2010 Blogging Plan: Part 3 of 5
The first step of the 2010 Blogging Plan was determining your Business Goals so you can clearly see how a blog fits into the big picture. The second step was to clarify the Positioning of your blog so it’s easier to direct content and promote.
The third step of your 2010 Blogging Plan involves Engagement.
As a blogger, you might think it’s just about you creating good content and simply posting consistently, right? Well, not quite. For your blog to be successful, you need to engage and interact with other bloggers, too.
So how do you engage and interact? Through commenting and linking. Here’s how to get started.
Mentor blogs
In your field or industry, there are people who have a solid reputation, lots of experience, and are probably well-known. They are considered to be leaders in their profession. Find 2 or 3 of these folks that you like and start following their blogs. Either subscribe to their blog via an RSS feed, or by email. Its also a good idea to follow them on Twitter, if you play in that sandbox.
Poke around and explore their blog. Spend some time reading their posts. Become familiar with their voice and tone. See what others are saying in the comments. Add your own thoughtful comment or two.
In fact, make it a goal to comment on other blogs regularly – maybe once or twice a week. Be sure to make a contribution to the post. Don’t just write, “Great post. Thank you.” Instead, add a comment that gives an example of how you’ll use the information in the post. Or add something to the conversation that was left out. It’s even okay to pose a question, or ask for clarification. NEVER include a link back to your blog in the comment itself. This is considered rude and too self-promotional.
Peer blogs
Look for other bloggers in your area of expertise and subscribe to 2 or 3 via RSS or email. By reading other blogs in your niche, you’ll be inspired to blog about something similar.
This is a great opportunity for adding your own perspective, or illustrating your unique way of looking at a topic. And it’s a good idea to link back to a related blog post if it’s relevant to your topic.
Winking & Linking
“Link Love” “Link Juice” With phrases like this, you’d think a simple hyper-link was akin to French kissing. I think it’s more like a wink. But ‘winks’ can have significant impact on your blogging efforts.
Linking to another blog post is really a win-win-win scenario. It’s a win for your reader who gets another helpful resource. It’s a win for the other blogger because the link provides another path for people to find his or her blog. And it’s a win for you because your reader will see you as a helpful resource, which builds trust and credibility. A bonus would be if the other blogger links back to you, but that’s icing on the cake and shouldn’t be expected.
So, to take action on step 3 of the 2010 Blogging Plan, set a goal for yourself to comment a couple of times a week on those peer blogs, more if you feel so inclined. Do the same for mentor blogs, too.
Engaging with fellow bloggers expands your presence in the online community. This enhances your reputation and exposure, with the goal of increasing traffic and the number of subscribers to your blog.
Next up: Your Content Plan
2010 Blogging Plan: Part 1 of 5 – Business Goals
2010 Blogging Plan: Part 2 of 5 – Positioning
2010 Blogging Plan: Part 4 of 5 – Content Plan
2010 Blogging Plan: Part 5 of 5 – Success Measurement
