Posts Tagged ‘blogging’

Don’t You Dare Start A Blog Without Reading This

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

I recently passed the two-year mark as a blogger. So I felt this would be a good moment to help you, by explaining what I know now about being a successful blogger, that I wish I had known then.
Britain Going Blog Crazy - Metro Article
Honestly, I figured it would be fairly easy to make the transition  from writing for a newspaper to blogging, following 10 years as  a journalist. The writing came fairly easy, but it took me two  years to figure out all the unwritten rules I needed to know to be  successful.

I’m always learning, but after several fits and starts, frustrations  and lessons from experts, I’ve moved from novice level to  intermediate. I recently wrote a blog post that went viral, and my  last post here at PureDriven.com attracted hundreds of readers. Compared with serious bloggers, it’s still nothing, but it’s a significant step for me as a blogger, and it’s proof that PureDriven’s blogging effort is beginning to pick up steam, thanks to all my great readers like you.

Here is the post I wish I had read before I started down this blogging journey, detailing many of those unwritten rules.

It’s something I hope you all will take to heart – and add to – so you don’t have to spend quite as much time as I did in the wilderness of online word-smithing.

1. It’s not about you

You hear this all the time in life, but it’s especially true when it comes to blogging. It can be about stuff you love, and very personal stories, but you must write about what your audience wants to read. Typically this revolves around your expertise in something. This doesn’t mean if you’re a business that happens to make ball bearings you have to write a Hollywood gossip blog – please don’t actually. What I mean is you must make sure you’re reaching out and connecting with that slice of the gear head community who wants to read about ball bearings.

2. Be remarkable

If you think anyone will read your blog if all you do is talk about yourself and how great your business is, you’re doomed. So forget about reposting company press releases, or other self-serving nonsense. Avoid even a lot of company news, although the occasional announcement about a recent hire or new product or service is worth sharing. Just think about passing along your post to a customer. If you know that person would think your post isn’t worth reading, then don’t publish it.

3. Be a street performer

My teacher Jon Morrow (yes, I took a class to learn how to blog better, and it was worth every penny) reminded me recently that too many bloggers think they’re educators. But you don’t have a captive audience that has to by law sit in front of  you and learn. You’re a street performer. People are scooting by quick. They’re busy people, probably already late to something important. They’re looking at their iPhones, sipping coffee, avoiding eye contact.

The the last thing they have time for is you.

So make sure you’re providing something rich, something worth chewing on, something that will make them stop for a few seconds and take a look. Make it useful and interesting enough that they want to tell their friends what they saw that morning. In order to really build an audience, you need to teach – because that’s how to sell yourself – yet you’ve got to make that teaching awesome, something people can’t pass up. Sure, some posts will be singles and doubles, not home runs, but if you’re going to do this regularly, you’ve got to bring your best stuff. Be awesome. No excuses.

4. Don’t botch the headline

People toss on a headline like it’s an afterthought. Wrong answer. You should spend half your time on the headline. Without it, your headline is dead on arrival. Remember, people are busy, you’ve got to hook them with a headline that they just can’t pass up. You earn their attention with a headline that rocks. You earn a regular reader with content that backs up those headlines.

5. Find a medium that fits you

I’ve always said I have the perfect face and voice for print. Go ahead and watch me on camera, and you’ll agree. I’ve always preferred writing. It’s less technical. You can do it from anywhere with a pen and scrap of paper, and readers don’t care how you dress (a fairly important prerequisite since I have a reputation for working at home in my Spiderman PJs, and I occasionally write for PR In Your Pajamas.) The PJs are true. The Spiderman part isn’t. I’m a Peanuts guy, just so you don’t get the wrong impression about me.

But all of what I’m saying in this post can be done with any medium. Find the one that works best for you, because blogging is normally a long range strategy if you’re doing it for business growth, or even if you just want to build a decent audience. You’ve really got to love blogging to stick with it, so find the medium that works best for you.

6. Commit

When starting out, try and post once a week. Anything less and I struggle to see how you’ll get traction. We still only publish weekly here at PureDriven, because that’s all the time I have. I try and put out one high quality post out per week. No, the sky won’t fall if you miss a week, but if you aren’t committed, don’t start.

