I’m not sure about you, but one way I try to learn is by looking at successful people.
From a pretty young age I remember observing that some of the most successful people I knew were business owners. It didn’t always mean they lived a full and rich life, but for the most part they seemed to enjoy many things that I wanted to when I grew up.
A recent article on Inc.com discussed the idea of looking to successful people to learn their habits. It’s a great article and worth your time. Check out 6 Habits of Truly Memorable People.
But we won’t rehash those same ideas here. We’ll simply take inspiration and twist it up a bit.
Habits of Successful Bloggers
These are six habits I think correlate with successful bloggers. I’ve taken six of my favorite bloggers. Each of these folks are people I respect and view as successful in their blogging efforts. If you pick up on any other habits please share them in the comments.
1. Consistency
Darren Rowse of Digital Photography School, Problogger, and Twitip is perhaps the most famous blogger in the blogging world. He’s well known in those three areas and beyond. He’s a true Internet icon. Something I’ve noticed about Darren’s post is his consistency.
Now, I’ve discussed frequency in the past, but consistency is something I view as different. Consistency involves being consistent with people. This can refer to delivering something on a regular schedule. This could be blogging monthly or daily or even multiple times each day. Consistency also has to do with the quality of the product. Darren’s products are blog posts (and other items these days like e-books) and what makes them important to people is they know they can always expect something good (and usually great) from Darren. It takes time to build up this trusting relationship, but if you can you will have a really successful brand (or brands like Darren).
Consistency is one of the keys to successful business. I just had lunch at a great restaurant. They are always consistent. The food always tastes the same (thankfully it’s good). When I walk in I know what to expect. It’s a good experience for me and a profitable one for them.
2. Guest Posting
Adam Singer is someone I got to know in my early days on the Web. When I first started working in the marketing world I found his blog, The Future Buzz. Adam was always doing great things in the marketing world. In just a few years he’s moved up in the world of marketing and PR and is currently at Google in the Analytics area. As he’s become more busy he’s taken on guest posts for his blog. I’ve even written a couple.
Guest posting is something I think each of the folks included in this post use to grow their blogs. Guest posting allows your blog to grow past your own capabilities. It also brings in a new perspective, which can bring in new audiences. It’s a good blogging strategy and it’s good to have the habit of allowing others to post on your site.
3. Unique Personality
Ramit Sethi is someone I follow for his finance advice. What I like about Ramit is that he doesn’t try to impress anybody. He’s focused on results (see below). He doesn’t care about much else. This outlook on life gives him a certain personality that is different and unique. He stands out from the other bloggers on the Web. I think you need a little of this quality no matter what your blogging topic is about. In order to stand out you have to be different or do something different.
4. Storyteller
Kevin Hillstrom has been mentioned her many times. He’s someone I look to for his insight into business. He’s analytics (see below) as well as someone that possesses these other habits of successful bloggers, but the one thing about Kevin is that he’s a storyteller. I think people respond to his content because he can tell a good story. He’s even written fiction and it’s great. If you can tell stories you can build an audience and profit.
5. Analytical
Derek Halpern is one of the bloggers I recently started following on the recommendation of Ramit. Derek operate Social Triggers. What I love about him and his site is that he focuses on psychology and data. He studies data and humans. He’s into testing. He has proof of what works. He doesn’t let his own assumptions or bias get in the way. People seem to respond well to this approach. They see the proof and can’t really argue with him. Being able to analyze people and data can lead to great blogging and a mindset that there is always room to improve. I think that is key for good blogging.
6. Results-Focused
Brian Clark is another marketer and writer with one of the best blogs on the Web. If I could I’d copy every move Brian has made in the blogging world, but it’s impossible to do that. Instead I try to learn his habits and use it to better myself. Brian’s site, Copyblogger, is a great blog. The site has also turned into more than one business for Brian. He does design, hosting, traffic, and even conversion. I’m a big fan of his because he focuses on conversion. He cares about getting results (see: Premise) and that’s it. He doesn’t care what people say. He doesn’t care what people do. He tries things and focuses on results. His blog posts get the right kind of people. He wants those folks to trust him and then purchase his products. It’s business 101.
With blogging or with anything in life it’s best to focus on results. Don’t worry about what people think or say. Just get results. The rest falls into place.