We all look for ways to improve. One way we look to get better is to look at others that are successful and try to figure out the formula they implement in life to get ahead. Everybody goes about doing things a little big differently, but there are some similar traits and habits people use in business and in blogging that anybody can try to put in their formula.
These 5 things seem to be part of all successful bloggers including the ones here at Ghost Blog Writers. Take one or two you think you can use and when you read other bloggers try to take what they do well and improve upon them as you work to become a successful business blogger in your own way.
1. Focus on Questions
We’ll talk about keywords in point 3, but most successful bloggers have a focus on customer questions. Bloggers has an understanding of the information their readers want to see. Keyword research is great for getting a broad understanding of what people are searching for, but when it comes to a niche audience a successful bloggers gets questions in other areas. It could be face-to-face meetings with people, forums, phone calls and a number of other areas.
2. Organized Flexibility
Bloggers need to be organized. Readers, for the most part, expect regularity in posting. They want to know that you’re getting consistent blog posts with consistently good content. Those readers also expect content that is consistent with what they want to read. Bloggers provide this, but they also know they have to keep changing and improving. This means the formula for success needs to be flexible. You might publish a post five times each week, but as you look to improve you could throw in a new formula for a post on a sixth day to see how it does. Successful people seem to always look for ways to improve. It’s experimentation and if it fails there’s nothing lost.
3. Basic Understanding of Keywords
Keywords are important. There is no way around it. The keyword tools available from Google are great assets. You get to see the things large numbers of people are searching for on the biggest search engine in the US. That’s a huge asset. Great bloggers understand the keywords their target readers are searching for. The knowledge could come from keyword tools or it could come from a great understanding of the reader. The latter is built over time while the former works well to get to the knowledge.
4. Thirst for Industry Knowledge
I don’t think this is something successful bloggers try to do. I think it’s just something they have in their personality. They always thirst for industry knowledge. They are frequently reading other blogs and news sites. They look for obscure sources of information. They read the big blogs, but they also read the smaller blogs always looking for something that could change the industry. It’s almost like a fear of getting beat. The more you know the more you’re prepared for inevitable change. This could be the biggest trait other than actually doing the work to create a blog post.
5. Thick Skin
You have to have thick skin in the business world. The more success you get the more negative feedback you get. I’m not sure why it works like that, but it’s a good barometer of success when people you don’t even know start criticizing you. So if you’re looking to be a big time blogger you better look forward to criticism. If you already have this in your business you’ll pass this test with flying colors.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the habits of successful bloggers. You probably see some crossover into other areas of life and there’s good reason. Blogging takes commitment and drive. When things aren’t going well a successful blogger keeps fighting through until it works. That perseverance is something all business owners and managers need.
Do you have other habits to add to the list?
Leave a comment below.