A blog is like a puppy. You’ve either got to take care of a living animal, or give it to someone who will. Most of those millions of blogs out there aren’t competing with you, because people abandoned them. Starting a blog is easy. Sticking to it is hard. There’s room for you, if you stick with it.

7. Ship often, and give up on perfection

I love reading blog posts and marketing books from Seth Godin, and a big thing he always pushes is the need to ship, often. No excuses. Adopt that policy for your blog. Write it. Let is simmer overnight. Then read it the next day. Make some changes. Check the grammar. Check the spelling. Then let it go. Give yourself a deadline, and then send it out. It’s never going to be perfect. Heck, there might even be a tpyo or two in this post. Yeah, not the greatest image to leave. But we’re all human. It’s more important to ship than have flawless prose.

8. It is and isn’t about numbers

Set goals for your blog that matter to you. Our goals are lead generation, thought leadership, optimizing our website for search, helping people, and building a tribe of supporters we can travel through the online world with. As long as I’m meeting those goals, the actual number of subscribers isn’t that critical. But it’s hard to generate leads without people. So an audience of people who connect with us through the blog is what I’m aiming for. If we have a giant audience, but no one called to actually buy what we sell, then in my mind the blog would not be successful, no matter the audience size.

You need people to sell to, and therefore numbers do matter, just make sure you aim for the right goals, not jut eyeballs for your ego.

9. Market your posts

Without a doubt, our blog would have zero readers if it weren’t for my guest post on Copyblogger, linked to above. These days you can write excellent posts, but if you don’t work to guest post on blogs of bigger audiences and spread news of your posts, it is far harder to get people to notice your brilliance.

Every day people are getting inundated with more and more great, free content. So you’ve got to get in front of them with yours. Think of it like being the opening act for a big name band. Each time you perform, a certain amount of the existing audience is going to become your fans as well. If by the way you’re interested in guest posting for this blog, the one I mentioned above, For Bloggers By Bloggers or Workshifting let me know, and I can hook you up. For the place to find blogs in and around your niche, visit Alltop.com.

The good news is, if you have something to say, there are plenty of places that will allow you to guest post. Once your post runs, be sure to spread the headline and link around on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin, or wherever you find relevant audiences for your post topic. It also helps if you’re building a network of other bloggers who will post to their networks what you’ve written. If you’re interested in the subject of guest blogging and getting your content to spread, I highly recommend Jon Morrow’s Guest Blogging Course.

10.  What would you add?

What’s the one thing you wish you’d have known when you got started? Or if you haven’t yet, what’s stopping you? What lingering issue have you been wondering about, when it comes to blogging?

I’m sitting in Northern Minnesota waiting to learn from you.

Don’t let me down friends,

Patrick

You can find me on Twitter @garmoe

Photo Credit:  The honor goes to Annie Mole

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5 Blogging Steps To Get You Through The Dip

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

I’ve been blogging for probably close to three years now, first I did it occasionally for my newspaper’s city hall blog, then for my newspaper’s business blog, then I briefly wrote a blog about being laid off in Duluth. Then I blogged briefly for a specific project we were doing related to Google coming to Duluth. And finally I began blogging here at PureDriven.com. But it was only within the last six months that I began taking it very seriously, and started doing it in a focused fashion. I really enjoy it, but let me tell you a little secret about blogging.

The Dip

It’s Hard

Don’t be fooled. If you’re doing a blog for your business, you need to post regularly. At least weekly. So you can’t just toss up a few posts when the muse strikes you. You’re not going to see results. You really do need to figure out a strategy. Otherwise you’ll slip into what best selling author and marketer Seth Godin calls the Dip, and never exit.

