Do you sometimes wonder why your readership goes up and down like a roller coaster? Do you wish your readers considered your blog to be the definitive “Go To” site for answers, and wonder why they don’t? Often times the answer can be found by asking yourself quite simply, do you know how to treat your blog as a business?
When I ask, do you know how to treat your blog as a business, I’m not asking whether or not you know how to monetize your blog, or really, anything that has to do with profitability. I am asking if you treat your blog, the operation and administration of the everyday workings of your blog; the essence and perceived image of your blog, in the same way, and with the same respect you would treat a viable, profit generating, commercial endeavor?
If you really are on a quest to bring your blog to the majority of its potential audience, you will no doubt spent a great deal of time analyzing other successful blogs (If you haven't thought of this, check yourself - you should have.). One word that overwhelmingly separates serious blogs from those that are incidental is consistency.
There are 3 major areas where consistency is vital to your blog: Frequency, quantity, and quality. Answer the question, “Do you know how to treat your blog as a business?”, by taking a look at each…
- Frequency - How frequently you deliver content to the pages of your blog is entirely up to you, and depends upon the type of content you provide. However, one of the most important things you will ever do for your blog, and your blog’s readers, is establish a schedule for new, usable content. If you haven’t done this yet, do it immediately. If you have already done this, stick to your schedule with discipline and extreme commitment. It seems obvious, but if you want consistent readers, your blog should give new and usable information on a consistent basis.
- Quantity – There are a few exceptions, but in general, keeping your blog entries to roughly the same length, with roughly the same number of links, etc., goes a long way toward giving your readers a consistent amount of information that they can count on receiving.
- Quality – High quality content is a given. People are not going to return to a sight where they have received poorly researched, or bogus information. What we are talking about here, however, is the consistency of the quality of the content you provide in your blog. You should note that quality tends to go hand in hand with quantity. Although you deliver the highest quality content, the depths to which you are able to go will most times be determined by the quantity of content, or the average length of the entries you decide to consistently post.
It seems obvious, but if your blog is consistent, if it regularly provides, a similar amount of high quality, new, and usable information on a defined subject, people who are interested in that subject and matters related to that subject will be more likely to come to your blog site for information.
Now that we have considered the idea of being consistent, I will ask you again, “Do you treat your blog as a business?”
In the same way that being consistent - keeping regular hours, and carrying viable, good quality inventory is essential to running what might be considered a more tangible commercial endeavor with a healthy customer base, providing a consistent amount of high quality content on a regular basis - being consistent – is one of the most important ways you can treat your blog as a business.