Back To Basics To Leverage Your Blog

Recently I found myself on the home page of a well known photographer. The site was beautiful – it showcased his images well and really made you want to dive into his site further. So that’s exactly what I did.

I looked through some galleries, read all about him on his About Us page, and made my way over to his blog. Suddenly everything changed. I found an erratic publication schedule and content that had nothing to do with his business or his personality. Everything about it was haphazard and unfocused.

Unfortunately that’s not uncommon. In fact I see it all the time. Business owners seem to think it doesn’t matter – they’ll do a post or two when and if they have time. But what they don’t understand is they are literally destroying the initial contact they are making with potential customers.

If you have a first meeting with someone, would you show up 30 minutes late or wearing your gym clothes? Of course not. You want to make a great first impression.

Its no different with your web presence. Your web presence is something you control and have access to at all times. You need to think of it as your first impression, and always look at it through the eyes of your future clientele.

Would you hire someone that hasn’t posted since March 2012? Would you do business with someone that rants about politics, or only talks about what they do on the weekends?

So, if this sounds like you, maybe its time to get back to the basics, and turn your blog into everything it can be. With these 3 simple steps, you’ll have a fabulous marketing tool that will help you make your coming months successful.

1. Publish Consistently

The Social Ghost blogging calendar and planning guide

The key to any marketing tool you use is consistency. If you don’t do it on a regular basis, your results will be sporadic at best. Your readers are creatures of habit; give them what they want and make your blog a place they have to check back in with again and again. It might be daily, or even weekly. Schedule it if you need to – or even consider hiring someone to help you with it.

And to get you started for the New Year, try out my year long blogging planning guide. It’s a free download – get it and start planning what you’ll write about all year long.

2. Write For Your Audience

The biggest question people have when it comes to blogging is “What do I write about”? Turn it around and ask “What will interest your readers”? Why do they come to you? What do they like learning from you? Blogging should be thought of as a transparent conversation with your prospects and your clients. Tell them something that will be meaningful to them. And make sure you’re not telling them something they will hear from everyone else out there. Tell it through stories, and put your spin on things. They come to you for your personality – let it shine.

3. Encourage Conversation

Before blogs, people wrote in a more formal way? Remember high school English class where you had to use proper English and complete sentence structure? That’s what we incorporated into our press releases and whitepapers. With a blog, it’s more conversational, more informal. Write like you talk. Create short sentences. Let your personality shine. Ask questions that motivate answers. Also make a habit of welcoming new readers and asking them to comment in your comment section. Answer when warranted.

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clientexperience@todaysgrowthconsultant.com' About Virtual Photography

We're the co-founders of VirtualPhotographyStudio.com and have been writing on this blog since 2004. We started Virtual as a way to help photographers stretch beyond a part time income, and develop strategies to become a Five Figure Photographer or a Six Figure Photographer. Ultimately its all about lifestyle, and if your goal is to live as a photographer 24/7, we think you should have the knowledge and the tools to do so. Welcome!

  • http://marccphotography.com Marc C

    As a new blogger, great info. Im in the process of getting into a schedule and enjoying the feedback from the few readers.
    Thank you…..

    Marc