Is writing quality content really that hard? It’s not as difficult as you think.

Honestly, this one took me a long time to learn, and this lesson might actually be the most frustrating that I’ve ever dealt with when trying to produce quality content.  I would post an article that I thought was AWESOME.  I’d promote it and BOOM, like 300 people looked at the damn thing for like 7 1/2 seconds.

I’d sit at my computer just absolutely disgusted.  Why weren’t people reading my content?  If I were someone else I’d want to read this. Maybe the right people just haven’t found me yet.  And in theory, that might be true, but what I didn’t realize at the time, is that I shouldn’t be writing for the people that haven’t found me yet.  I should be writing for the people that have found me already.

It may not seem like it, but when you cut out the fluff, and share what is really important to your readers, magical things seem to happen. Not only are you giving them interesting content, but you’re sharing content that is relatable to them on many different levels.

Let’s look at an example:

Remember those stories of people trying these projects or recipes they found on Pinterest, only to have them come out totally wrong?  My guess is, you’ve clicked on those if you’ve come across them.  Why?  Sure they are entertaining, but they are also helpful and sometimes even educational.

We all see those beautiful images on Pinterest and think “I can do that!” and then reality sets in and you realize that you’re  as crafty as a cardboard box. Then you find an article on how someone tried the same project/recipe and failed horribly. You feel better.  Here’s what just happened.

1. The original pin does to you the same thing traditional marketing does.  They give you a sense that your life would be better if you did this, or gave you some assumption that it will make you better, faster, or a better person in some way. (Insert whatever’s appropriate.)

2. That Pinterest fail article showed you that it wasn’t as easy as it looked.

3. And that same article was helpful by saving you the time of trying the project on your own. Only to find it looked like a 6-year-old did it.

4. The article entertained you by showing their fail.

5. And if the writer was trying to be educational (which I’ve seen) they’ll make it again and share step-by-step directions on how they did it and what really needed to be done to make that project/recipe happen.

Now, let’s talk about how you can be helpful, educational and entertaining in a little more detail.

The Bonus: Make sure your audience can relate to YOUR quality content.

As I said in the beginning of the article, one of the biggest mistakes that I made was not writing for my audience in my earlier blogs. I was writing what I thought my readers were interested in, not what they were actually interested in.

Make sure you’re checking your analytics.

I’m not saying to become obsessed with numbers, and I know that’s easier said than done sometimes.  A few times a month it’s a good idea to stop in and see what your readers have actually been reading.

Remember, don’t just look at page views!  You’re more interested in time on the page.  Why?

Because anyone can click, stop by and leave in a few seconds.  That content isn’t working.  The content that is working for you is the content that keeps readers engaged.  Keeps them on your site and wanting more.  Even better, get’s them to sign up to your emails.  So make sure you have a clear call to action.

Who wants those big, bulky Pinterest images taking up three quarters of your blog posts?  It is frustrating to your readers and it discourages them from scrolling down to leave a comment or from finding more of the great content you have to offer.

You know exactly what I’m talking about.  You’ve seen it on other blogs you’ve read.  It’s so irritating!  But it doesn’t have to be.

What if I told you that you could have as many Pinterest images for your readers to choose from as you like and they wouldn’t take up any extra space in your article? 

Here’s our Quick & Dirty How To Hide Pinterest Images Within A Blog Post!

1. Add the image to the bottom of your post.

2. Click the text tab in your editor.

3. Find the image tag.

4. Before the tag add: <div style=”display: none;”>

5.After the tag add:   </div>

You’re done!

Once you get the hang of it, it will take no time at all.  It’s really an easy little trick!  Try it and have trouble?  Let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to help you get it right!

Social media isn’t just fun and games when it’s for your blog.

The truth is, social media is hard work.  It takes time and energy to do it the right way. It means answering a tweet in the middle of the night when you happen to wake up, or joining more Facebook groups or Pinterest group boards than you can legitimately handle.

You MUST do it.  And you MUST do it yourself.  Why?

YOU are your brand.  You are your blog.  You are the face of everything about your blog online.

You are what is important about your blog and your brand.

So let’s get into the game plan.

My guess is you’ve already heard of the 80/20 rule.  So my question to you is…

Do you actually follow the rule?

If you don’t, please allow me to explain why it’s important.  If you do, awesome!  You know what’s up.

Sometimes nothing beats working from your desktop.  I know mobile seems to be everything now, but working from my desk I seem to get so much more done, especially when it comes to social media.

The Tools I use:

HootSuite:

Hootsuite is great for social listening.  I use it to keep track of what is going on on Twitter.  It is such a huge time saver once your Twitter account grows larger.  While the @MommyBlogsIt Twitter account may still be small for now, my personal account @cboettner and my other blog @choco_chaos have 22.7k and 27.8k followers respectively at the time I’m writing this.

Learn more about HootSuite here. (Free and paid options, the free version works just fine for me personally.)

Canva:

My guess is you’ve already heard of and are already using Canva.  It is awesome for creating images for social media sharing. The drag and drop user interface is beyond easy to use and they have so many options as far as fonts, applying filters to images and every color imaginable is available.

