By: Lauren Hooker; Photos by Justin Hackworth for Alt Summit
Everyone and their mom has a blog or dreams of blogging nowadays. But with such a saturated market of food blogs, fashion blogs, lifestyle blogs, design blogs, {you name it} blogs, it can be difficult to stand out among the crowd.
What are the secrets for creating a memorable destination online? Here are five tips that will have casual readers adding your site to their daily reading list in no time.
1. Think outside of the box.
Think about your favorite blogs. Why are they your favorite? I would be willing to bet it is because they are one-of-a-kind, whether they are incredibly good at their trade, have an interesting writing style, or offer something unique.
Blog success starts with breaking the mold and giving readers something that they cannot get anywhere else. Creative content not only intrigues readers and draws them to your site, but it creates blog loyalty and keeps them coming back. Instead of following along with what all of the other bloggers out there are doing, put your own spin on things and offer something different.
2. Play to your strengths.
Are you the creative type who has a knack for coming up with clever interior design solutions? Maybe you are a fantastic writer who is able to add in just the right amount of sarcasm to keep readers entertained. Whatever your strengths are, play them up and use them to your advantage! You are the only person with your skillset who sees things from your perspective.
Are you having a hard time identifying your strengths? Reflect on past accomplishments, compliments you have received, or hobbies that you have felt confident doing.
Do some of your strengths seem completely unrelated to your blog? There may be a chance to tie them both together; look at it as an opportunity to get creative!
3. Develop your tone.
You do not have to have a sassy writing style in order for your blog to have a tone or voice. Every blogger has a tone, but not every blogger is intentional about their tone.
Think through the ideal reader you want to attract and write for them. How would you speak with them in a normal conversation? Should your tone be instructional, sarcastic, down to earth, or all of the above? Consider words and phrases that you should stay away from and words and phrases that would appeal to your readers.
Read your posts aloud before you hit “publish” to make sure that your tone is on par (my husband thinks I am a little crazy for doing this, but I promise it is helpful!). Grammar, sentence length, word variation, and rhythm all contribute to the tone of your blog.
4. Stay consistent.
Consistency is key; it builds trust and allows your readers to set expectations. This can take many shapes and forms: your posting schedule, the quality of your content, the design of your graphics, cohesive branding, quick response times to inquiries, etc. If you want to be memorable, you have to be great at what you do. And in order to be great at what you do, you have to stay consistent.
5. Invest your time.
Blogging takes time. In order to create a blog that is truly memorable and one of a kind, be willing to fork over a few hours and some elbow grease brainstorming, writing, and preparing your posts. It is easy to gloss over this step and it may seem painstaking at first, but you are sure to see positive results over time.
Before you hit “publish” on your next post, spend some time considering ways that you can think outside of the box. Maintain consistency on your blog by sticking to a consistent posting schedule. Set aside time to pour into your content and come up with original ideas that haven’t been done before. Capitalize on your strengths and develop a tone that appeals to your audience. Before you know it, your readers will have you on their list of favorite, memorable blogs in no time.