The book states that people typically start doing something with lots of enthusiasm, because it’s new and interesting and fun. But then they realize in order to become the best at it, it’s going to take lots of time and effort, and at the same time they’re realizing this, they’re beginning to grow weary of the work and effort it takes. It’s not all that fun anymore. Godin’s argument is that once you hit this point, called “the dip” you either have to quit – and in many cases he argues quitting is exactly what you should do, if you don’t have the fire in you to really push through and become in expert, or the product simply isn’t worth moving forward with – but if the activity, job or project is a good fit for you, that’s the time to hunker down and give it your all. Otherwise you’ll be one of many people with that skill who doesn’t stand out, who isn’t remarkable in any way. Too often people quit because they temporarily don’t like the situation, and can’t visualize the payoff at the end. For example, he says no one ever quits the Boston Marathon at Mile 25, though the bulk quit between miles 15 and 24. “Short-term pain has more impact on most people than long-term benefits do, which is why it’s so important for you to amplify the long-term benefits of not quitting. You need to remind yourself of life at the other end of the Dip because it’s easier to covercome the pain of yet another unsuccessful cold call if the reality of a sucessful sales career is more concrete,” he says on pages 53 and 54.

This idea of a Dip, is particularly pronounced when it comes to online marketing in general, and blogging specifically.

So Bring Your Blog Through The Dip

There are 133 million blogs according to Technorati, and even if you deduct all the personal blogs, that still leaves a whole lot of businesses out there who are struggling to produce regular, good content for their blogs, and gain an audience. So the Dip I feel in this area is particularly pronounced. Here are some tips I’d advise, if you’re still in the newbie stage of blogging, or if you’ve hit the Dip, and can’t figure out whether to stick with it or quit.

1. Read blogs about blogging, to get a sense of what works, and doesn’t. Two great examples are CopyBlogger, and a new one that just started up, called For Bloggers, By Bloggers. CopyBlogger includes a whole series of “must read” PDFs for free.

2. Write for the first three to six months, expecting no one but your mom to read it. Use that time simply to get a feel for what it’s like to blog, like training wheels on a bike. You need that time just to figure out the mechanics of the process.

3. Decide what your blog is about, and what content you can produce. If you aren’t passionate about what you’re talking about, you shouldn’t even try writing a blog.

4. Share, don’t sell. Your blog is about educating people regarding your topic. Try and just stuff your blog with sales pitches, and not even your mom is going to read what you’ve written.

5. Use a reader like Net Vibes or Google Reader, so you can amass a stable of good blogs to read regularly, without visiting each site, or subscribing via your e-mail inbox, which can easily get flooded with posts.

There’s lots of other things to know, but just following these tips will put you ahead of 90 percent of other bloggers. Blogging is a great way to reach new audiences and cultivate customer loyalty, but the Dip is deep, and I’d argue for most people, quite long. The only thing that will get you through it, is trying to learn from the many who have gone before you, and to be passionate about what you write about.

Other bloggers, what do you wish you knew when you first started? The comments below are all yours.

Photo Credit: Jeronimo Palacios

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Good enough is better than excellent in the blogging world

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

I had an awesome post for you yesterday. I swear I did. It was about seven cool steps toward building a social media strategy, and it had an slick graphic.

I had the first six steps written and ready, and then it, well, disappeared.

I’m not sure if it was my fault, or a Wordpress hiccup, but when I returned this morning, my draft was gone.

I was frustrated, and opted not to even try and recreate the post. I didn’t have the energy to do that on a Saturday.

But now a few hours later, I’m posting on a different topic, just to get something good enough onto our blog.

139/365 You Are Good Enough

Photo By Ganesha Isis

This post is about the need when you’re running a social media campaign, blogging, etc., to publish on time, whether that’s daily or weekly. Until Web 2.0 hit, everything most businesses published went through about 15 iterations, and was read and commented on a dozen times by everybody who was anybody in the company, whether the content was for a new website, or flyer, or a coupon.

But with social media, standards should be lowered somewhat. I’m not suggesting you do a poorer job, but streamline the editorial process for content on a blog or other social media outpost. Have the writer work with one proofreader, and perhaps one additional person. But That’s It! Otherwise each item will get too bogged down in the editorial process.

This blog post is a good example of that. At some point in the future I’ll revist the topic I was going to write about, but my goal currently is to publish weekly. So instead of skipping this week completely, I’ve come out with something quick that I can deliver. It’s not my best work. And I’ll be the first to state it’s fairly mediocre at best. But the bottom line is, if you’re going to run a blog or even a good Facebook page, you need to publish on schedule, and that means not every post is going to be awesome. Some are just going to be OK, and that’s OK.