Canva can be found here. (Free and paid options available)

I did purchase an annual subscription to Canva for 2 reasons.  1. The ability to download images with transparent backgrounds.  2. Having my brand in one place.  With the paid option you have a place where you can store all of your brand colors and fonts (even upload your own fonts) and team collaboration is a nice thing to have too.

Post Planner:

Not to sound like everyone else here, but Post Planner really helped me step up my Facebook game.  I was struggling to find content, and to actually post it regularly. I looked at other options like MeetEdgar but they are so expensive.  Post Planner starts at $9.00 a month which isn’t bad on most bloggers salaries. (aka no salary or minimal salary)

Find out more about Post Planner here. (Free app, and paid options available.)

Cornerstone content is just that, the cornerstones in which your content is structured.

Or to put it another way, if your basic blog is your foundation, Cornerstone content is the pillars that hold everything up/together.  Which is probably why it’s also called Pillar Content.

But what does that really mean?

Have you ever come across a really good site and got there because you found a huge article that had a ton of information?  An article that links off to other articles and keeps you wanting more and more?  That’s a cornerstone piece.  It’s a large article centered around a specific topic, the core of that topic.  They use that as a hub, to then link off to their other pieces of content that go into greater detail.

How genius is that?  I mean, you’re not only going to provide your readers with really great, meaty information, but you’re exposing them to other articles that you’ve written that they will most likely be interested in.

I can think of a few sites that do this really, really well.  I’ve spent 30 minutes just digging into different things because the content was so focused around my interest.

Need more reasons?  Here are 3 for you.

When I first started blogging, there was no such thing as cornerstone content.  Today, is a totally different story.

Today, it is an essential part of your blog, and one that I often see bloggers ignore.  It takes time to set up cornerstone content the right way, but when you do, it pays off big time.

What does Cornerstone Content Do?

It does a number of things for you including:

1. Brings new visitors to your site, and keeps them wanting more.
2. It’s a great way to generate inbound links.
3. It’s key to getting more sign up for your email list.
4. This type of content is an amazing way to highlight archived content.
5. Gives you so many ways to highlight products and/or services again and again.

When should you create Cornerstone Content?

Now.  Whether you’ve been blogging for a while, or you’re just starting your blog.  It should be the FIRST thing you write.  That’s exactly how I started this blog.  While my Mommy Blogs It focuses on blogging as a whole, there are 5 main categories that I wanted to focus on: Starting a Blog, Blog Promotion, Blog Content, SEO for Bloggers and Blog Design & Functionality.

Bonus Tip: Cornerstone content is always Evergreen Content.  What is that?  Evergreen content is content that is ALWAYS relevant.  It doesn’t have a specific time period it’s good for.  It’s just amazing, basic information that never goes away.  You may have to tweak it from time to time, but the core of the content is always relevant.

Example: Let’s pretend you’re a fashion blogger.  A great Cornerstone content piece could be “Wardrobe essentials for the young professional.” And inside it you’ve shared some essentials that every young professional needs.  You’ll explain the who, what, where, why and how.  From that piece, every time you have another piece like “Fall fashion finds for 2017” you can go and update the original Cornerstone content piece to link to your new post.

Becoming an authority within your niche isn’t as hard as you might think.

So here’s the trouble.

Whether you’re just starting out with your blog or you’ve been blogging for a while, it can seem like you’re never getting anywhere.  There are always bigger and better blogs out there.  Someone else doing something awesome, or something you wish you had thought of.  Something that makes you feel like they know their shit.

They do. 

But… wait for it…

So do you.

Just because you’re not THE authority doesn’t mean you aren’t an authority in your niche.

And it sure doesn’t mean you can’t become one.

So how do I become an authority?

Well, you’re probably not going to like my answer.  But here it goes…

1. Am I publishing just to publish?

In other words, is the article going to add value?  Are you teaching something your readers might not know?  Are you sharing an experience that others may have gone through? Are you telling a funny story because it is just so relatable?

All of those are excellent reasons to hit publish.  But if you’ve thrown a paragraph together that doesn’t really do anything for your readers, consider keeping it as a draft.  Maybe come back to it later when you’ve had a chance to rework it.

2. Is the article true to my niche?

If you’re going off topic, unless you have a good reason, you may not want to.  It confuses your readers and may end up costing you loyal readers in the long run.  I ran into this problem personally when I posted a series of articles that weren’t exactly true to my niche or fitting with what I normally published.  I ended up losing traffic and email subscribers because of it.

Another reason you should keep this in mind is if and/or when you work with brands.  It can be tempting to make some money, but if it isn’t relevant to your readers, you could do more harm than good.

Want some help choosing or refining your niche?  Then you should totally check this out.

3. Is the article true to you?

One of the best things you can do for your blog is to be true to yourself!  What I mean is, let your voice, your personality, your “authentic self” shine through.  If I wrote the articles on this site without my personality injected into them, chances are, they wouldn’t be very engaging.  You wouldn’t keep coming back.  And you definitely wouldn’t subscribe.  (But if you want to subscribe, click here, I’ll do a happy dance if you do!)

