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You hit publish on your blog post and then you get started on promoting it all over your social media channels.
You’re pumped because you know your readers are going to love reading your post on Budget Friendly Tips for Families, and you’re sure they’ll come away with a few new ideas.
You jump onto a Facebook gropu and right away you notice another blogger shared a post similar to yours.
On Pinterest you see several posts on budget friendly tips for families.
You start to doubt whether your post really is going to be helpful, and you start to feel everyone is blogging about the same topics.
And, you know what? They are!
Right now, there are 7.8 million blog posts being written TODAY and you can bet a lot of bloggers are blogging about the same topic.
How can your blog stand out and more importantly, how can you create a solid blogging strategy so that every blog post you publish is unique, value-driven and totally helpful?
If you want to build a strong following of readers and income too, you’re going to have to be louder than all the other bloggers out there.
What to Focus On As a Blogger
Blogging can take up a lot of your time, right?
Not only do you have to come up with your blog topics, but then you have to write your post, create images, promote it, respond to comments, email your list about your latest post, and then do it all over again for next time!
But, if all you’re doing is writing about topics with no SEO blogging strategy, your readers won’t find your blog post but if they do, they are going to quickly forget about you and your blog – and all that time you spent on your content was a waste of time.
Instead of focusing on everything that goes on with your blog, to stand out from every other blogger out there, you need to fill the negative space.
What does this mean?
It means doing things differently from your competition.
Instead of following other bloggers, it means creating a new path, with new ideas and new ways of presenting similar information.
Let’s break this blogging strategy for you into three core steps you need to follow to help you break free from the pack and become the lone wolf in your niche.
1. Develop a Content Plan
What’s your blogging strategy to come up with better content?
For me, it can take an hour to come up with all of my content ideas for the month.
For others, ideas just pop out of nowhere and they go with the flow.
Still others base their entire content strategy around keywords and SEO tactics.
To have an effective content strategy for your blog, consider these five elements.
Your Target Audience Persona
Before you write a single word on your blog post, do you have a firm idea of who your audience is?
Figure out who you want to help with your blog content.
You don’t have to be detailed and have information about their income level or education. But, you do need to know the basics like:
- Are they mostly male or female?
- Are they younger Millennials or older parents/career focussed?
- Are they other bloggers?
- Are they entrepreneurs?
- Are they side hustlers or freelancers?
Narrowing down your target audience can help you formulate your content plan.
You may start out writing for work-at-home moms, but your posts are attracting solopreneurs instead.
Frequency
How often will you blog?
There’s a lot of talk on social media about the perfect number of posts you should publish per week.
Is it once per week? Three times per week? Daily?
It all depends on a number of factors.
If your target audience can’t keep up with your daily posts – while this schedule is beneficial from an SEO perspective – you wont be able to market and grow your blog properly.
And do you have the time to publish multiple times a week?
Don’t feel that if you can only publish once a week, your traffic will suddenly stop. Blogging takes time to generate traffic and a loyal following.
It’s better to publish high-quality content once a week than to publish fluffy posts five times a week as your long standing blogging strategy for beginners.
If you have a new blog, though, it’s good to start building up your content library.
This means blogging about 2x a week for as much as you can. This is what I did to build my successful blog.
Length
How long will you make your blog posts?
Depending on your blog niche, posts might be as short as a thousand words or as long as four thousand words.
And even though research has shown that long form posts of at least 2,000 words do better online overall, don’t pull your hair out if you don’t reach that metric.
I found that if you can blog at least 1,000 words then this should be fine.
It’s okay to publish a list post of 1200 words for a low competition keyword. It will probably do well on Pinterest and over time, gain some search traffic too.
Focus on the quality and solving a reader’s problem, rather than hitting a word count.
You will naturally hit your mark when you focus on providing value.
Specific Topics
Do you know what sort of blog topics you will be covering on your blog?
It’s okay; you don’t have to stick with the same topics forever.
I certainly didn’t when I started Twins Mommy.
Many blogs go through a transition and transformation after the owner has been blogging for a while.
