08 Feb What is your Blog Identity?

A lot of bloggers struggle with the same problem. They notice that serious posts based on their interests, products or areas of expertise get fewer hits, shares and comments than silly, humorous or celebrity-based blog posts. That begs the question: should you change the focus of your blog to include more “popular” posts? Here at The Social Calling, I say the answer is no. While I wouldn’t recommend eliminating the more frivolous posts altogether, I do believe there are two logical reasons to maintain your original blog identity.

1. Your “serious” content is what drew viewers to you in the first place. If you drastically change the tone and message of your posts, you risk confusing and alienating your loyal audience.
2. Traffic numbers aren’t everything. Would you rather have 100,000 people who see your blog and do nothing, or 1,000 people who see your blog and buy from you? Eyeballs don’t necessarily equate to dollars.

So, what can you do to make the serious content work for you? I have the following four bits of advice:

1. You can combine silly with serious. In fact, a serious topic with a funny anecdote can make your serious posts more popular.
2. Reward good behavior. When people comment on your posts, make sure you engage them in discussion, or at the very least thank them for their comment. This also helps to build a community and grow your base of loyal followers.
3. Make your titles more compelling. Serious and academic sounding titles are not as likely to get attention as headline worthy titles and lists. People love to read and share lists because they’re easy to read, easy to navigate and imply that a solution can be reached simply.
4. Be consistent in your blogging. When I discuss how to use social media with my clients, I am constantly surprised by the number of people who blog so irregularly and inconsistently that it can hardly be called a blog. I had one client whose last blog post was nine months old. The key to running a successful blog is to consistently add fresh content that keeps readers coming back. Hint: if you haven’t posted yet this year, you need to get on it!

A helpful article about “defining and refining your blog content strategy can be found at Inklingmedia.com.
If you have questions such as why social media or what is social media, contact me at randi@localhost or visit my Facebook Page and send me a message.