A blog is a very viable means of showcasing your product/service, knowledge, thoughts, industry news and ideas. Blogs also have proven to rank higher in search engine results to queries as the content is fresh, relevant and also favor the long tail searches. This is promising information for a company who is considering a blog or just starting out. The advantages of blogging, we can talk about easily however when it comes down to the nitty gritty and the development of the strategy suddenly the conversation starts to diminish and, as with anything, the advantages are a part of the reward but the “behind the scenes” is where the real work starts.
Blogging Goals
As a blogger, identifying goals is Step 1. Your intention of the blog, what are you trying to achieve? The responses vary but the goal of any business blogger is to monetize. Plain and simple. You are putting your company out there to share what you know and how you can take this knowledge and help others. While monetization is the main underlying goal, there are subsets that get deeper into your purpose and what you want to accomplish by leading to monetization. This walks the fine line on tetering with objectives but objectives are more the how where goals are the why.
Identifying Blog Goals
Identifying why you are here is more than monetization. Goals are identified and established by understanding the online community and how they react to something/someone new. The idea that you will write a few posts and they will go viral and everyone will will return the next day is a great dream but is not in most cases realistic. Establishing goals and having them be a part of the overall focus of the blog is a part of building a strategy that leads to a consistent following that not only reads and shares but acts.
Examples of Blogging Goals
1. Increase Awareness of the Company to promote lead gen by 20% over a 6 month period.
2. Increase Awareness of Company Offerings through inquiries for more information or proposals.
3. Increase subscriber rate by X amount with qualified leads that are <30 days out on making the purchase decision.
4. Build network of trusted associated partners as they relate to the field (ex: tax accountant and estate attorney).
5. Increase conversion rates by X over 3 month period by focusing on product/service benefits to the target market.
These are a few examples of goals for your blog that you can take and rewrite to pertain to your individual needs. Each industry and blog is different as is each website however each has a goal to achieve. Establishing attainable goals that lead to objectives, strategies/tactics and measurable metrics is how a blog becomes long standing and successful.
Blogging for business is about making money but pushing that aside and looking at goals being a subset of the monetization opens the thought flood gates to understanding what you want to achieve incrementally that is within your reach.
Blogging is a commitment and a promise to stay true to your goals by getting bit of dirt under the fingernails and a few grass stains. Ask any successful blogger how they survived the first few years, they will tell you that they focused on their goals and when they reached them, they created some new ones.
What are your blogging goals? Have you achieved your initial goals?
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photo credit: Oliver Jules