See, personality. ????

It’s also one of the harder things to do.  You’re taught throughout your life to write in a certain way.  When it comes to blogging, throw it all out the freakin’ window.

How to do it:

Whenever you sit down to write, imagine your best friend is sitting across from you.  You’re talking to her (or him). That’s how you want to write. To me, I’m explaining all of this to my friend who really wants to understand it.  To do that, I have to break it down to build it back up.  I have to think of all the tricky parts and explain them well, not just assume she “gets” what I’m talking about. I crack a joke or two.  I think of different ways of explaining something.  Just in case I didn’t do a good job the first time around.

Be you and you’ll never go wrong.

So we’ve covered a few ways that you can grow your authority as a blogger.  Don’t be discouraged that you perceive other blogs and bloggers farther along than you.  It takes time!  And remember:

Choosing the right niche can make or break your blog.  Here’s why.

When you’re starting out, you’re excited.  You’ve got a ton of ideas. Which is exactly what you need to get started! So don’t get discouraged and read on!

But what happens when you run out of steam?  

Where will your blog be 6 months from now, or a year from now?  Where will your ideas be then?  A blog isn’t really a short term thing.  It’s a long term commitment.  It’s a puppy that you have to feed and water monthly, weekly and sometimes daily.

Which is why choosing the right niche is so important.

I really cannot stress it enough.  If you don’t choose a niche that can go the long haul, your blog will be over before you know it. 

So what makes a great niche?

Well, quite a few things actually.  Below I’m going to ask you a series of questions.  Questions only YOU can answer.  And at the end you’ll find an awesome worksheet to help you get your ideas down on paper.  It’s a great way to start. Or, if you’re impatient like me, you can download it here.

What if you choose the wrong niche?

There really isn’t a “wrong” niche as long as you’re true to yourself. The reason I pose this question, is because I recently saw a social media post from someone and it really struck a chord.  If you’ve been blogging for a while, you might be able to relate.

Here’s what it said:

It troubles me that this person went into a niche just to make money.  I know there are plenty of blogs out there that tell you they’ll make you money.  But if you don’t LOVE your blog, people will see right through it.  The two blogs that I have that I am passionate about, this one and my parenting/lifestyle blog Chocolate & Chaos I’ve made money on.  In both cases, though, money wasn’t my goal.  My goal was to share and write content that mattered around the subjects I’m passionate about.

The other thing about this person’s statement that I love, is that she’s realized that there are bloggers out there that are successful in weird niches.

It may sound strange, but if you think about it, there are a million parenting blogs out there, a million finance blogs, you get the idea.  You have to have a unique value proposition (or UVP).  What is that?  Essentially it’s what makes you different from EVERYONE else.

Weird niches are one way to do it.  Another way to do it is to take a current niche and make it your own.  Make it unique and no one can touch you.

To give you an idea of what I mean, have you ever heard a commercial on TV or the radio that touts that they are the only ones to have XYZ system or inspection… Essentially what they’ve done is taken something fairly standard in whatever industry they are in, tweaked it just a bit and put a name on it.  They aren’t falsely advertising because they are correct, no one else has what they have with the name they’ve given it.

So moving on, let’s get into it and get you settled on  your niche.

What is the goal of your blog?

Is it to connect with others?  To share your experiences or your passions?  Is it to give advice, or get through something?  Is it to make money?

Now, I know I threw the money one in there when I talked about it above.  Here’s the thing, it shouldn’t be the ONLY reason you start a blog.  Think of money as an added bonus if it happens.

I know there are so many bloggers out there that tout their income reports and try and tell you that you can just suddenly have an online business and make enough to quit your job and work full time.  They are the 1%.

Do it for fun, for adventure and for the betterment of all of us, but don’t start a blog solely to make money.

Since 2009, the world of SEO has changed so much.  It used to be fairly easy to get organic traffic, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case today.  The competition is fierce and everyone is fighting for the same eyeballs.  So what can we do about that?  How can you stand out from the rest?

Focus on a great SEO foundation and the rest will follow.

It’s easier said than done, but making the effort as you go really does pay off in the long run.

Quick tip: 
SEO is not something that you’re going to see results from overnight.  Think of it like growing out your hair.  For a while, you have to deal with your bangs right at eye level and just want to chop it all off.  But you don’t.  You stick it out and keep going because you know in the end your hair will grow past that point and you’ll get the outcome that you want.  That’s exactly the way SEO works.  

Convinced yet?  Good!

It’s not difficult to see WHY SEO is important.  The hard part is figuring it out, laying down the right foundation and maintaining it.

You’re thinking this is great.  How do I get started…

Before we get into that, let’s explore SEO a little deeper to give you a better understanding.

While I could go on and on about how search engines work and what’s behind it all, sometimes, it’s best to get it directly from the source.

If you’ve ever wondered exactly how search engines work, you should definitely check out this guide from Google.