Making an Awesome Blog!

BLOGGING 101 AS PER LORI GREENE

So, thanks to New York Women in Communications, I was able to attend an awesome conference headed by Lori Greene, who is amazingly accomplished. The conference was about how to be a successful blogger and all of the following tips were taught by Greene herself - a true expert. (So, please keep in mind the following is nothing of mine! All quotes taken from Greene).

Greene mentioned four reasons why you should blog.

1. Loyalty to fans (much like the Whole Foods blog that caters to loyal, health seeking fans),
2. Problem solving purposes (like the Digital Photography School's blog), 
3. Leadership (example: the Manpower Group blog), 
4. Idea generation (such as the Starbucks website).

Greene also mentioned a few key traits to have in mind when building a blog. These traits include the following:

•  Realizing that everything on the internet lasts FOREVER. You have to keep in mind that what you post can either hurt you or help you in the long run. 
• Having a general statement/ mission statement. This will help you target your goals for what you want your blog to accomplish.
• Looking at your audience and seeing what they love/have interest in. If you want your blog to gain followers and subscribers - you need to publish what they want to see.
• Constructing your content strategy. What is it that you do better than anyone else? What is it that people can use from you? Basically, what do you have to offer?
• Be unique. There are thousands of blogs now-a-days so being different can be difficult - but not impossible.

Remember that you should be blogging at least once a week. You want your audience to know that you're reliable and that on Wednesdays, for instance, they can count on your blog post. Your articles should be relevant, topical, entertaining and accurate.

Your blog should have a unique design. People should be able to tell what blog they are on by the colors, logo and layout - this gives you your special touch.

Your blog should be 80% informative and 20% promotional.

Have other people write on your blog and vice versa. This makes your blog content fresh and also can help promote your blog, especially if a fellow blogger links their post to your blog.

Make sure to use clean links on your site, include a search bar, organize content by tags, keep it short, use other blogs to get ideas on how to construct your own, use at least one photo per post.

Engage your audience. Ask questions and answer them. Post your blog on other social media websites and have that option for your followers.

USE LINKEDIN! It's a growing site for employers.

Email other bloggers and commend them on their work. Maybe they'll take a peek at your blog and recommend you. These are networking sites for a reason!