Successful Blogging Without A Budget March 20, 2007

Running a blog is definitely a lot harder than it seemed like when I was just a reader. It’s like watching The Apprentice. Everything seems so simple when you’re just watching on from your comfortable sofa in front of the TV. Well, in this case it’s probably a less comfortable desk chair, but still.

When you have no budget, I have experienced that it gets really tough. There are so many great blogs already established that the small startups are often having a hard time attracting readers, and marketing would be much easier with money to spend. Unfortunately, that’s not always a possibility.The only money I have spent on MrNordstrom.com so far is the nine dollars I payed for the domain and I’m not planning to spend any more. At least not in the near future. I’ve only been running this blog seriously for a couple of weeks or so, but during this time I have gathered some experience that I thought I’d share with my fellow startups.

There are a lot of other articles out there about successful blogging and I will link to some of them at the end of this one. This is a brief list of some great common advice that has stuck to my mind as I’ve been reading.

??????? Keep your blog updated with fresh material. ??????? Niche your content. ??????? Comment on other blogs in your niche. ??????? Reply to your comments. ??????? Add outbound links to your posts. ??????? If possible, give away free stuff. ??????? Submit you blog to directories.

That’s to name a few. Personally, I love paying attention to details and I strongly believe that to be really successful, you have to focus on even the smallest details and really go the extra mile. Sometimes you have to go to extremes if you want to stand out from the crowd.

So my advice is about details which might not be the biggest advice you will get as those have already been provided to you above, but they are smart tips that can give your blog that extra kick in the ass.

Put your blog URL in your signature and post away, as much as you possible can on as many forums as you can, but remember that it’s very important that your posts are valuable. It’s also a good idea to get personal and have a nice avatar that people will recognize. Also, never advertise your blog in your posts, keep it in the signature.

Get up and close with your readers. They are your friends and should be treated as such. Show in your articles that you are really writing to your readers, and never be a stiff. You should also have a nice ???????about’ page where readers can get to know you. Lastly, provide some form of contact information.

Use images in you posts and articles as often as you can. That makes them much more fun to read and I believe it makes them more personal. You know what they say, a picture says more than a thousand words.

Perfect the visual look of your blog. If you want to be a star you need to look like one, and the same goes for your blog. Match your blogs appearance to it’s personality. If you’re looking around for themes, don’t stop until you are completely satisfied. I recommend doing a google search for ???????beautiful wordpress themes’.

Try to write to the best of your ability. Use spell checking and proof read the text several times before you publish it. This ensures quality material and your readers will appreciate it very much. A blog needs to not only be interesting but also easy to read, otherwise your readers will get bored and tired of it.

Tell everyone about your new blog. Put your blog URL wherever you have the chance. Your email signature is a perfect candidate for this advice and I’m sure you’ll come up with lots of other places where it will work excellent. Perhaps your business card or in your IM username.

My most important advice is to have fun and love what you do. You can never become truly successful doing something you don’t love or enjoy, so make sure that you have a great time running your blog.

That pretty much sums it up. The bottom line is; focus on the details.

As I personally don’t spend any money on marketing, I rely heavily on the above. What I do is I focus strongly on providing fresh material and I am not afraid of getting personal. I have found a great theme that I love and I try my best to write as clear as possible even though I am not a native English speaker.

Finally, I will give you some links to other articles that will help you make your startup blog a successful one. I’m glad to be of assistance and I will probably write another article about the subject when I get more experience. Good luck, my fellow bloggers!

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