One of the biggest questions we see over and over from bloggers is, “How do I get noticed?” Getting noticed is one of the first steps to building traffic, gaining followers and of course getting on your way to building a new career in blogging. In today’s saturated market getting noticed is a lot easier said than done. It can be frustrating when you’re doing your best, but it feels like you’re talking to an abyss of noise. Perhaps you’re doing alright, but would like to step it up to the next level. Either way, getting noticed is going to take trying new things, and it’s going to mean you’re never going to stop trying new things.
They say, create great content, but what does that mean? Great is objective, and well, quite often great content doesn’t always get noticed. Here are some tips that will help you create that “great” content and help you get noticed.
It’s Not About You (Personally)
Ask yourself this, “Why should a complete stranger care about me?” Other than general good will towards humanity, or the Good Samaritan, who wants to help if you were say being mugged on street, complete strangers have no reason to care about your personal taste. Like any relationship, you have to earn that. Readers don’t owe you anything. The reality is, it will always be this way whether you have one reader or one million.
It’s not a bad thing, actually, there is a great deal of freedom in it “not being about you.” Here you have the opportunity to create something greater than yourself. Your job as a publisher is to provide great quality content for your readers, so the readers naturally want to come. This may sound frustrating, but it actually means you will have an interesting career that will never stagnate.
Solve a Problem
People love looking for answers. It’s in our nature. The problems you solve with your blog don’t have to be the meaning of life, but you can solve problems that your readers might be having. Say you noticed comfortable shoes aren’t often very nice to look at, so you can do a post where you find shoes that are both comfortable and chic. It makes for a more compelling post than five pairs of shoes you like. Because, really, why should strangers care about what shoes you like? They want to know what’s in it for them.
Solving problems have several benefits, for your readers it adds value to their lives. For your traffic, if you solve a particularly common, yet relatively unsolved problem, it will become pillar content, content that continually draws in traffic. If your blog consistently solves problems it will make it easier to build your traffic.
If you become known for solving problems, especially niche problems, it creates a great opportunity for you to pitch yourself as an expert to other publications.
Stay Ahead of The Curve
One way to make sure you never get noticed is do what everyone else is already doing. People crave new experiences, why give them an experience they already had three years ago? When you’re looking around the niche you are trying to get noticed in, look at who the leaders are. Analyze what they are doing and figure out what you can do better. Heck look at what the leaders in the entire industry are doing, and figure out what you can do to improve on that. There is no standard that is too high, and if you work towards that, you will have a better chance of achieve that.
Engage, Engage, Engage
Leave thoughtful comments. One of the most effective blog marketing tips is to engage. Engage with your readers, thank them. Have lunch with your peers, with your heroes, with anyone. Send thank you letters to your favorite bloggers. If you’re wanting to build your presence in the blogosphere, engaging with it in a positive way will help people get to know who you are.
99% of success is just showing up, because how else are we going to find out how great your blog is?
I am just starting out and this has been really helpful thanks a lot!
Immy xx
http://fabricandtea.blogspot.co.uk/