Frustrating isn’t it? You pour your heart and soul into a blog, only to hear the sound of crickets chirping. You keep wondering why. Is it the content? The audience? Too much competition? Or is it you?
You’re not alone. Many big names in the blogging industry have shared exactly the same disappointment. Neil Patel, co-founder of Crazy Egg, Hello Bar and KISSmetrics struggled during his early days. His challenges included traffic and visibility. Establishing credibility was tough in a crowded field.
Did he quit? No.
Instead, he dived deeper into producing high quality, actionable content which addressed the frustrations his audience experienced. Using effective SEO strategies, backed with case studies, he garnered trust from users.
Today, Neil Patel is one of the most sought after figures in the digital marketing industry. His blogs attract millions of visitors each month.
What made this possible? He didn’t give up, and neither should you. Instead, look at what errors you might be making.
Let’s have a look at seven common blogging bloopers and how they can be fixed.
The target audience is the lifeblood of your business, so not knowing who they are and forgetting what they want will always cause problems. Never take them for granted. It’s easy to assume their expectations based on trends, but the market is constantly changing and evolving.
Going in blind prevents resonance with the audience. If the reader’s troubles, frustrations and goals aren’t being addressed, why should they bother reading your work?
Solution: Speak on topics that chime with your audience
What we have here is a communication problem. Your users want apples, but you’re giving them oranges. Fill this gap by connecting on a personal level. Approach your audience as if you were a well intentioned friend who wants to help.
How does a good friend help? They listen.
How the audience feels and what they want, must matter to you. Understanding them helps create a buyer’s persona which highlights the user’s job, goals and troubles. These three things will guide you on:
- Which topics to speak on
- Which style, tone and format to use
- How simple or complex your content should be
Being a frequent blogger can lead to a trap. You’re reading and writing about so many topics that unintentionally, you mistake yourself for the reader.
Don’t guilt trip over this, it’s understandable. Ideas are racing through your mind on a daily basis. The erratic, unplanned nature of this can lead you to write about something that interests you, but not the audience.
You’re supposed to be a teacher, who encourages students to learn on their own. Not tell them what to do.
Solution: Match each blog with a goal
Every blog that you write has an underlying goal; growing your brand. The higher the reach, the bigger your brand. With each post, a customer is satisfied and you make profit.
Making this work involves striking the right balance between what you want to speak on, and helping the customer. The blogs should talk about your line of work, while solving problems.
So learn about your field and business goals. See how they tie in with what your customers are looking for.
Readers today are smarter and well-informed. They believe articles that back their points with well researched data carry credibility.
As a blogger, if you ignore data, it will take double the effort to convince your readers. They will not take seriously whimsical statements lacking substance to support them.
