Here’s a couple of simple truths about blogging:

There is no ‘secret’ to the success of your blog.

There’s barely anything new at all to be said or read on the topic of blogging.

Once you’ve got a solid grasp on the fundamentals, it’s all about execution – gathering more and more information ends up being crippling and getting in the way.

Information Overload

As bloggers and business people, our Twitter streams, Google Readers and Facebook News Feeds are likely filled with all kinds of tempting headlines about secrets and methods to success – whether that’s getting subscribers, readers, traffic, you-name-it – there’s a ‘secret’ and a ten-point plan to getting it.

Except there’s really not. When you click on those links, how often do you actually find something new you can use? Personally, I find that to be rare. Yet we keep on clicking. Somewhere in our ‘lizard brain’ (as Seth Godin would say), we are looking for easy & magical answers.  We’re looking for something ‘out there’ which will save us from actually doing the work, and that will have instant and incredible effects.

Stop Hiding, Start Doing

These days there’s little that’s truly new on the topic of blogging, but even when you come across new information, or a new tactic to use, how often do you actually implement it consistently? Or are you just gathering the information but just sitting on it?

Here’s what’s most likely happening when you keep clicking on those enticing articles:

You’re hiding from what you most need to be doing – it’s probably the thing you most fear, but the thing which will actually get you results:

Creating content
Building your audience
Writing a blog post
Creating a product
Optimizing your site
Researching keywords…
…or taking whatever that next useful action is for your site

It might not sound glamorous but nothing can replace taking steps like these…

…not even clicking on that enticing Twitter headline that  promises some new knowledge or tip

I promise, THAT tip is NOT be the missing piece that suddenly makes your site successful!

What Works Comes From You, Not Them

Information gathering adds to our sense of self, makes us feel like we’re doing something, makes us feel like it will be useful. While we can certainly learn from those who are more successful than ourselves, the only thing that moves us forward is taking what comes from within – our own thoughts, insights, knowledge, and putting it forward into the world – out there, if you will. The information does nothing if it just sits in your brain, or in your browser bookmarks.

From Consumption To Creation

Here’s a few things I try and do to break my ‘info addiction’:

Figure out what the next step I can take is which will move me forward. There are often many. Pick one and DO IT.

Limit my information gathering time, and create more regular time for writing and/or marketing.

Keep tabs on a few select blogs or sites that frequently provide great content, and don’t worry so much about the rest.

Likewise with Twitter, I keep a couple of lists of people I get valuable info from and pay attention to those.

I don’t ‘like’ every page on Facebook, only ones I’m interested in hearing from.

I try and place my focus on creating content and not just reading other people’s.

I keep in mind the larger vision I am working towards, which provides motivation.

I keep a close eye on when procrastination arises – there’s a fine line between reading a useful article and getting sucked into the internet rabbit hole – stay alert!

I keep a running list of next steps I could take, that way, when procrastination rears it’s head, I can look to my list and just pick an item to work on.

What do you do to keep moving forward?

* header image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/2594661429/

*This is a guest post from Steve Mellor, a writer who shares his insights into an effective process for bloggers*

If you've been following Lucy's advice, you should already have your blog online. I'm sure it was as much of an achievement for you as my first site was for me. Now you are tasked with the job of filling it each day. Lets face it, we all have too much to do already. How do you fill your blog?

Before You Begin

There are a few things that you should know before you start blogging. It's the basic stuff I tell business people who want a website.

1. You have 8 seconds to grab your reader or they will leave your site.
2. People don't care about your company, they just want to solve their problem.

The interesting thing about these two sentences is that acting on the second will negate the first. If you create a blog post that is not focused on your company, but rather what your company can do for your customer, then your readers attention will automatically be grabbed.

With that in mind, lets get to...

Writing it Down

Writing is actually three activities:

• Research
• Writing
• Editing

It is a common mistake to try and do all three of these activities at once. The human brain likes time to process information so the best thing you can do is split the activities over three days.

Day One

This is where you research our article and, for ten minutes only, search google for articles related to your topic. You want to look for the 'How To' guides and '3 Steps to', that sort of thing, because those will directly address the problems your customers are facing. Pick one as a topic and make notes about each of the articles. Give it a quick read through when you're done and then put it away.

Day Two

Today you will be writing. Don't look at the notes from day one because your brain has already precessed your research and it can now recall the important bits of information from yesterday.

Take a stop watch, sit at your computer and write, solidly, for 10 minutes. Then stop.

This is a process known as Freewriting and it is tremendously powerful. It doesn't matter what you write or how bad it is, give yourself permission to write badly. If you can't think of something to write, write gibberish instead. What are doing is slowly training your brain for the process of writing and, eventually, the words will just flow. Even at the start of this process, you'll be amazed at how much you can write down in ten minutes and at how good it is.

It sometimes helps to clear your mind before a freewriting session but don't be tempted to look at your notes. Your brain already knows the relevant information. From a neurological point of view, you are allowing the creative side of your brain free reign to talk about the topic, whilst tuning out the editing part of your brain that would usually stop you from writing.