How do you keep from allowing the excellent from becoming the enemy of the good?

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Duluth Realtors, Take Heed of These 5 Warning Signs

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

Duluth Realtors need to begin taking seriously their online web strategy, if they want to reap real results from the web, before their competitors do.

Phil Sexton and Max Pigman

Photo Credit: Phil Sexton

1. Customers Are Demanding It

Look at this blog post from a Twin Cities resident trying to sell his home.

While the software the blogger is referring to, from Edina Realty, is by today’s standards fairly sophisticated, he is not highlighting how amazing it is that his home can be found via this online service. He’s instead lamenting the lack of analytics data the company provides. What he does receive, he complains, is numbers with no context. As your customers increasingly go online first to research buying or selling a home, their demands and expectations will steadily increase as well. Anticipate these needs and deal with them before they become a headache.

2. Your Competitors Are Gearing Up To Doing It

So often everyone waits for the next guy to jump in. No one wants to lead. Right now some local Realtors are dipping their toes in, while a bunch are waiting to see who gets in the water first. Based on what I’m hearing around town, and who some of my own clients are, I can guarantee that a year from now one or several realty companies and a lot of individual realtors in the area will be blogging. Then the rest will be scrambling to get started, late.

3. Realtors in Larger Cities Are Engaged In It

Visit the St. Paul Real Estate Blog, or http://www.minnesotainvestmentrealestate.com/ and you’ll see real-life realtors actually engaged in blogging as an integral part of their business. And it’s not because they want to say they’re bloggers. It’s because they routinely receive qualified leads via these mechanisms.

4. It’s How You’re Discovered

Meet Ken Van Dyke, of Ken Van Dyke Home Inspectors.

He’s not a big Internet guy, nor does he run a blog, but he works hard to make sure he’s listed at the top of local searches when someone types in “Home Inspector Duluth,” and it’s paying off. He told me recently that the amount of people finding out about him via Google search is steadily rising, while the number of people who use the phone book is steadily falling.Now, he said, nearly 100 percent of his leads come from the Internet, while zero come via the phone book.

5. Other Realtors Are Increasingly Using the Same Strategies Offline.

Yesterday I received a monthly letter from my Realtor. I haven’t purchased a house in two years, and have no intention of purchasing another any time soon. But he sends me a useful piece of information (this month it was on properly figuring out my home’s value) in order to keep top of mind, in the hopes I’ll use him in the future, or refer him to someone. In case you’d like to use him by the way, his name is Brok Hansmeyer, and he does great work. While he doesn’t run a blog, and is just dabbling with Twitter, he’s running a drip-marketing campaign, designed to keep him top of mind. The web provides similar types of benefits. Next time I know someone who needs a Realtor, either my friend Brok, or the Realtor in my BNI group will undoubtedly get my business. Why? They’ve built a relationship with me. Doesn’t really matter to me whether it was on or offline. What matters is that they did it, and therefore all the advertising in the world isn’t going to get me to give a referral to you. Because you, Realtor X, never bothered reaching out to me first.

This isn’t to scare you (okay, maybe a bit), but it’s more importantly designed to serve as a wake up call, to be sure you’re moving toward using the web increasingly for your business.

So what do you think? Are my warnings overblown?

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How to Wring The Most Value Out of a Conference

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

This weekend I was blessed to go to the first of what I assume will be many Minnesota Blogger Conferences.

I use the word “blessed” very carefully, because I and a whole lot of other people almost didn’t get to go. The event was free, thanks to wonderful sponsors like Top Rank Marketing and CoCo among others, and great volunteers, including Missy, Arik Hansen,  Bill Van Cleaf, Katie Schutrop, Lindsay Verbaten and Suzi Magill.

Only 150 people attended, because that’s all the place had space for, allowing for a very intimate setting. Those 100 free tickets ended up getting snatched up in merely two hours one morning. So I and a lot of other people were put on a waiting list. (I ultimately got in partly because I tried to make myself top of mind without being pushy). So they let me come in exchange for helping hang up some signs, and help set up and put away the chairs.

Here's The Gang at the Minnesota Blogger Conference

We took a group shot during one of the breaks. I’m way in the back.

