What’s your story?
Your blog is getting an identity; do you have one yourself? Most bloggers don’t know it, but your ‘about me’ page is one of your most valuable. Many first-time visitors to your blog will want to check you out – and the about page is where they’ll go.
This is your chance to tell your story, in brief, without being boring. Write this so it will resonate with your readers.
Do you need inspiration? One look at this extraordinary page and you’ll realise the potential of ‘about me’ pages. But most of us can’t, or won’t, write an encyclopaedic post like that.
So here’s a quick list of the important stuff. When you mention these four items, you’ll be ahead of almost everyone:
- Mention how long you’ve been interested in this niche, your qualifications if relevant; your experience and successes.
- Explain why standing in this niche right now is important – see: we’re back to ‘why.’
- Talk about your hopes, perhaps your initial strategy; including why you’re going to be a relevant read in today’s blogosphere. Why do you matter?
- Include contact information, or a link to a contact form and an invitation to readers to engage through leaving comments.
This is effectively another ‘post;’ one which will remain visible. So check everything carefully, and like with any post, it’s a good idea to leave it overnight so you can have a fresh read-through before publishing. Next . . .
Make some connections.
Your social media connections need to be established. With each passing month, more and more people become connected through portals such as Facebook and Twitter. Your readers will want to interact with you that way too, so you must make sure they can.
You’ve probably got a Facebook or Twitter account. Or both. There are not many who haven’t. Get some low-cost promotion by making it easy for blog visitors to share your information through their social media networks.
With Twitter, you’ll probably want to use bit.ly to shorten the link to your posts, to keep within the 140 character limit.
You can search for and ‘friend’ fellow bloggers in your niche who are on the same social platform as you. And keep working on your writer’s voice, which we talked about on Day Two of your first seven days of blogging, to ensure you stand out in your niche. More about voice can be found here.
Now write another post – make it a foundation feature article.
Foundation articles build a look of permanence. You could write a ‘list of’ article about key needs in your niche. You could also pen a ‘how-to’ – a tutorial explaining the intricacies of elements that many people wonder about. Your brainstorming and mind-mapping on Day One will have started some ideas; continue with the process if you’re not done.
You can do keyword research for some sought-after terms in your niche, then include these in your article. Here’s the latest Google tool link: http://www.googlekeywordtool.com/
You have your post template to remind you of all the elements you need to include. In addition, consider these elements:
- Keep your headline simple. It should explain the concept and purpose of your article clearly. I’m one of the first to line up at word-play time, but a post headline needs to be succinct. It’s not the place for poetry.
- Show your personality, but not too much. You want to come across as professional, yet unique. The same as expected, and yet refreshingly different. Not easy, but possible. Takes practice, is all.
- Use bullet points, and numbered paragraphs, because it aids your reader’s navigation, and makes things easier to read.
Hunt for blogs like yours – and comment on them.
Your blog may not have many, or any, readers yet. So you might not have much to respond to, emails to answer or contributions on your Facebook wall that need a response. But if things are quiet for you, there are undoubtedly other blogs in your niche where lots is happening.
This is your moment to jump in and join those other conversations. You’ll increase awareness of your own blog, just as you’re starting to post your new articles. And you can build your own reputation as a quality commentator. This could even lead to a request for a guest post . A guest post can be one of the best ways of increasing your visibility in the blogosphere fast. So when you hunt, look for high-trafficked blogs. You will, won’t you?
Prepare for tomorrow:
Tomorrow, you’ll publish the foundation feature you wrote today. But what will you write tomorrow? A big part of blogging is planning your next article. You may choose to write a series of related articles. This provides you with a sense of ‘where you’re going next’ and it gives readers continuity.
You have to continually ask yourself about the relevance of what you’re planning. What will my readers do with this? Who is this article applicable to? It’s very easy to lose focus and slip away from what your readers want – a sure way to lose them.
Day Three Tasks:
Write your ‘about me’ page, post your blog links to your favourite social sites (like Facebook and Twitter), and write a foundation feature from the ideas you developed in your mind-mapping. Once that’s done, go on a blog hunt, and comment on the posts of some kindred spirits.
That about wraps it for Day Three.