So effective is this process that even someone who is not a natural writer (I don't believe in natural writers but that's a different topic) can do it with ease. We are, after all, social animals and ones that communicate naturally from an early age. That's what we're tapping in to here.

Day Three

This is the editing phase. Take what you wrote yesterday and correct the problems. Check spelling and grammar, go back over the notes you took and make sure you've left noting out. Remember, your blog need only be a few hundred words each day but you will end up writing much more with the freewriting system. Your article is finished when the errors are corrected.

Putting it all together

Finally, run these processes together. Each article takes three days to write but there is nothing wrong with writing three articles at once. Start off by writing, move on to editing. You're not editing the work you've just written but rather the work you did the previous day. It is important to give your brain a day between each step. Then, do ten minutes research for the following day's article and you're done.

Thanks for reading ;-)

About the Author

Steve started writing in his early teens, at first tackling music and soon moving on to comedy, which he also performed. It wasn't long until he started writing for other people and soon became a contributor to several shows on radio as well as a published writer. During this time, he completed a degree in Multimedia and started working as a professional web designer, balancing his professional life between writing and web design.

He now works full time in web design as well as running a podcast for aspiring writers at http://writersroom.podbean.com.

*header image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/klytemestra/101561441/

This week I’ve seen several examples of ‘rule-breaking’ in marketing and social media. Minimalist business writer Everett Bogue has decided to turn off commenting on his popular Far Beyond The Stars blog. John Boitnott writes about how the New York Times breaks every ‘rule’ of Facebook Page management practice but has 700k+ ‘fans’. To top it off,  Seth Godin announced that he’ll no longer be publishing traditional books.

I’m sure there will be, perhaps already has been, backlash and copycats in equal parts.

But what these folks are demonstrating to me is the luxury that success provides. And success can really be defined as having developed an audience that transcends the platform - audience meaning real, product-buying, idea-sharing people – not just numbers of passive ’followers’.

In trying to develop that elusive audience we tend to follow certain best practices in use of our blogs, social media etc, because these things help expand our platform and reach. What Bogue, Godin and the NY Times are finding is that when you have established your audience, you are free to connect and communicate with them in whichever ways you choose – the “rules” don’t really apply any more.

Does that mean that you (or I) should turn off your comments? Not unless you are truly using your blog only to publish thoughts and not looking for feedback. Should you use your Facebook Page as nothing more than an RSS feed? Probably not unless you want the Page to languish. Of course, you don’t have to use these specific tools – but you DO have to be doing something that is creating a viable audience for you.

It doesn’t mean that traditional book publishing is now bad– it just doesn’t serve Seth’s purpose any more. He’s maxed out that platform for what he was using it for – spreading his ideas. Blog commenting is not a thing of the past – it’s just not serving Everett’s purpose of running a minimalist business. These guys are just demonstrating how you use the tools you use to serve your purpose, you don’t use them at the expense of your purpose.

The ability to bend rules grows in proportion to your audience size, or perhaps more accurately, in proportion to the commitment of your audience to you or your business. So for you and I, keep on developing your audience in any and all ways that serve your purpose and that allow your ideas, products and contributions to shine.

What do you think? Are there “rules” you can break and still be successful in developing your businesses? What, if anything will you change, or what rules would you break when you have the luxury of whatever success means to you?

*header image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/b-love/2848259567/

Here’s a very simple model for thinking about three main social media channels: your blog, Facebook and Twitter.  I should say that this model applies in particular to solopreneurs and small businesses who are still developing their following and trying to use social media to do so. In this model the starting point is simply looking at who the audience is, since that helps determine tone, content and strategy.

The simplest version:

Your blog is for attracting a new audience, and providing value to your existing audience.

Facebook is for communicating with people you know, or at least have ‘weak ties’ with, i.e people that are already in your network.

Twitter is for actively finding and connecting with people outside of your current network.

The longer version:

Blog

1)   Your blog is your platform to pull in brand new eyeballs as well as provide help and value to your regular readers.

2)   Your blog is your opportunity to show your expertise and knowledge of your business and industry, create resources for your customers/readers and create a homebase for your online visibility.

3)   If people like what they find they are likely to use Twitter or Facebook to connect with you further.

4) There can be some 2-way interaction via commenting, but even if not, the 1-way output of information is the norm for a blog, more than any other social media outlet.

Facebook

1)   Most likely, people who join your Facebook Page have come from your personal Facebook network (it benefits you to build up your personal profile before launching a Facebook Page) or have found you via your blog. So the key is to foster the feeling of familiarity and get to know people a little better.

2)   A more casual tone than your blog works well; question-asking and discussion-starting are also great on a Facebook Page. 2-way communication is key – community, trust and credibility-building rather than soapboxing.

3)   Some self-promotion is appropriate, particularly if you can offer discounts and incentives, or news that lends to your credibility. But focus on providing engaging content and don’t just duplicate what’s on your blog.

