Listen to your readers, and focus on leading a conversation that feeds them.
While some bloggers want to start their publishing business, others want to focus on writing the content and leave the ad sales to someone else. That is why John Battelle, the former editor of Wired and The Industry Standard, started his company Federated Media, a network of 140 blogs in 10 content categories. Battelle says, "Not every great author also wants to be a great publisher." He advises bloggers that enter his network to "Listen to your readers, and focus on leading a conversation that feeds them."
Battelle writes his own Search Blog, which is part of the Federated Media network as well. He is enthusiastic about what he can do through blogging that he could not have done as an editor at Wired. What exactly? Battelle says, "So many things. First, total control. Second, a deep and meaningful relationship with real readers. Third, flexibilty in cadence, schedule, etc. And much much more."
In practicing what he preaches, Battelle says that at least half of his ideas for his best-selling book "The Search" came from his blog, while approximately 30 percent of the book was drafted on his blog.
In conjunction with his advice to bloggers, Battelle recommends that marketers follow a similar path where they listen to their customers and constituents online in something he calls Conversational Media.
Focus on relationships, not rankings
Christina Kerley, who as a solopreneur runs her own marketing consultancy, CK Epiphany, says, "In my blog, I focus on the value of my contacts rather than how many people read my blog. And in so doing, I've not only increased my readership but also my cadre of professional relationships. Now I have top authors and best-in-class professionals as colleagues and these relationships have led to opportunities spanning client work, speaking engagements, media articles and VIP events. Conversely, had I merely focused on 'how popular my blog was' through rankings, I would have missed out on the true value these two-way, targeted technologies afford us."
CK focuses on creating value for her readers by sharing marketing best practices through her blog posts and leading the first-ever online marketing book club (with Marketing Profs) where more than 1,000 members spanning six continents discuss different books with the authors and fellow members. CK says, "We've featured the authors of 'Citizen Marketers,' 'Made to Stick,' even work by the venerable Al and Laura Ries. The value is that members are able to 'speak' directly with the authors and discuss and debate new principles and theories with professionals from all over the globe and meet new colleagues."
By building relationships with other bloggers, your blogroll will grow and your traffic will follow.
How does she utilize the feedback from her blog? CK developed a "value collage" with the responses from the question, "What is the single greatest point of value you receive from blogging?" She presents the overview of blogger responses to clients, and it has been covered in trade media and across hundreds of blogs.
Spend at least as much time commenting on other blogs as you do writing your own.
Through his blog, the Marketer's Studio, David Berkowitz has established credibility for his consulting client strategy work at 360i (where he is director of emerging media) and obtained numerous speaking engagements at the Consumer Electronics Show, the Magazine Publishers of America and MediaPost's Search Insider Summits and OMMA events. In addition, it has also opened up a means of conversation with other bloggers.
Berkowitz says, "Recently, I offered another perspective on a post Forrester Research's Jeremiah Owyang blogged about Twitter (on his personal Web Strategist blog), and the exchange led to MarketingProfs inviting us to debate the issue on a new podcast the company was launching.
"Ultimately, these conversations and connections, and at times enduring friendships, that I've established through blogging have provided the most value, and then everything from speaking engagements to deeper client relationships have been added perks on top of that."
What are the benefits of spending time reading and commenting on other blogs?
- Bloggers whose blogs you comment on notice you
- Commenters on those blogs notice you
- It brings you into those other blogs' communities; you'll often notice the same commenters over and over each day
- Usually, you can link to your blog from the comment, which is great both for traffic and potentially for search engine optimization
- You gain new ideas to write about; you might take a comment you left for someone and use that to build another blog post of your own that fleshes it out