When I asked one of our blog readers what he finds most challenging about creating and maintaining a successful blog, his answer was:
Well, the most challenging part is getting information and putting them into an interesting story. Everybody can copy and spin stories but that has never been our goal and won't ever be. Original quality content is tough in a city like New York where thousands of other blogs exist.
Can you relate to his answer? I bet you do at some level.
The good news isthere is a way out of the The Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest Signs of Catastrophic Blogging Syndrome!
To our reader and to every miserable blogger on planet earth, I dedicate this article. Enjoy!
Let The Creativity Pyramid Do the Work!
Since blogging is, in essence, a creative interaction between a blogger and their readers, I figured that consulting the creativity pyramid may be the answer to our prayers.
The very basic foundation of the pyramid is knowledge (understand).
Before rushing into writing mediocre blog posts, take some time to understand what I like to call "the Maslow's hierarchy of blog readers' needs".
Unlike the well-known Maslow's hierarchy, that starts with survival needs and ends with self-actualization, the blog readers' hierarchy of needs starts with education. Then, engagement and finally entertainment.
If you strive to create outstanding blog posts that your readers will appreciate, you must consistently deliver the "3 E's" in every single blog post you publish.
Interesyingly, Stephen Guise, author of DeepExistence.com, has noted that:
"I'm starting to realize that it's better to write 3 amazing articles than 10 good ones - both in personal satisfaction and impact on the blogosphere/internet/world."
I couldn't agree more! You should NEVER compromise quality for quantity. Take the time to ensure that your post meets (or exceeds!) your reader's expectations.
In doing so, you must have an in-depth understanding of your target readers. Fortunately, social media can help you listen and (sometimes eavesdrop!) on your audience conversations in order to hand them what they are looking for on a silver platter.
"Duh!" Versus "Aha!": Which Blogger Are You?
As you dig for quality topics to share with your readers, you must understand what they already know versus what they need to know that you (and only YOU!) can provide.
If you offer your readers basic information, their reaction will be "Duh!" and your bounce rate will say: Amen!
For example, we train Real Estate agents on how to use social media marketing intelligently. One of the tips we recommend that they must keep in mind is that social consumers are well-equipped with information compared to ordinary customers.
In other words, most home buyers will do their research homework online before seeking a Realtor's advice and would expect much more than basic housing information.
Smart Realtors are the ones that provide scarce tips and information that blog readers would react to saying: "Aha! I didn't know this before. This Realtor is a master in his/her craft."
The point I am making here is that you must strive to establish yourself as an "Aha!" expert in order to generate targeted traffic to your blog.
Scarcity Rules Even in Blogging!
Jon Morrow, associate editor of Copyblogger and owner of BoostblogTraffic.com, believes that you can get more blog comments if you publish less often. In fact, he provides valid reasons to support his argument:
The more often you publish, the less comments your posts will receive (on average). For one, the number of new comments a post receives drops dramatically when its pushed off the front page, but also, readers tend to get overwhelmed when youre publishing a lot of content. By publishing less often, say once a week, you can actually increase your engagement, and therefore, your comments.
That is another reason for you to think quality and scarcity. Let your readers miss your posts and look forward to them.
Where Do You Go From There?
I have barely touched the surface here! So far we covered the first piece of the Maslow's hierarchy of blog readers' needs which is education:
What kind of information your readers MUST find in your blog in order to stick around?
Once you get that part figured out, you must add the engagement and entertainment pieces in order to finish your first pyramid.
Completing the bloggers needs pyramid will create a solid "remember" and "knowledge" foundation to your blogging creativity pyramid that we will further discuss in future posts. Stay tuned for that!
So Far So Good! Why Pyramids?
Trust me, my Egyptian background (that you can infer from my avatar picture) has nothing to do with it!
I firmly believe that creating a solid content marketing strategy is a complicated process that needs to be subdivided into phases. So, I figured that the pyramid illustration can help you take educated steps towards massive blogging success. Good luck!