Whether you’ve been blogging for quite some time or are looking to start a new blog, the purpose behind your blog is essential if you want to have a strong readership base and continue to increase this base.
For those who have been blogging for a while now, take a look at your blog statistics and readership. Do you lack comments, shared posts, and high traffic? Then you may be suffering from a condition I refer to as Blog Disconnect—a common, yet highly treatable condition. Blog Disconnect is formed when your blog purpose / message is out of sync with what your targeted audience is looking for. This disconnect deters these targeted users from reading your blog because they are in search of something else, which they will find on someone else’s blog.
In order to rid yourself of this condition, you must reevaluate your blog purpose. And for first-time bloggers, you’ll be creating a new blog purpose from scratch. Do it right the first time, and you won’t have to waste time reevaluating in the future.
Here are a few tips to avoid / rid yourself of Blog Disconnect:
Determine your blog’s target audience. Create your blog’s ideal reader. Write down his or her physical traits, as well as his or her state of residency, annual income, pastime activities, and favorite books and magazines. Also, where does he or she dine, and does this person live in a rural environment or an urban one?
All of these questions will help you personify your ideal blog reader and will help you to determine your blog purpose.
Determine where your blog falls in your sales process. Blogs should never revolve around selling and promoting your products / services. Rather, your blog should be a source for Internet users to find information that is relevant to their needs. And, in turn, they will view you as an expert and valuable source. Even if your blog readers never purchase from you, that doesn’t mean that they won’t share your posts on social media and refer you to others. Gaining exposure online is key—it’s not about making the direct sale.
Determine why your readers would visit your blog. Once you have a thorough description of your reader, decide why they would want to visit your blog. What problem do they want your blog to solve for them? How do they receive value from your blog?
For example, if you own your own travel company specializing in luxury family vacations to Europe, your readers might visit your blog to find additional resources that will help them when packing, traveling, and planning their trip. They might also visit to receive an insider’s look into customized European tours that are off the beaten path—information that is hard to come by anywhere else.
When deciding why readers would visit your blog, think of what they need. How does your blog fulfill this need?
Tell readers the purpose of your blog. Create an “About This Blog” page on your blog, and describe to readers what your blog provides. For example, Sumèr’s “About This Blog” section says:
“This blog is dedicated to helping small business owners market and promote their companies online. I doodle to inform you on the best ways to write and optimize your content, attract more clients through your brand message, market your blog and website online, and the best social media networking practices.”
**WARNING: If Blog Disconnect symptoms are still present after performing the above blog reevaluation, seek professional blogging assistance.