For my blog, I started blogging for the work at home mom because I’m a work at home mom.
I freelance write for SaaS companies and also blog so I thought I could speak to that audience.
Over time though, I started attracting mom bloggers wanting to learn how to blog.
Naturally, with all that attention, I started blogging about….well, blogging topics!
Now, after several years later I’ve incorporated other topics like Pinterest marketing and digital products.
Tone and Personality
One way you can stand out and be unique so that your blogging strategy is all about your brand is with the tone and personality you give your blog.
Will your blog be serious, informative, tutorial based, quirky, fun, or spiritual?
Based on who you are as a person, you’ll probably want your blog to inject aspects of how you convey yourself.
Having a bit of personality and your own voice as a blogger goes a long way to letting your readers get to know you on a friendlier level. It also resonates with your readers, making them remember you and like your blog.
I know for my tone of voice, I’ve been told I’m:
- Inspirational
- Friendly
- Helpful
2. See What Other Bloggers are Doing
Okay.
Now it’s time to get your spy hat on and start investigating what your competition is blogging about.
This will help you see what they are doing so you can adapt your business blogging strategy.
Let’s take a fashion blogger.
She has a blog and Instagram account. She’s been religiously posting three times a week and creating a Story every day, showcasing her style and writing posts on different outfits she puts together.
But, she’s noticing no one is sharing her content or leaving comments.
If we go to another fashion blog we notice tons of shares and comments. Why is that?
One thing you should do as a blogger is to visit other blogs in your niche and start looking closely at their content strategy.
Look at:
- How often do they publish their blog posts?
- What type of audience are they attracting?
- What kinds of posts are they publishing?
- How do they write their headlines?
- Which social media platform has the most shares?
When dissecting another blog, you can start to see where your blog might be lacking.
For this fashion blogger example, her blog might not be attracting shares and comments simply because she has more inspirational content, rather than informational content.
Her post titles are more like, Fashion Finds, My Work Style, or Cyan Inspiration Outfit.
But, from seeing her competition’s headlines, she realizes that she doesn’t have informational posts like “How to” type posts.
People often come to blogs to help solve a problem, and if all your blog does is inspire people, it won’t stand out in your niche.
Similarly, you might notice your competition receives more shares on Pinterest rather than Facebook.
If you’ve been focusing your social media marketing strategy on Facebook, you might be missing your audience because they’re hanging out on Pinterest.
By looking at how your competition blogs, it can help you see how your blog shapes up – and give you ideas on how to improve your strategy business blogging creation.
3. Fill in the Negative Space
Now that you see where your blog is lacking, you can use that knowledge to make your blogging strategy ideas.
This is what filling the negative space is all about – making the competition irrelevant by filling in the gaps in their blogs.
Let’s look at Pinch of Yum.
Lindsay started her food blog as a side hustle, blogging and sharing her recipes.
Does this sound familiar?
All food blogs do this.
So, how did Pinch of Yum go beyond just a random blog to become a leader in its niche?
Aside from doing income reports as a way to stand out, Lindsay and her husband noticed that bloggers were complimenting her photos.
So, what did she do?
She made an eBook on food photography, and later opened up a Food Blogger Pro course, effectively making her the expert in food photography and blogging.
By taking one part of her food blog that she excelled at – photography – Lindsay was able to use her blog to create products and stand out in an ocean of food bloggers.
This is how she started her blogging strategy, but looking at the gaps and what her audience was craving and fulfilled it.
4. Building a Blogging & Content Marketing Strategy
Do you think commenting on other people’s post a good content marketing strategy to help you grow your blog?
It used to be.
In fact, when I started Twins Mommy, this is exactly what I did and I even wrote about it (and that post generated hundreds and hundreds of comments too! Soo meta!).
However, the landscape of blogging and content marketing has changed…a lot…especially with SEO and AI writing tools like ChatGPT and Jasper AI.
While commenting was a huge part of many blogger’s strategy, it should not in your blogging strategy right now.
Here are some reasons why:
- Saturation: As more bloggers adopted this strategy, the value of comments has diminished. Many comments are now seen as spammy or insincere, reducing their impact.
