The Secrets of “Blogging Awesome” and More from BlogWorld

As someone who has admired BlogWorld from a far an distant hashtag in years passed, I was finally able to make the trip this year.  I found it interesting that tracks were dedicated to newbies, those in healthcare, food, with a healthy dose of sessions on monetization and how to build a real business around a blog. What resonated with many was the opening keynote by where the passionate suggestion was given to “Blog Awesome”.  Here are some ways to do just that.

The Secrets of “Blogging Awesome” and More from Blogworld

Scott Stratten, author of UnMarketing set the tone by informing the audience that quality content that is born out of your passion is what makes a blog grow.  He simplified this concept by challenging them to “Blog Awesome”.  That awesome content is what people want to share on Twitter and other social media sites.  Here are some elements of blogging awesome I observed at BlogWorld.

Mobile Readers

Some argue that the PC and Laptop are living on borrowed time. True or not, support for smartphone devices to browse your site is important.  Making it easy for those on mobile devices to consume your content shows you care, are relevant, and will bring visitors back.  Good news for WordPress users, there is a plugin for that.

Attraction->Retention->Conversion->Referral

Chris Garrett suggested this strategic model for bloggers.  It’s fairly self explanatory.  Attraction to a blog with good content leads to Retention, which results in Conversion (a sale), and as the customer has a good experience, they ultimately become a Referral source to others.  I like the simplicity of this progression, and is useful for bloggers to keep in mind as they work in their blogging business.

Yahoo! Answers for Content Ideas

Chris also suggested using Yahoo Answers to see what problems people in your market are dealing with, write a solution, summarize it on Yahoo answers, and include a link to the full post.

Email Engagement with Blog Commentors

Darren Rowse of Problogger shared an idea he employed early on, email anyone who comments on your blog, thanking them, let them know you responded and give a link to the blog. Labor intensive, but helped him build a loyal readership.

Quotes from Mark Burnett

Mark Burnett television producer of Survivor, The Apprentice, The Contender, and Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader among others, was interviewed on stage, and had three noteworthy comments:

“The need to be certain creates paralysis.”

“Feeling of need to be certain is a form of procrastination.”

“People who innovate and do big things, most of them don’t know if it is going to work, but need to take a step of faith that it will work.”

If you are someone big with ideas but small with execution Mark’s comments are enlightening.

Building a Profitable Blog or Business?

There was an overall theme at the conference that it really isn’t your blog that you are to be concerned with, rather your business.  In running your blog as a business, making it profitable is key.  Some great Dos and a Don’t from seasoned blogger Anita Campbell of SmallBizTrends as shared from the Blog Monetization SuperPanel.  The sites business model is monetization through big brand ads and sponsors, but these apply to any blog business:

• Do have other income sources in first year
• Don’t try to monetize with ads too early
• Do protect the integrity of your content
• Do run it like a business it’s not “your blog”
• Do remember there are hidden costs.
• Do have a “sales engine” -ads do not sell themselves!
• Do make yourself reachable – every email and phone call is a potential advertiser
• Do recognize the power of the relationships.

What are your thoughts on Blogging Awesome? Whether you attended the event or want to simply share your feedback on these concepts, chime in below.