X Factor: Simon Cowell
Last time in this Blog Expert Series, we explored how to find your niche market and what people want to help you run a successful blogging business.
The next thing in the blog expert series to consider is what unique qualities you can bring to your site, which will set you apart from your competitors.
Even if you are operating within a popular area, it doesn’t mean that you can’t differentiate your product and business from the many others out there currently in operation.
I want yours!
In the last Blog Expert Series post, we looked at ways to identify your ideal blog opportunity by landing upon a perfect idea for your small business online.
In this Blog Expert post, we’re going to explore this further, by identifying whether or not there is a gap in the market that means it will be worthwhile for you to set up your site and move into your niche.
A little while ago I wrote a blog post about how to get your blog moaning with pleasure.
As a result of the blog post, a regular commenter here and a good blogging buddy, Dennis Edell from Direct Sales Marketing recommended I add a page listing my guest posts. i.e. having links to the guest posts I have had published.
Well I have finally got around to setting this up and I have crossed it off my list.
Some of my best writing has been published on other blogs and this is a great way to tell my readers – so thank YOU Dennis.
The passion you show in your blog is a fundamental element of your ‘stickiness’ factor.
This passion and enthusiasm starts with your love for the subject you’re writing about. As more people visit and post comments, it’s easy to get caught up in it all.
But what happens when this passion starts to wane?
How do you get it back?
There are a few easy ways to make sure your blog content is always fresh. Keeping your passion isn’t as hard as it first might seem.
Do you like the title?
Well that ‘s the title Traffic Coleman added to the interview he recently carried out with me.
It was a blast of an interview.
Really spontaneous questions…I had no clues to what he was going to ask and that’s exactly how it should be.
That way you have to be on your toes and listen really carefully to the questions and just share your experiences.
If you fancy reading a little bit about me, how I made the transition from full time employee to full-time blogger and how I have grown this blog, check out the blog post:
Permanent link to this post (112 words, 1 image, estimated 27 secs reading time)
A few years ago, none of us would ever have dreamed of putting all our information out there on the web for all to see.
Nowadays, as bloggers, we have a vested interest in revealing more of ourselves on line than we ever normally would in a real-life situation.
How has this happened?
We know as bloggers we need to keep people engaged, and this means showing our true personality and getting ourselves known…
Is it a positive thing to have a strong online presence?
Of course it is, in obvious ways.
Anyone who has been blogging for a while is inevitably bombarded with constant offers, promotions and advice about the best courses to go on, software to purchase and consultants to use to optimize their blog.
When I first started out running my blogging business, I was confused by the amount of advice out there. I spoke to people to glean the best methods to enhance my blog platform, and worked my way through the myriad snippets of information and advice that landed in my e-mail inbox on an almost daily basis.
One of the biggest challenges any blogger will face is getting traffic. With so much competition out there, it can be hard to make your blog stand out.
You will therefore have to promote it in order to get some traffic. Not all promotional techniques are equal, however, so you need to determine what works the best for you.
Your goal is to receive as much quality, targeted traffic as possible.
Here is a list of the ultimate ways to promote your blog:
Article directories
The domain industry is gigantic and massively lucrative, with ultra-relevant domains seemingly always bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars for their owners.
From ultra-memorable short domain names to incredibly targeted shopping terms, the value of a good domain is well established, and any smart online marketer knows how important it is to find a domain name that sells your business for you.
For bloggers, things can be a little more complicated. Picking a name for your blog is often less about driving direct ‘buyer’ traffic and much more about summing up and explaining your content.
What’s your favorite food?
Chocolate?
Chips?
McD’s?
Whatever it is, when you eat it, it gives you pleasure, right?
Now what about your blog?
What is your blog’s favorite food?
Visitors?
Backlinks?
Comments?
And one way to get your blog moaning with pleasure by providing more visitors, more backlinks and even more comments is via guest posting.
Now I’m not going to write another blog post about the benefits of guest posting.
You can find that sort of information by clicking on these links:
My wife and I on holiday last year
One of the beauties about blogging is that it works for you even while you sleep.
You know that when you go to bed at night, your loyal blog will stay awake, attracting potential customers and dancing its way through the search engines introducing itself to people.
This is great for obvious reasons, but we also know that a blog won’t look after itself.
The best blogs are tended to full-time by passionate people who understand that there is no such thing as a free ride. Creating a blog and then walking away from it is pointless.
Hi, Andrew Rondeau here and this blog, my blog, will not lie to you. I will give it to you straight.This blog is about blogging, the Internet and sharing my experiences and advice on 
