For those who are new to the blog scene, there are lots of things to learn. It is easy to get frustrated when there are so many details involved. You have to learn about keyword research, what is it, how do you do it? You have to learn how to use WordPress and that is a huge challenge for a lot of us. You need to understand the basics of SEO, linking, Social Media, Marketing etc., etc., etc..
Successful Bloggers Have a Plan
If you are a baby boomer, the first paragraph may contain some terms you aren’t familiar with, same goes for any beginner blogger who is just trying to get something up and running. I was the same way with my first blog. I had people giving me advice all over the net, and I would just jump in and try this and that. If that is happening to you, STOP IT.
Just because this may all be new to you, if you don’t have a plan to follow with logical steps to implement, you will waste a huge amount of time and money. I am here to tell ya, been there, done that. I would find someone who sounded good, and they had some trick that if I did this or that, my traffic and sales would skyrocket. Yeah right. Money went down the drain, and huge blocks of time were wasted.
I finally made a resolution to get focused, buckle down to identify who I would focus on and what I have to offer. That is called identifying your niche in “industry speak”. In my opinion, that was pretty tough. I joined groups, did brainstorming, spent a lot of money on coaches, took classes, spent countless hours reading and doing research, watching tutorials and more. I hope I can help make the process a little simpler for you.
Blueprint for your blogs foundation
Remember I mentioned logical steps. Well, we are all adults and have common sense. Businesses like buildings have foundations, and a good foundation is critical to both. I am going to present a progression of steps to follow, and each will require some work on your part to put into action.
It all starts with you, your passions, experience, and interest. I don’t know your belief system, but I am a Christian, and truly believe we were all given a set of talents and gifts to equip us to accomplish some things during our stay on this planet. If you are a baby boomer who is still trying to decide what you want to be when you grow up, it is time to kick it into high gear. This is like going to bootcamp.
I don’t want to keep you too much longer today, you have work to do. (This makes me feel like I should start putting the notes on the chalkboard.) There simply is no time to waste. Here are the first blocks for your blogs foundation.
Start with you, decide your focus. What are your passions, what have you always wanted to do? If you have a ton of experience, do you want to use that for your foundation? Would you rather learn a lot about something you love and then share it?
Give yourself permission to be creative here. You have had to do things required for a job all your life. This is your chance to blossom. In your gut, what have you dreamed of doing? Is it feasible, you can find out, but for now, jot all your ideas down, ask those who know you well to help you brainstorm.
Plan your time, how much of it can you dedicate to each task? In the beginning, it may be that you have to allocate all of it to understanding what you really want to target. It is easy to get caught up in a loop and not make any progress , so you have to set a serious time frame. I want you to develop a daily/weekly plan of tasks to do so you stay on track.
Those three steps can get you started. They may seem simple, but in my experience, are the hardest part. Understanding our deep desires is something that others can offer suggestions, but in the end, it is up to us. Dig in and go deep. If you need help with this step, I can recommend a couple of things for you. I found the book “Strengths Finder 2.0″ by Tom Rath to be really helpful.It will ask you questions about your preferences. It is designed to help you get a clear picture of you, funny that we need help with that.
For this particular book you can’t just get it at the library. The way it works is that you read the first part of the book. Then you have to take a test on the internet. To take the test, you have to use the code they give you in the book. That code can only be used once, the cost of the test is included in the cost of the book. After you take the test (no studying involved), you will get a very detailed report with the results, be sure to print that out, you will refer to it later. Here is a link for your convienence.
The other thing you can do is take a personality test, the DISC and Meyers Briggs are both good. These tools are really beneficial to help you understand what you are inately good at. When we were younger, a lot of us got our education based on what were considered “good jobs” with little consideration for what our talents and gifts were. That might explain why some of us worked at jobs that simply provided a paycheck while envying others who loved what they did. It is never to late to do what you love, so get going.
One last thing I need to tell you all. As we go, I am going to teach you ways to earn income with your blog. That link for the book is what is called an affiliate link. If you click on that and buy the book, Amazon pays me a small percentage. It costs you no more, but Amazon gets a tiny bit less on the book because they pay their affiliates a referral fee. It is a win/win, and I want you to learn how to start making money while helping others.