4)   Since someone has to be a friend of your personal profile before you can actively send them an invite to your page, it’s a laborious process to reach brand new people (without purchasing Ads). So I recommend Facebook for fostering the connections you already have – increased engagement on your Page can lead to organic growth through exposure in your Fans’ newsfeeds.

Twitter

1)   Twitter is the place to initiate and develop brand new relationships. Strangers are just friends you haven’t Tweeted with yet!

2)   Unlike Facebook, you can easily find and interact with people you have no connection to, through use of the @ function. You don’t have to wait for people to passively find you, you can see what people are talking about and join in when you have something of value to add. It’s also great for staying in touch with new acquaintances you have made elsewhere.

3)   A good content strategy would be a mix of content curation (sharing links, valuable resources etc), conversation, opinions, insights and personality.

4)   Talk more about others than you do about yourself. Share your blog posts and news but keep blatant self-promotion to a minimum. Twitter should be the least self-focused of all social media.

5)   Twitter is great for paying it forward and sharing the love - sharing links to others’ blog content, Re-Tweeting people and contributing to the social proof of others.

Is this model useful? How do you make sense of these social media channels?

Header image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelgraphix/2504474533/

Is there still hope without a blog?

I would say ‘yes’. After all, a blog only works if you actually post to it and actively promote it. It’s no silver bullet and it does take time and commitment, and honestly, it’s not for everybody.

One of the main benefits to having a blog is that with well-written and targeted content it can attract search engine traffic quite easily. This is the main benefit you will miss out on by not having a typical, text-based blog. But search engines are not the only source of traffic. So while there are many benefits to having a blog, let’s consider some alternatives.

1) Re-think what a ‘blog’ means

The typical idea of a blog is a text-based site that you update at least once per week and ideally more frequently, with posts of several hundred words. But here are some variations on what a blog can be:

• Video Blogs – If writing is not your thing, perhaps you would be more comfortable on camera posting short clips on topics related to your business or art? iJustine is perhaps one of the better-known examples of popular video bloggers. Video is great for those with something to say, but who don’t enjoy writing.

• Podcasts- Not everyone likes to be in front of the camera, but an audio-only format can be more comfortable. Podcasts can be short or long-form, could feature only you, or discussions with a ‘guest’, and are very easy to produce with minimal equipment required.

• Photo Blogs – Or more generally, image-based blogs. Obviously this lends itself to those creative types who would rather let their work speak for them. A beautiful photo, illustration or design concept with a short comment could be a blog post. This is a great way to showcase your work, get feedback on developing concepts and maintain an easy-to-update web presence.

• Short-form blogs – A blog doesn’t have to be filled with lengthy articles to demonstrate your expertise and thought leadership -  that works very well for some people and industries, but not everyone. You could post brief thoughts, insights, and remarks on your passion or industry. Matt Mullenweg from WordPress regularly posts short quotes and thoughts on his blog

While these forms of blogging will not get you as much search engine traffic as a traditional blog, they are still a way for you to have a personal, regularly updated, low maintenance online presence, and a place where others can see what you are about and connect with you.

OK, so after considering these options, if you still don’t want to have any sort of blog, what are the other alternatives?

2) There are still other ways to drive traffic to your site

You will still need some kind of web presence – a website with clear information about your business/product/service and the ability to collect email addresses – at the minimum. But even without a blog attached to it you still can generate traffic and create interest in your business. Here’s just a few ways you can go about it:

• Social media – Twitter, Facebook and other niche social networks for your industry can give you a platform to connect with people by focusing on what you are passionate and knowledgeable about. Short, casual updates are the norm so it’s low maintenance. Your profile will contain information and a link to your website, so the more you get involved, the more people will see and click on your website link.

• PPC (Pay Per Click) – If you have a budget, even a small one, you can buy sponsored ads on search engine results pages to drive traffic to your site. A PPC campaign should not be entered into without a little research, otherwise you’ll waste your money, but it can be a cost-effective solution. You can set a daily spending limit to make the cost more manageable.

• Email marketing – It takes some work to develop an opt-in email list, but writing one piece of content per month may sound much more manageable than multiple blog posts per week. Email is a very effective way to promote yourself and connect with your audience. More direct sales pitches are also tolerated and expected more with email marketing than on social media, for example. By providing useful content and a well-crafted call-to-action, you can generate sales directly through email marketing.

• Blog commenting – Just because you don’t blog, doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from those who do. Leaving thoughtful, insightful and positive comments on blogs that are relevant to your audience is a great way to drive traffic to your site. Most blogs allow you to include your url, usually linked with your name, so that if you leave valuable comments, people will be encouraged to find out more about you and click on your link.

Blog or no blog, there is no answer to generating traffic that doesn’t involve some work – that’s the bottom line. Whichever method(s) you use, blogging included, there is no short cut to developing an interested audience. But the internet offers a plethora of ways to express yourself, so find the medium that suits you the best and start there. With consistent efforts you will see results.

*image header courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/busyprinting/4227080733/