Blog posting is a new playing field for me, reminding me of my Live Journal days (remember those, anyone?). True, I have some past experience with blogging, but that was ages ago. As my career evolved, so have I, and that gave me pause before starting this endeavor.
Full of apprehensions and ‘what ifs’, I found wisdom in a heart-to-heart with my brother, who offered the sage advice to “Just Start”. He assured me that there would be mistakes, but with each stumble, I would find my stride. “The key to learning is simply beginning,” he said.
Naturally, I couldn’t resist conducting a little research before diving in, and I’ve found a few steps that I’ve been trying to mirror in my blogging journey:
Firstly, pinpointing the niche of the blog is crucial. For me, Leadership Development is a fascinating domain — blending practical applications from psychology and neuroscience, cultivating a growth mindset, and personal evolution. So, I’d encapsulate my blog’s focus as ‘Growth’.
When it came to setting up the site, my incredibly talented brother stepped in to register and design it. Our collaboration highlighted a host of designs, leading us to what I feel is an aesthetically pleasing and serene layout.
Proceeding to the creation of content, I realized that I already have a significant amount, courtesy of older articles that can be renewed and shaped to fit the blog. The frequency of updates remains debatable, but as of now, I’m targeting a weekly update.
In the end, promoting the blog appeared as a necessary final step. There’s plenty of advice out there around social media and email marketing, guest blogging, online marketing and search engine optimization, so that’s a bonus.
One particular insight I found delightful was that “blogging is a journey, not a destination”. So, here I am, heeding my brother’s advice, embarking on this journey. This is my first step. Here are some other fun facts I found along the way:
- 77% of internet users read blogs regularly
- There are over 600 million blogs on the internet today
- 23% of total Internet usage time is devoted to social networks or blogs
- Titles with 6-13 words attract the highest and most consistent amount of traffic
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in blogging. Any advice or lessons learnt the hard way to share?
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