Successful Bloggers Have a Plan
If you are a baby boomer, the first paragraph may contain some terms you aren’t familiar with, same goes for any beginner blogger who is just trying to get something up and running. I was the same way with my first blog. I had people giving me advice all over the net, and I would just jump in and try this and that. If that is happening to you, STOP IT.
Just because this may all be new to you, if you don’t have a plan to follow with logical steps to implement, you will waste a huge amount of time and money. I am here to tell ya, been there, done that. I would find someone who sounded good, and they had some trick that if I did this or that, my traffic and sales would skyrocket. Yeah right. Money went down the drain, and huge blocks of time were wasted.
I finally made a resolution to get focused, buckle down to identify who I would focus on and what I have to offer. That is called identifying your niche in “industry speak”. In my opinion, that was pretty tough. I joined groups, did brainstorming, spent a lot of money on coaches, took classes, spent countless hours reading and doing research, watching tutorials and more. I hope I can help make the process a little simpler for you.
Blueprint for your blogs foundation
Remember I mentioned logical steps. Well, we are all adults and have common sense. Businesses like buildings have foundations, and a good foundation is critical to both. I am going to present a progression of steps to follow, and each will require some work on your part to put into action.
It all starts with you, your passions, experience, and interest. I don’t know your belief system, but I am a Christian, and truly believe we were all given a set of talents and gifts to equip us to accomplish some things during our stay on this planet. If you are a baby boomer who is still trying to decide what you want to be when you grow up, it is time to kick it into high gear. This is like going to bootcamp.
I don’t want to keep you too much longer today, you have work to do. (This makes me feel like I should start putting the notes on the chalkboard.) There simply is no time to waste. Here are the first blocks for your blogs foundation.
Start with you, decide your focus. What are your passions, what have you always wanted to do? If you have a ton of experience, do you want to use that for your foundation? Would you rather learn a lot about something you love and then share it?
Give yourself permission to be creative here. You have had to do things required for a job all your life. This is your chance to blossom. In your gut, what have you dreamed of doing? Is it feasible, you can find out, but for now, jot all your ideas down, ask those who know you well to help you brainstorm.
Plan your time, how much of it can you dedicate to each task? In the beginning, it may be that you have to allocate all of it to understanding what you really want to target. It is easy to get caught up in a loop and not make any progress , so you have to set a serious time frame. I want you to develop a daily/weekly plan of tasks to do so you stay on track.
Those three steps can get you started. They may seem simple, but in my experience, are the hardest part. Understanding our deep desires is something that others can offer suggestions, but in the end, it is up to us. Dig in and go deep. If you need help with this step, I can recommend a couple of things for you. I found the book “Strengths Finder 2.0″ by Tom Rath to be really helpful.It will ask you questions about your preferences. It is designed to help you get a clear picture of you, funny that we need help with that.
For this particular book you can’t just get it at the library. The way it works is that you read the first part of the book. Then you have to take a test on the internet. To take the test, you have to use the code they give you in the book. That code can only be used once, the cost of the test is included in the cost of the book. After you take the test (no studying involved), you will get a very detailed report with the results, be sure to print that out, you will refer to it later. Here is a link for your convienence.
The other thing you can do is take a personality test, the DISC and Meyers Briggs are both good. These tools are really beneficial to help you understand what you are inately good at. When we were younger, a lot of us got our education based on what were considered “good jobs” with little consideration for what our talents and gifts were. That might explain why some of us worked at jobs that simply provided a paycheck while envying others who loved what they did. It is never to late to do what you love, so get going.
One last thing I need to tell you all. As we go, I am going to teach you ways to earn income with your blog. That link for the book is what is called an affiliate link. If you click on that and buy the book, Amazon pays me a small percentage. It costs you no more, but Amazon gets a tiny bit less on the book because they pay their affiliates a referral fee. It is a win/win, and I want you to learn how to start making money while helping others.
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