- Clarify the business goals for your blog
- Commit to blogging goals for long-term success
- Why create an “ideal reader”?
- How to identify your ideal reader
Like most things in life, blogging is most effective when you have a target to shoot for. People write blogs for many reasons: passion about a subject; fame; direct income; getting leads for their existing businesses; even just killing time. Often it’s a mix. At first, the goal is usually more a vague feeling than a concrete set of criteria.
For consultants, business goals for blogging need to be specific and focused, and typically might include demonstrating expertise, creating a national platform, educating existing and/or potential clients, gathering leads, and getting early feedback about new ideas.
Most bloggers pick two or three goals like these to focus on. One financial advisor I’ve worked with is using his blog to test-drive ideas, prove he’s an expert on his topic, and make a little direct income from advertising.
Another financial adviser (referred by the first) is using his blog to educate his existing clients with in-depth reports. His blog makes it easier to distribute the information, and that’s its sole purpose.
Your specific goals will determine what kind of progress indicators you monitor, and will also affect your expectations. For instance, the first advisor might be thrilled when he starts to see a thousand visitors a week. The second advisor would be equally thrilled with 30 visitors a week, if they’re the right ones.
Your turn: Business goals for your blog
Take a moment to think about what you want your blog to do for you. Start out with the vague concepts, for example:
- “Make me famous”
- “Get more clients”
- “Launch a national platform”
Then move to how you would know if you reached your goals:
- “Have 1000 regular readers”
- “Get three inquiries a week through the blog”
- “Be contacted at least twice a month for an interview”
Your goals may be very different from the ones above. The key is to find the core thing(s) you want your blog to accomplish, and then define the concrete results you’ll be aiming for.
This post is a draft excerpt of the blogging book I’m writing for consultants and other experts. Click on the link to find out more and sign up for updates.
Good stuff. I find a lot of the time people have a good idea of their goals then get distracted, there are so many “shiny” things in blogging it is easy to take your eye from the prize. Digg, technorati, alexa – home runs that generate nice fuzzy feelings but very little in business benefits
Oh, I hear you, Chris! I’m extremely distractable and love doing the “latest cool thing.”
Remembering my goals and comparing to my actual activity helps somewhat. I have a 3×5 card posted above my desk that says, “What is the best thing I could be doing right now? Why am I not doing it?” Of course, I usually forget to look at it.
I think I need to do the same thing … but perhaps paint the wall in 6′ high neon-coloured letters
Found you via the Yahoo Group for Bloggers. The post is right on target. If you would like to be interviewed about your blog and your book for FREE, please let me know. This post is right on target and I gave it a STUMBLE thumbs up.
Good stuff! I run into a lot of people who want to start blogging but are intimidated by the concept. I tell them that blogging has been around for 6000 years in some form and all they need is 1) passion, 2) expertise on the topic, and 3) relevance.
Good article. I’ve recently started a new business and have my own blog. It’s where i can go into more detail about subjects. I want to use my blog to educate potential customers and draw them into our website. Thanks for the article
I agress having a business plan or goals for your blog or business is huge. Without it you’ll just spins your wheels and go no where fast.