It can be daunting process to start a blog from scratch so here’s a few tips that might help.

1) Just Do It! Take A Small Step, Any Step!
Starting is the hardest thing, but once you’ve taken that first step, it will become easier. It’s easy to come up with a laundry list of reasons why not to do something – I don’t have time, I need to redesign my site first etc etc. In reality however the most important thing to do if you are new to blogging is simply to BLOG and start building up your stash of content. Ultimately the more content you have the better, so start NOW with your first post.

2) Keep It Simple
Don’t worry about tricking out your blog with every little widget right off the bat. You can figure that out in time. Start out by just getting some posts up – short and sweet will do the trick. All the widgets in the world aren’t going to help if there’s no content.

3) Don’t Let Perfect Be the Enemy of Good.
I stole that concept from The Happiness Project but it works for blogging. Your writing style and voice will develop over time so don’t expect it to be perfect right away. This is YOUR blog – not a national newspaper so as long as you have something of interest to share, don’t worry about sounding like a Pulitzer prize winner. Allow yourself the luxury of practice – write some posts and the more you do it, the more comfortable you will get with the process. Get into the feel of writing and allow your own  style to develop.

4) Get Into a Routine.
This is necessary advice when trying to develop any new habit – essentially this is what blogging is. Try and carve out certain times during the day and week that you will reserve for blogging -30 minutes here and there, or whatever you can manage. If you leave blogging to the end of your already full to-do list, chances are you will never get to it. So make it a priority and make an appointment with yourself. Set yourself realistic goals – one post a week, for example – a goal that will motivate you without overwhelming you.

5) Who Do You Want to Come to Your Site?
This is one of the central questions that you should keep in mind when blogging. Who is your audience? Oftentimes your audience can be broken down into several different categories or segments, each with a varying profile of interests. Sometimes when you are stuck for an idea, it can be helpful to re-visit your list, pick one of these segments and think about something that would be interesting or of value to them that could be turned into a blog post.

6) Anything Can Be a Blog Post!
Don’t psych yourself out thinking you have to write an essay each time. Sometimes it’s ok to do something easy like posting pictures of yourself at an event, pictures of people using/wearing your product, a blurb about another website that you find useful or interesting etc. Any number of things can be short effective blog posts. Surf around other blogs you like in your niche and get some ideas and inspiration. Think about what you would like to share, or something you as a reader would find interesting. It could be directly related to your product, or perhaps it’s a news item related to your industry, or just a funny thing that happened on your way to the trade fair.  The possibilities are endless once you start thinking like a blogger. You can also join in the conversation of hot topics of the moment, whether it’s current affairs or something related to your industry. Bloggers often like to give their opinion, and people like to read that. So see what others are talking about and join in the dialog by posting your own thoughts. You can reference or quote other bloggers if appropriate (always give credit with a link).

7) Think Outside the Box
This seems like stereotypical advice, but sometimes it’s easy to not see the forest for the trees. It’s easy to get stuck in the rut of thinking only about the product you are trying to sell. But the good thing about a blog is that it gives you the chance to expand beyond your field and this will ultimately be good for search rankings. So instead of racking your brain trying to come up with a new way to talk about your product – let your imagination expand a little. Your main website is where the hard sell happens – your blog is where you get to express yourself and different aspects of your personality and business. Chances are, you are a good example of your target audience so think about the types of things you like to read on other blogs. If you happen to have a real flair for writing and have a distinct voice – perhaps you are funny, or have sharp insights on current affairs – these things alone can help you develop a following. Think about people like Perez Hilton and others who have developed audiences simple because they are entertaining – there’s no rocket science going on there!

8) Networking
Ultimately you will want to network with other relevant bloggers by swapping links. But don’t go crazy contacting tons of other bloggers until you have some good posts on your site and a good amount of content. If you request links from bloggers too early, before you have much posted, they may not want to link to you if it doesn’t look like you are regularly updating, or serious about your blog. But do keep a target list, or bookmark sites that you would like to connect with at some point. Also keep in mind that you shouldn’t target the most popular blogs right away because they may not see the value in connecting with a small blog site.

9) Don’t Ever Be Discouraged!
A common mistake of new bloggers is giving up too soon. Don’t assume that you will be an overnight success – this is the exception, not the rule. Give yourself some time to build up some momentum. And enjoy the process of blogging itself. The more you enjoy it, the more you will be motivated to make it a habit.
Your blog is not going to write itself and it only works if you work it. So it will take some effort and in the beginning it can feel like you are talking to yourself . But Rome wasn’t built in a day! You probably won’t get people leaving you comments the first day you launch your blog. But as you start to develop your content and attract visitors, those things will happen.  Also, just because people aren’t commenting or emailing you, that doesn’t mean they aren’t reading. After all, how many blogs do you read? And how many have you actually interacted with? Make sure you have a way to track web traffic to your blog so that you have real info about who’s coming to your site and where they are coming from.
But the most important thing is never to give up. Be tenacious and persistent in your blogging practice and it will definitely pay-off.