During my previous life was a journalist, I would typically make it to conferences every year or two. So by my estimation, I’ve now attended around 10 conferences of varying shapes and sizes. Here’s what I’ve learned about maximizing the value of these events.

Be there! If you see something you know you want to attend, sign up immediately.

Don’t wait until the last minute! Last I heard, more than 100 people landed on the waiting list, and many in that group never did get tickets. While it’s not the same, the beauty of the Internet allows for streaming of the events online however. And increasingly conference organizers are working to bring at least a slice of the conference to those who couldn’t make it.

If you can’t attend, often a portion of the conference can come to you, as this one did, and does.

If you missed the conference, you can see and listen to all the keynote presentations, along with several break out sessions, and all the Twitter chatter on #MNBLOGCONF by visiting The Uptake. Easily more than 100 people were watching the Minnesota Blogging Conference online during the day. Often attending that way is free, even if the actual conference isn’t. I’ve “attended” a Chicago conference on marketing, from my Minnesota home, that way. The organizers are very serious about making it a good experience for those listening and watching online, so it’s far better than someone simply sticking up a camera, and wishing viewers “Good Luck!”

Supercharge your conference experience, by starting it weeks, or even months in advance.

No longer should you view a conference as an experience that lasts two or three days. That’s just the centerpiece of it.

I didn’t spend enough time doing this, but I should have been regularly reading the blogs and striking up conversations with people I was going to meet at the conference. These days many conferences (especially those that focus on online marketing or blogging) include a hashtag like #MNBLOGCONF, which is a certain word or mixture of letters preceded by a pound sign, that everyone uses, thus allowing those using Twitter clients, or searching online, to easily find the discussion. Watch the video on TheUptake, and you can see the stream of comments as the video is rolling, under the hashtag #mnblogconf.

Getting into conversations on Twitter and in the comments sections of the blogs of those attending the conference will allow you to begin building relationships with those you’ll meet at the event. That in turn means upon arriving, the experience of meeting people at the conference therefore feels somewhere between when you meet an old friend, and walking up to someone you’ve never met, introducing yourself for the first time.

Conferences after all, are really about making connections with others. And building relationships is what leads to richer lives both personally and professionally. This preparation before conferences allows the event itself to serve as an opportunity not primarily to connect with people you’ve never met – although that naturally continues as it always has – but a chance to build on a relationship that began online.

Show up early, attend everything, and leave late

As stated above, I got to attend, in exchange for pitching in with set up and tear down. One of the great new contacts I made while setting up was with Josh Braaten, along with getting to know some of the organizers better. This was greatly beneficial as well, because that’s when organizers are most appreciative of you (considering they’re either really stressed, or really tired by the end) and are looking for people to pitch in. Plus, the crowds haven’t arrived, so there’s more time to chat and get to know one another.

At this event there was also a get-together at a local bar, where I met more great people who I ended up not having time to chat with the next day. Too many people skip out on some of these ancillary opportunities of conferences, which often are gold mines for contact building, if you’re goal is to do more than treat the trip like a paid vacation.

Don’t lug too much technology with you to the conference.

If there was a person at the conference who didn’t tote along either a smart phone, an iPad or a laptop, I’d be surprised.

And boy, were they using them. And man, was it fun! I enjoyed occasionally looking at the Twitter stream, and seeing interesting quotes or points individuals were tweeting out from other sessions I didn’t attend. And there’s just something cool in seeing a tweet come across your screen, and then seeing the actual tweeter 20 feet away. I brought a laptop, and have an iPhone, but didn’t spend a ton of time on either. As a professed introvert, my natural inclination is to constantly reach for technology, because it’s safe and comfortable. But I was there to grow my contact sphere, and solidify existing contacts I’d made online. So I fought the urge all day to spend a lot of time tweeting or using my laptop, and instead relied on paper and pen to take notes. (The booting up process and shutting down sequence by itself probably would have eaten up half an hour). Between sessions, I forced myself to talk with the many people standing or sitting around by themselves, either on their own laptops, or smart phones. It was what I promised in this blog post for a Top Rank Marketing contest, I’d do. And boy, was it worth it. I have a long list of new followers on Twitter I can’t wait to continue the conversation with.

