After blogging for a few months, I’m beginning to understand what it takes to create a successful small business blog.
First off, it requires good planning. Meaning…be very clear what you’re blogging about. Initially, I decided this blog was going to be about how to effectively market a small or independent, service-based business on the web. Seems clear enough, huh?
What I’ve learned is that my topic is too broad. It’s not necessarily too broad for a blog topic. After all, there are plenty of blogs out there who write about marketing on the web.
My topic, however, was too broad for me. Each morning, just like today, I’d get up, boot my Mac Pro, NetNewsWire would load and start pulling down my RSS feeds from all over the web. Then I’d begin reading through them all 150 of them, trying to find a topic that inspired me.
The problem I ran into every morning – this one included, really – was not a lack of topics to write about, but rather an overwhelm of information. So much so that it was hard to focus on one topic to write about.
Now I don’t necessarily want to ‘blog for a living.’ I’m a web developer for small businesses who helps my clients create and execute plans to market their businesses using their websites. I’m fortunate enough to have a steady business so I rarely have days I could just write posts for hours.
Yet, I want to have a successful blog myself that helps independent business owners understand how to use a blog to market their businesses. I want to provide step-by-step instruction that will illustrate the power and effectiveness of blogging. And since I’m learning, as well, I want to show my own learning process as an example of what works and what doesn’t.
So that what I’m going to do. Beginning today, I’m going to narrow my blog focus to a ‘how-to’ of small business blogging. What I share will be a combination of what makes a blog successful. And I’ll highlight what’s working (and not working) for me.
Changing my focus, I hope to attain three goals:
- To have a respected, successful blog myself that has found its niche in the blogosphere through good posts and relationship building with other bloggers.
- That small and independent business owners can learn ‘the how’ of marketing their businesses using a blog through my and other blog content.
- Do my little part to expand the blogosphere population through educating small business owners about blogging.
So there you have it. A new direction. Well, not really a new direction…more like a refined one.
I’d love to hear what you think – including any great resources.
Dawud – that is a great focus! And it has already started – in reading this post I realized I get too broad in my blog writing as well. Seems like scanning for relevant articles can pull you all over the place.
I need to narrow my focus as well. Thanks for that tip!
Yeah. That’s what I’ve found. The more I read, the more I wanted to include more topics. But that was just pulling me all over the place. Now I feel clearer about what I want to accomplish with my blog – serving small business owners with the best of how to blog.
Interesting — I’ve been on a similar kick lately, refining and narrowing my direction away from the broad, vanilla approach, and more towards a focused topic that engages readers (and doesn’t leave me spinning my wheels).
I think you’re right on target. Why? Because before, I’d think, “oh yeah, I wanted to check Dawud’s blog soon…”. Now, I’m thinking, “I need to check Dawud’s blog all the time.”
Way to go!
Yeah, you’re on it. I like vanilla, too. But I found I couldn’t just offer vanilla everything. I had to decide that I wanted to offer alchohol-free vanilla extract from the beans of French Polynesia.
Blogging is similar to ‘traditional’ marketing in many ways – it’s all about the client. The methods and approach are just different.
Make sure you’re getting my feed either in your feed reader or by email (scroll up). That way you’ll get auto updates on my blog entries.
Dawud, this is great insight that can I imagine can apply to an awful lot of us. I will add a plug for you here, as you have been a great help to me in getting up my website and starting me on blogging.
Thanks! This may be trite, but keep up the good work.
Stuart Baker
Thanks Stuart. It’s really important for any of us business owners to find increasing clarity about what we offer and who we offer it too.
And thanks for the plug.
Planning is always good. I read in Ian Fernando’s blog that starting a blog was like planning a vacation and I think that maintaining a blog is like maintaining a house.
You have to address different issues with different sensitivities.
Great read there, I agree planning is a major part of blogging these days.
Great post, I definitely would agree.
Nice blog theme, which are you using?
Cheers
Thats very true you have to give people a choice of what to choose
I have to agree, setting goals is one of the most important things when starting a new website / blog.
I would also like to know which theme you are using.
Thanks
To getting clear what to do with our blog we just simply narrow our ideal target audience. 🙂
I do agree with Dawud Miracle. “Blogging is similar to ‘traditional’ marketing in many ways – it’s all about the client.”
that is a great focus! And it has already started – in reading this post I realized I get too broad in my blog writing as well. Seems like scanning for relevant articles can pull you all over the place.
Planning is always good. I read in Ian Fernando’s blog that starting a blog was like planning a vacation and I think that maintaining a blog is like maintaining a house.