come to you. That may work at first, but it\u00a0most likely won&#8217;t be\u00a0sustainable over time unless you\u2019re already a blogosphere leader.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Your blog is an\u00a0opportunity to give your users a casual yet effective \u201csales pitch\u201d and to communicate your broader vision for the company. If you\u2019re the founder and you enjoy writing, it might make the most sense for you to be the primary blogger. Otherwise, you\u2019re going to need a person or a team to curate and manage the blog. Either way, you&#8217;ll want to make sure your blog features the following elements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A selection of categories\u00a0readers can choose from to learn more about certain topics.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Clear headlines to indicate what the post is about.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Interviews with or posts written by people who have traction in your industry.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Opinion pieces on trending topics in your industry to gather followers toward your point of view.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>3. Location, Location, Location. <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s relatively simple to hang your blog from your company website. Maybe people will see the link, and hopefully they\u2019ll click on it. But gathering a following is also about how you promote your blog. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">If you\u2019re linking to blog posts from social media, it may help that the blog is hosted on your website, as it could facilitate more traffic on your site, which could lead to more users or customers. But if\u00a0it\u2019s external, it gives you the opportunity to\u00a0curate the blog to be its own thing\u2014a product in and of itself\u2014and you can also have a little more flexibility with design, advertising, etc. Figure out what works best for what you\u2019re hoping to gain from having a blog. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>4. Dedication. <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Too often, companies launch their blog, have a good succession of posts, and then \u2026 peter out. It\u2019s not ideal for a user to visit your blog and see that the last post was 1, 3, maybe 6 months ago. Creating an editorial calendar, establishing a managing editor (if possible), and always thinking ahead to the next season, the next event, etc. will help drive content <i>and <\/i>readers. They won\u2019t come back unless they know they\u2019ll see something new.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>5. Engagement.<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Commenting is a big part of the blogging process from both sides of the spectrum. As a blogger, you want people to comment. You want to create conversation and discourse; you want people to be engaged with your company and brand, as well as with each other.\u00a0<\/span>On the other side, commenting gives the reader the opportunity to speak their mind, give their opinion, and offer feedback.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The question is: Are you listening? It\u2019s smart to monitor the comments on your posts and respond to them. Answering their questions, explaining any concerns that may arise, and even just saying \u201chi\u201d or \u201cthank you\u201d makes them feel that\u00a0you care, which will likely keep them coming back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s3\">For more ideas and advice, check out <a title=\"10 startup founder blogs every entrepreneur should read\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.generalassemb.ly\/10-startup-founder-blogs-every-entrepreneur-should-read\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"s4\">10 startup founder blogs every entrepreneur should read<\/span><\/a> and <a title=\"12 startup blogs that are killing the game\" href=\"http:\/\/contently.com\/strategist\/2014\/04\/22\/12-startup-blogs-that-are-killing-the-game\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"s4\">12 startup blogs that are killing the game<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><a title=\"Startup Stock Photos\" href=\"http:\/\/startupstockphotos.com\/post\/100832767891\/download-at-sprint-accelerator-kansas-city-mo\" target=\"_blank\">Featured image credit<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Blogs are eating the world. But does anyone actually read them? Learn the top tricks for making your blog stand out from the pack.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[80,79],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>5 Tips for Successful Blogs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Blogs are eating the world. But does anyone actually read them? 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