- Algorithm Changes: Search engine algorithms have evolved, placing less emphasis on backlinks from comments and more on high-quality content and user engagement.
- Shift in Audience Behavior: Readers’ habits have changed, with many preferring to engage on social media platforms rather than directly on blog posts.
So, how can a blogger set up a good blogging and content marketing strategy?
Well, the first thing is making sure EVERYTHING you write online is quality and not focussed on quantity.
It’s about creating posts that resonate with the hearts of your readers.
Focus on crafting high-quality, valuable content that addresses your audience’s needs and pain points.
This means taking the time to research, write, and edit your posts so they truly shine.
When you pour love and effort into your content, it shows!
Your readers will feel the authenticity and be more likely to engage with your posts, share them, and come back for more.
Plus, high-quality content is more likely to attract organic traffic from search engines, as it’s seen as more authoritative and valuable.
So, take a deep breath, mama, and focus on quality over quantity. Your blog (and your readers) will thank you!
Another part of your blogger strategy is building a hard core audience with your email list.
Building an email list is like gathering your cozy community around the virtual kitchen table.
It’s a space where you can share your latest adventures, tips, and heartfelt stories directly with your readers.
Start by offering something irresistible to encourage sign-ups, like a freebie that speaks to your audience’s needs.
Then, send regular newsletters to keep your readers engaged and informed about your latest content.
But remember, it’s not just about broadcasting your posts.
It’s about building relationships.
Share personal stories, ask for feedback, and let your readers know they’re valued. This personal touch can turn casual readers into loyal fans!
Finally, don’t forget to build up your SEO blogging strategy too.
SEO optimization is like giving your blog a megaphone so it can be heard above the noise.
By using relevant keywords, crafting compelling meta descriptions, and organizing your posts with headers, you’re making it easier for search engines to understand what your content is about.
Think of keywords as the secret code words that your audience uses to find content like yours.
Sprinkle them throughout your post, but keep it natural—no stuffing, please!
A well-written SEO headline acts like a teaser trailer for your post, enticing readers to click through from search results.
And headers? They’re like signposts that guide readers (and search engines) through your post, making it more digestible and enjoyable.
By optimizing your blog posts for SEO, you’re boosting your visibility in search results, which means more mamas like you can find and fall in love with your content.
So, put on your SEO hat and get ready to shine, mama!
5. Get On Social Media
Now, don’t forgot to incorporate a social media blogging strategy too! It’s not all blog, blog, blog!
Oh, how I love Pinterest!
It’s like a treasure trove of inspiration and ideas.
As a mom blogger, you can create beautiful pins for your blog posts and organize them into boards that resonate with your niche.
Use keywords in your pin descriptions to boost visibility, and make sure to also use them in your board names too.
Next, we have Instagram.
This platform is all about visuals and storytelling.
Share eye-catching images, posts or reels that capture the essence of your blog posts, and use captions to tell a story or share a tip.
Instagram Stories are perfect for behind-the-scenes glimpses or quick updates.
Engage with your followers by responding to comments and DMs, and use hashtags to reach a wider audience.
Last but definitely not least, let’s dive into TikTok. I recently started TikTok and learning all about it and well, it’s fun and a bit addicting for sure.
This platform has taken the world by storm with its short, engaging videos.
As a mom blogger, you can create fun and informative TikTok videos that showcase your personality and highlight your blog content.
Use trending sounds and hashtags to increase your reach, and don’t be afraid to show your quirky side!
Remember, lovely, social media is not just about broadcasting your content.
It’s about building relationships and creating a community.
Engage with your followers by responding to comments and messages, and show them the real, authentic you. When you use social media platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok, you can take your blog to new heights and connect with more amazing mamas like yourself.
And, this can be helpful for your entire blogging strategy as social media traffic is authentic and people will buy too.
Blogging Strategy for Beginners
So, while blogging is the heart of your entire strategy, don’t forget about SEO, social media and your content strategy too.
I hope you found this helpful!
Let me know in the comments what your blog is all about! I’d love to know!
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