My 10 years as a journalist have also taught me that most people, myself especially, can’t take great notes, and live blog or tweet simultaneously. So I recommend you take notes only. There’s plenty of time for reflection and blog posts later. Personally I love reading live blogging when I can’t attend the event, but I think it’s really hard to live blog AND try to learn a lot from the speaker and panel at the same time.

Follow up and apply!

As I stated above, the real magic of blogs and Twitter, is that in a real sense, the conference doesn’t end. It’s just a major refueling hub along the track toward building relationships. After returning from a conference, take a few hours to actually connect online with those you met at the conference, and those you wanted to meet but didn’t get the chance to, which is often the case with speakers who get mobbed by fans afterwards. A genuine “thank you” over Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn goes a long way toward starting a new relationship as well.

In addition, write blog posts or summarize the actionable items you wrote down during the conference, so all those good ideas don’t die in dusty notebooks, or worse, files you forget about on your laptop.

Want to connect with me, or our team at PureDriven? I’d love to meet you. @Garmoe or @PureDriven, or just comment below on what you thought of my advice, or other ideas for ways to derive long-term benefit from a conference. I’d love to “hear” it!

Take care!

Patrick

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I’m Desperate to Attend the Minnesota Blogging Conference

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

This post is a bit different, because I’m trying to earn a free ticket to the Minnesota Blogger Conference. To learn more about why I’m writing this post, and the conference, click here http://tprk.us/mnblog.

The most important thing I’ve learned from blogging myself, is that people are attracted like magnets to others who write authentically, personally, and in a way that really provides something useful for the reader. That’s why posts like this will always be more popular than “10 ways to fill in the blank here” posts. The best, most profitable blogs are written by those passionate about teaching others their specialty, not jabbering on about why the blogger and his or her product is awesome.

I think I ought to get the free ticket to attend the blogger conference, because I intend to spend my time speaking with those at the back of the room. I’m going to focus on listening to the blogging dreams of those who are so introverted or just so new to blogging that they feel like a mouse, and wouldn’t dare walk up and introduce themselves to anyone.

I’ve always been introverted, and have only been blogging since March of 2009. So I know what it’s like to be the shy, new kid on the block. Having someone take an interest in you often will be the thing you remember most about a conference, even beyond all the great advice I’m sure the speakers will share. So when I’m at the conference, I’ll be making others feel special simply by asking them why they came and what they love about blogging. Then I’ll stand back and listen intently, and care. What will I get out of it? Hopefully some great new friendships, some guest bloggers, and lots of ways to improve my blog.

Hoping to see you on Sept. 11 in St. Paul.

- Patrick Garmoe

@Garmoe

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How to publish a blog post on Wordpress

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Many people unfamiliar with blogging feel like publishing a post involves all sorts of coding and computer-like techy stuff. Not so. It was like that one day, but now it’s really simple. Here’s a quick run down of how it typically works on a Wordpress blog.

1. Go to http://www.puredriven.com/wp-admin
2. Type in our Username and password.
3. Then on the left, click “Add New”
4. Paste in your text for the post. (Use the “Paste from Word” icon, or the “Paste in Plain Text”) when copying content from a Word document. This eliminates style issues. If you don’t see those two icons, then on the right, you should see an icon that if you scroll your mouse over it says “Show/Hide Kitchen Sink” which will reveal these icons, and an icon that allows you to indent text.
5. Once you’ve got it looking like you want it to, click “preview.”
6. If for some reason some spaces aren’t showing up in the final version, click to the html version of the blog post, and stick this piece of code between the areas you need an extra line of space in:

 

7. Now copy your headline into the headline slot in the “SEO in One Pack.”
8. Copy the first couple paragraphs of the post into the description.
9. Adjust the description and headline for the posts, to fit into the number of characters it advises. Ideally both will include a keyword or two.
10. Then copy your headline into the headline slot at the very top of the page.
11. And copy the description into the box below the blog’s text.
12. Add keywords at the bottom of the “SEO in One Pack.”
13. Then on the right, at tags.
14. And then below that, add some categories the post should be included in.
15. Then hit save as draft, or publish.
16. Directly above the “Publish” button, is a “Publish Immediately” button. If you have several posts, you can also tell Wordpress to publish them at a specific time. So you could load two or three, get them ready, and not have to visit the blog again for that week. And the blog will publish the posts at the date and time you set.

