Thursday, December 20, 2012

Tips for Blogging Success Part 2

As promised, and as my Christmas gift to you hehe, here's the continuation of my earlier post on the things I shared and learned at Blogopolis 2012.

6. Strategic Branding.  One thing that you have to remember is that your blog is your brand. To put it in context, let's say with clothes, how you dress up is how you present yourself to the world. In the blogosphere, your blog, whether you intend to or not, is a representation of who you are. Apart from writing quality content and steering away from writing about things that will potentially embarrass you in the future, it is important to find your niche, and to be recognized as an expert in your chosen topic. Think of it this way, when you think of a blog, you instantly associate it with something right? Like, Yugatech=techie stuff, Ivan About Town=Philippine travel blog, Fashion Pulis=chismis, David Guison=men's fashion. You would want to be known or branded for something. The same way Starbucks is coffee and Levi's is denim. As with consumer brands and celebrities, you can also build your blog's brand equity. How? Read on.

7. Strategic Promotion. In short, Network. Network. Network. And the best part? You can do this both online & offline. Offline, you can attend events and blogging conferences. Online, simply comment on blog posts, go on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and say hello, ask questions or whatever. Just make sure you don't get too overbearing or stalker-ish, haha! But seriously, a lot of my friends now like Karrots, Kris and the SoMoms (Jackie, Jenny R., Jenny O., Jen, Eli, Janice, Cai, Michelle) started out as my online ka-chikas but are now my regular lunch mates. We started off reading each others blogs, asking each other about shopping, breastfeeding, baby wearing etc. and thanks to our blogs and constant kulitan online, it feels like we all have known each other forever. Since most of us also have businesses on the side, it's like we have an instant barkada to help us promote each other's blogs and businesses too. Strategic, right? But let me clarify, we all came together because we sincerely liked hanging out with each other. Do not "target" someone just because they are popular. It helps, but bottom line is, reach out to those who you genuinely feel an affinity with.

8. Attracting Advertisers. Ahhh, isn't this what everybody wants? To attract advertisers? The good news is, you don't need to have millions of hits to get advertisers. What advertisers look at is quality, not just quantity. Your personality and how you come across your readers is important. Why? If they were to choose a blog/ger to advertise their products or service in, they would of course go for the ones they would want to be associated with. It's just like choosing a friend or barkada. You want to be seen with your kind of crowd. Second, your influence matters. Are your readers the kind of market advertisers want to tap? Are you able to get your readers to try and/or buy the products you share with them? Also, are you perceived as a reputable source of information?

Think of it this way, when brands choose celebrity endorsers, they want someone who can best represent their brand, and who can also make their products move. The same goes for advertisers when it comes to choosing the bloggers they will partner with. Make sure that you build your brand and reputation to a point where brands will want to be seen in your blog. That should be your goal.

9. Your Blog as a Business. There are many ways to monetize your blog - through ads, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, co-branding, endorsements etc. Abe Olandres and Carlo Ople have taken their blogs to a point where it has become a business. They have a staff of writers, they have a steady stream of advertisers that provide them with more than enough to cover their overhead expenses. In short, they have made their blogs into a business, and yes, it can be done! If you really want to earn money from blogging, explore different avenues of monetizing your blog, and see what works for you.

10. The 4 P's of Duct Tape Marketing applies to blogs too. As a blogger, ask yourself the purpose of why you blog. Do you want to do it because it's uso? Is it for fun? Is it because you want to earn money? Let me reiterate, money should never be your primary reason for blogging. Just remember that when you enjoy and love what you do, the money will follow. Next, you need to think about your positioning. What is your blog about? What are you known for? Who are your readers? This helps you find your niche. Third, write with passion. Enjoy the process, write because you want to, not because you have to. Lastly, do not be afraid to let your personality shine through. It is who you are, and how you write that will get your readers to keep coming back for more.


Happy Blogging!

3 comments:

Super Shaznae said...

Wow! This is very helpful..But attending events? How does a newbie blogger get invites for blogger related events? I'll take note of this. =) Thank you

Krystal
http://krystalpearl.blogspot.com

Jackie Go said...

Thank you Tin for sharing these tips! True nga that if you love what you do, everything comes naturally and not pilit. See you soon! :)

Roxi @ Mr. Jacob's Mom said...

I was there at Blogopolis and I even attended your talk. It's nice to learn from pro bloggers on how we can improve our own blogs and start earning from then.

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