The main thing that will slam you in the head when you start blogging is information overload.
You start reading blog after blog and get stuck, not knowing what do to next.
I don’t have to tell you that having a plan before you start will help a lot. I mean a lot!
But if you don’t have it and you are already in it, no need to cry your little heart out. I got your back.
Here are the things you need to focus on, and if you have any time left after this (which you probably won’t) you may use those few minutes to spend them with your family.
Content creation
This is the main thing, no content = no blog, so do the math. There are a lot of things you can do and different content you can create but we are talking minimalism here, so I would focus on:
- Posts for your own blog.
- Updates on one social network (pick one your target market is engaged on the most and create content, i.e. if they are on Twitter, post high quality tweets often).
- One media different than text (something that would make most sense for your market, i.e. Youtube videos or audio podcast).
So what you have here is posting, using one social media and one media with content different than text. Why one? Because you can’t be everywhere at the same time and make it all top notch. Master one site before moving to the next.
Blog design
This is one thing beginners spend a lot of time on. Waste of time! Instead of tweaking your blog for every tiny thing you saw on a blog you like, you should be creating content!
Get a high quality theme from the first day (like one of the Genesis framework themes), install it, customize if you need, add your logo, change a few colors and leave it alone!
The next time you need to redesign your blog is when you can pay some to do all custom work for you.
Social media
I already mentioned you should pick one social network and create content for it. OK, if you are really, really social, you can do two. But instead of trying to be everywhere and having mediocre profiles on 20 networks you joined, it would be much better to pick one or two and stick with them until you master them.
List building
Start from day one. Before you even put your blog out there for people to see, set up your list. I use Aweber, and I really think you should too.
So, as soon as you have your blog set up and ready to go, create a landing page where you can catch all those emails and point people to that page a lot (mine converts more than 30%, which means that every third person landing on that page becomes my subscriber).
Put a form in the sidebar or at the bottom of your posts as well. If you want, you can offer a freebie, but this is not a must (depends on your market and the niche you are in).
Basics of SEO
I don’t think SEO is nuclear science. It is pretty easy, just learn the very basics of on page SEO and you are good to go. Install the WordPress SEO plugin by Yoast (find it through your WP dashboard) and set it up. This itself will put you steps ahead of your lazy competition.
Take action!
If you do get into reading frenzy and find tip after tip after tip you think you simply must implement, then either do it then or move on. Of course there are great tips you will run into, but unless you start working on it now, don’t think about it too much.
That is why you get overloaded in the first place: you think about how many things there are to do and don’t take action. Wrong. Take action or move on!
Conclusion
I understand information overload, it has happened to me often. But it is up to you to prevent it. If you focus on your business and try not to get distracted, you will move ahead much faster than others.
How do you stay focused and prevent information overload?
About Brankica Underwood
Pingback: Don’t Build a Free Blog! Here is How to Avoid it