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Blogging for business basics

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Here’s why your business should have a blog. And what to do with it, once launched.

I'm blogging this.

Blogging in essence is a way to build an online audience.
1.       You (or someone you work with who likes to write) starts blogging
on a very niche topic you know a lot about. Mustang cars, if you’re an auto dealer that sells parts for them, for example.
2.      What you’d talk about, is the sort of stuff you’d talk about with other Mustang lovers.
What you love about them, what you don’t, what you’d like to see changed about the
products, who they’re sold, etc. Lots of shop talk, industry talk, etc.
The goal would not be to gain thousands of followers
necessarily, although that could happen with the Mustang group, or a blog
for Ford enthusiasts. The goal would be to get a few dozen, and then a few
hundred people to get your blog posts e-mailed, or subscribed to in an RSS
feed (real simple syndication).

Regardless of how dull the outside world might consider the issue, the more
specialized the field, the more likely it is that people within that very
defined niche will be interested in your content (primarily because no one
else is writing about it, and with such expertise) You’re uniquely qualified
to share your expertise and insights, because you work with the materials
every day. The more niche the topic, typically the smaller, but more loyal,
the following. And loyalty, not numbers, is what really matters.

Blogging over months and sometimes years (preferably two or three times a
week), will build you a dedicated following, which:
. Means more people within your industry or circle of Mustang lovers will get
to know you, and contact you for wisdom and advice. (And then buy your
products if you’re selling anything.)
.  Means that you’ll increasingly be asked by traditional media
sources to guest write for their magazines, be interviewed on TV and radio,
etc., boosting your credibility and profile as an expert, in turn helping
boost sales by itself. Even popular blogs regularly feature guest bloggers,
which is another avenue to get your message and company in front of your
best potential customers.
.  Means you can then create products with a ready-made clientele
more than happy to buy from you, because they’ve gotten to know and trust
you.
.  Gives you instant credibility with would-be customers who are
checking you out online before coming in your store. If it looks like you
know a lot about your topic, you’re going to look like someone they’re
willing to pay.

The more popular your blog becomes, the more likely it is for your readers
to write back, and offer suggestions on your products and methods. Not only
will you learn a lot from writing, but a blog serves as a free, large focus
group for new or existing products. Some blogs I read receive 20 or more
comments per post.

When you blog regularly it elevates you in Google search rankings. This over
time helps you sell more of whatever you were selling online to begin with.
Thanks to the blog, you come up when people search for Mustang cars, not
just the name of your business.

Many bloggers spend time commenting on blogs of similar topics. This gets
your name and products in front of all those readers, and connects you with
others who enjoy the same passion for Mustangs for example. Had it not been
for the blog, you would have never met these people.

Many people have also built consulting businesses in their fields, thanks to
a blog giving them the exposure they needed to become a recognized expert.

As you can tell, a blog can open up new opportunities, but it can initially
mean months and months of hard work, with few or seemingly no readers at
all. So if you or your staff don’t like to write, it’s not a good fit. Of
course, increasingly people are creating video blogs, instead of just blogs
filled with text and pictures.

In your case, physically showing on videos insider tricks of how you repair
difficult issues on Fords for example, could be a focus.

Because your articles live on the Internet forever, many bloggers find that
their old posts will be discovered and passed around through social media
channels for months and years to come.

For more information:
If you’re interested in learning more about making money  with a blog,
obviously feel free to contact me directly, or a good online community where
we talk about these sorts of issues in great depth regularly, is in the paid
community of http://www.thirdtribe.com. Note: there is a monthly fee to be a
part of it.

Here’s a good post on what it takes to be a successful blogger.
http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-marketing/11-must-dos-for-the
-serious-blogger/

Or if you want to pick up a book to understand the basics of making money
through blogging (and social media in general, which is integral to a
successful blog) read “The New Community Rules: Marketing On The Social Web”
by Tamar Weinberg.

Photo Credit: Foxtongue

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