This is a guest post I wrote for Pushing Social before the holidays and I want to make sure you didn’t miss it.
It’s got some good blogging tips, if I do say so myself. The only downside is that it shows that I may not be much of a music buff. Want to see what I mean? Check out the original post and weigh in over there with your comments.
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Have you ever heard of Dexys Midnight Runners?
Unless you’re an obscure music buff, you probably haven’t. But, I’m willing to bet you’ve heard they’re number one song,
Come On Eileen, right?
Although Dexys Midnight Runners achieved incredible success with
Come On Eileen, most people have never heard of the band. And their song, while popular, will be forever known as a one-hit wonder.
That’s a status that no musician wants to achieve.
Topping the charts one time can be the right combination of luck, timing and talent. But, the test of a true legend is churning out the hits over and over again.
Think the Rolling Stones. The Beatles. U2. Madonna.
Lady Gaga.
Bloggers can be one-hit wonders too
Bloggers, like aspiring rock stars, need to fear the one-hit wonder.
As bloggers, we work hard for attention. We strive for that break-through moment when we
get noticed by the big guys.
We dream of scoring a
guest post on a popular blog. Or, we desperately hope for a celebrity in our niche to share our content (for me, it would be someone like
Jay Baer or
Brian Clark).
But, once that happens, then what?
Most would think it means that you’ve “made it”. That from here on out, things will be easy. Blog traffic will explode, you’ll get thousands of tweets and money will roll in.
But let me be clear — it ain’t gonna happen.
The thing about one-hit wonders is they are a flash in the pan. It may give you 15 minutes of fame, but it quickly dissipates and you’re right back where you started.
I don’t want that to be you.
Instead, I want you to become the rock star blogger that you were born to be.
So, how do you avoid becoming a one-hit wonder blogger? Read on for some tips.
Constantly hone your craft.
The best musicians don’t just dabble with their music. They practice constantly. They make their music part of their daily life.
You should too.
Even if you don’t churn out a new blog post daily, I challenge you to write a little every day. Take 15 minutes to work on improving your headlines or make a practice of jotting down ideas when inspiration strikes.
By spending just a little time every day working on your blog, you will refine your skills and be on your path to getting noticed just that much faster.
Play to the crowd.
Ever been to a concert and the band refused to play the hits that everyone knows and loves? They try to shove new stuff of their fans without playing homage to the things that helped them get famous in the first place.
In the blogosphere, this means paying attention to your readers’ preferences. Look at the posts with the most comments, tweets and likes. What do they have in common? Do your readers like long posts or short posts? Or, do they like a particular topic more than others?
If you’re not sure, ask them! Conduct a short survey to find out what readers like most.
If you can consistently deliver what readers like, they’ll definitely come back for more!
Stay True to Your Voice.
Your fans come to your blog because of your voice. They like your style, your approach, your rhythm.
Whatever you do, don’t try to imitate someone else.
After all, look what happened to Vanilla Ice when he ripped off Queen and David Bowie’s
Under Pressure for his hit, Ice, Ice Baby.
He looked like a total fraud.
Sure, you can turn to other bloggers for inspiration, but you have to be authentically you.
In other words, share
your unique ideas,
your opinions,
your approach, your special sauce.
Dare to be different and show your true colors. That’s the best way to stand out.
Keep the hits comin’
Fans are always hungry for more. It’s your job to keep them fed.
Fail to do that and you risk having to stage a comeback tour. And you don’t want to do that.
Lack of consistency is the ultimate blog killer. If you go months or even weeks without blogging, it’s hard to get back in the practice of doing it, let alone recapture all of the attention and momentum you had going before you took a break.
To avoid putting yourself in this position,
blog regularly. Start with a simple goal, such as once a week (that’s only 52 blog posts in an entire year).
I promise — you can do that!
With 2012 right around the corner, go ahead build your editorial calendar now. It doesn’t have to be complex — just create a list of topics you want to write about and decide which days you are going to post on your blog.
Getting that in place now will help 2012 be a stellar blogging year for you.
What would you add? What do you need help with to reach blogging stardom?
Image credit: Rudy Gonzalez
