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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

10 Tips on Creating a Successful Blog

Since I have a blog, I get this question ALL of the time...How do I create a blog? DISCLAIMER: Let me first say that I am NOT an expert in this area. I do not know any techy stuff...I can't train you on SEO. ALL I KNOW IS...I have a blog, I love sharing tips & my journey. Anything I want to know or learn about regarding blogs, I will just Google. I cannot tell you how to get the fun icons on your blog- even the stuff I have done on mine...I can't remember how I did it! LOL I Googled it, followed instructions & instantly forgot it all. With that being said, this can be a really fun creative outlet for you! Have fun with it and always be willing to learn and play around with your blog. I've change the design on mine...50,000 times. Ok back on topic.... WHY BLOG?
Think of your blog or website as an unpaid salesperson working for you 24/7!
It’s a way for you to make a deeper connections with your customer and showcase...you! Your talents, struggles, personality and successes! You are really marketing and branding yourself!  

What are some unique qualities about you? Are you a good listener? and you bold, honest and upfront and don’t sugar coat anything? Are you funny? Are you a mom trying a set a good example for your children and family? Do you struggle with temptations and staying out of the cookie jar? YOU have the answers that people JUST like you are searching for. Don’t be selfish hehe Share! Don’t EVER undervalue your uniqueness! Don’t ever think that no one wants to hear your story. They do!

You want to CONNECT with your customers- let them know they came to the right place and you can help them!

How to get started:
You can create an account on blogger.com or wordpress.org whichever you are more comfortable with. Wordpress.org allows you to do a little more with your site (and I believe shows up in the search engines more?) Either way, there are TONS of free trainings on how to work them and get started. Check the websites or youtube! Google it!

10 Tips on Creating a Successful Blog

Tip #1 Be yourself!
Always be YOU! People are very intuitive. You want to make sure you relay your distinct voice and tone! What makes you you! Always add your personality to everything you do! They can tell if you are BSing them or just writing boring facts about Shakeology.  Facts TELL, stories sell! Share with your readers (aka your new friends) your story- why you got into Beachbody and business! What is your bigger vision? What makes you better, different or more awesome than other fitness coaches? Be real, genuine and authentic. Let people get to know YOU. Tell them what your believe in! They will relate to you on a deeper level.You will attract the type of coaches and customers you work best with which will benefit your sanity and business!

Tip #2 Identify your Market
Who do you want to talk to or reach? Without identifying your ideal customer, your marketing will be generic and ineffective!  By identifying your ideal target, you will start attracting people who relate to you & who are perfect for you! You’ll convert more and work will be FUN! You’ll find that your marketing is more effective because you have clarity about who you are talking to which means you can make a deeper connection!

You want to find your niche but really dial in and dig deep until you have ONE specific person in mind.  You need to understand what is going on in their head- understand their heart, emotion, and fears if you want to connect effectively.  See life through their eyes- get in their shoes and learn to think like them.
To start the process, talk to your customers and really LISTEN. Learn more about them- take the time to get to know them.
When they see that you understand their desires and have a vision for them, it will develop a deep trust and they will see that you can help them reach their goals. By showing them that you understand what they are going thru, they can really see how Beachbody products can be the solution for them as well! What building that deep trust means for you....sales, repeat customers and a successful business.

So how to identify your Market?

Think about what they all have in common. Think of every trait! demographic - age, income, gender, marital status, job, etc. What are their values, beliefs, lifestyle, hobbies, interests, etc?

Roll these traits into ONE person- think about that person’s life. What tv shows, magazines, books do they like? What is their guilty pleasure? favorite food?
What do they think about themselves? What do they fear? worry about? What are their dreams? what would thrill them?
Now think about how they view the world. How do they feel about Beachbody? or what you have to offer?
Always speak to THIS person when you are blogging!

Read more about Developing your Brand here

Tip #3 Offer VALUABLE content!
Offer people interesting information and good solid content that people WANT to read! Start with your story! But you should always be learning about your niche! Share that information and what it means to you in your life!

Tip #4 Consistency!
Be reliable! Set a realistic goal for how often you are going to blog- then stick with it! Once you get followers, they will learn your blogging pattern and look forward to your posts. If you are sporadic, they will lose interest and most likely stop checking back! People want to know how often they should check your blog!
If the inspiration strikes you and you have 5 blog posts ready to go, don’t post all at once! Post one then schedule the rest to post according to your normal posting schedule. Another tip is to make an editorial calandar- schedule the posts you are going to write about ahead of time.
Don’t be disheartened in the beginning, if you’re not getting very many hits. It takes about 6 months to build a good following. This can be challenging- don’t lt that be an excuse!!! We all started from zero at one point! You CAN figure it out! Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint

Tip #5 Running Idea List
Use Evernote, google docs or word to keep a list of blog post ideas. Ever run out of inspiration? Keep a list of ideas on hand so you can stay consistent with your posts. Any time a customer asks you a question, thats a great topic to your list!
Still need inspiration? Search sites like Delicious, redd it, StumbleUpon or blovloving!

Tip #6 Link All social media and Remind Customers to bookmark or follow your blog
Make it EASY for people to contact and connect with you! You can add social media buttons for your facebook, twitter, youtube, etc....Always remind them at the end of a post- if they like what they see...make sure they bookmark or follow you for more!

Tip #7 Get the word out! Cross Promote!
How are people going to find you? Do a little research on SEO! That’s going to help your blog come up more often when people search topics that you cover. If you are posting valuable content, this shouldnt be a problem. You always want to plug your blog into sites like Stumble Upon, blog loving, etc.....and share blog links with your Facebook and twitter fans. Add your blog link to your youtube videos. Make posts that people WANT to read and they will share your blog!

Tip #8 Google is your friend!!
Google knows all! If you want to learn how to do something, ask google!!! It’s easier for google to explain it!

Tip #9 Keep it Simple
Keep your design simple and easy to navigate. Check out popular blogs for design ideas. Don’t get widget happy!

Tip #10 Be flexible, always be learning
I don’t think I need to tell you how fast technology changes! Always keep your eyes peeled for new training, don’t be afriad to try something new or different. Experiment and have fun with it!

Just get started! The only way to get better is to practice!

1 comment:

  1. Annnnd thanks for this and all the other posts. =) *I guess you could say I'm stalking your blog. lol

    ReplyDelete