Why Are You Creating a Blog? Useful Content is Key

A blog requires content, especially if you expect readers and if you want to make money from that readership. In this article, Linda discusses writing issues such as how to find content, how to make a writing plan, and how to maintain a consistent schedule for your writing.

Find Your Audience and Direct Them to Your Blog

That saying, "If you build it, they will come," is a bunch of hooey if you plan to apply it to your blog. You need to reach out and touch someone through social media to begin to build your readership. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media tools can help you to build community around your blog and its subject matter.

Building readership takes time, because it takes time for readers to trust that you can come up with relevant and useful content on a consistent basis. How much time do you need? Think two years. Yes, two years. By that time, you might have enough useful content and enough readers to consider your blog worth something in the blogosphere (read: a blog with the ability to make money through advertising or to be worth something on the sales block).

Connect with Your Readers

Finally, you need to connect with your readers. This does not mean that you need to respond to every comment left on your blog; however, if people leave compliments or if they add to the conversation, take the lead and respond to those comments. These readers are, essentially, dropping by your "house" to read and comment, and it's up to you to become the gracious host/hostess.

When you begin to connect with your readers, you build some loyalty. This loyalty goes a long way in maintaining readership.

Maintaining Momentum

At this point, you may have run out of things to write about. Never fear...just go back to the library and pick up some more books on your topic and brainstorm again. You may realize that you omitted an entire topic within your subject. Or, advances in that subject have offered new material worth writing about.

At times, you may feel you need to take a break from your blog. There is no reason why you cannot walk away...as long as you have prepared your readers for this event. If you cannot write ahead for that week or month off, let your readers know that you're taking a break, and provide them with a time when you'll return. Then, return. Allow your readers reason for them to trust you.

Conclusion

Throughout this whole process, you are focusing on a subject that interests you...but, in order to share this subject with your readers, you must focus on what they want to know. I've already linked to this article about cutting the noise and creating useful content, but I'll do it again...because it is a fantastic article that every blogger (including myself) can learn from: Make Your Blog More Powerful by Optimizing the Signal-to-Noise Ratio.

During this process, you can focus on making money...just know that making money is down the road, after you have created useful content, developed a reader base and continue to write on a consistent basis. Think of building your blog as a project, much like building a house. A house is not built overnight, and you must make it attractive if you want others to be interested in it down the road (readers as well as potential buyers). To make that blog attractive, centre your focus on content. Anyone can make a pretty blog...but few can create a blog that holds readership.

In the next article, I'll provide you with some tips on how to write your content. You don't need a master's degree to build great content on a consistent basis; however, it does help if you have some time on your side and a sincere interest in what you are writing about.