As I mentioned last week, the Event Blossom Blog (now known as “The Blossomer”) turned a year old.  Starting a blog was incredibly exciting for me, but it was also a little bit frightening.  I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I hardly ever shared my work — that was just too scary.  After a year of blogging, those fears have subsided.  I still get butterflies every time I hit the “publish” button, but I think that I’ll always get that feeling.  It’s a good thing, in my opinion.  That being said, there are some things I’d like to share about what I’ve learned so far.

Things I learned in my first year of blogging for a business:

1. Research is always a good first step.  First and foremost, take a look at some blogs in your industry.  A quick search on Google will turn up a ton of results for you to peruse.  This will give you an idea about what others are blogging about, how their content is set up, and maybe even some topics that haven’t been discussed yet or could be built upon further.
2. Find your voice.  Are you already an avid blog reader but not sure what kind of blogger you are/would be?  Go through your favorite blogs.  Identify what it is about the posts that you enjoy and keep you coming back for more.  Most of the time, you like things that are like you in some way.  So if you’re not sure what your style is, try out different ones you like until you find the style that’s right for you.  If something doesn’t work or it just doesn’t feel right, re-evaluate and give it another go.  When it comes down to it, be yourself and write in a way that comes naturally.
3. Content is king.  This isn’t an original saying; I’ve read it many times over in different blogs, books, and a variety of other publications.  Just as in customer service, you want to always try and see things from the customer’s point of view.  What kinds of topics are they interested in?  What kind of information would they be seeking?  What content would be the most helpful and/or valuable to them?  These are the questions you need to ask when planning out your content strategy.
4. Get an outsider’s perspective.  Whether it’s your boss, colleagues, or best friend.  It’s always good to get fresh eyes to edit and review your posts.  They may see spots that could use a bit more elaborating or others that could be trimmed down.  And staring at the computer screen for any extended period of time will cause anyone to make a small spelling or grammar error — it’s best to have someone take a quick look for those little slips while you rest your eyes.  I also recommend including others in on brainstorming future posts; you never know where a great idea will stem from — and don’t forget to give credit where it’s due!
5. Take notes, keep an eye on your site stats, and make adjustments where you see fit.  You’ll learn new things with every post, comment, and page view.  For example, I always write down a few notes when a post has significantly more hits than the others – what the topic was, how it was different from the others, and why it may have caused a bigger surge of traffic.  Remember, blogging, just like business, is always evolving and changing.  Be aware and adapt when necessary.
6. Press “Publish!”  Ultimately, you can’t really predict which posts or topics will be a hit.  But you’ll never know if you don’t put it out there for your audience to decide.

Happy Blogging!
-Kim

P.S.
What did you think of these tips?  Fellow bloggers feel free to share any advice you may have in the comments below.