Blogging Pays U?

Blogging is like being at war. But you are at war with a silent and unknown enemy - other bloggers. There are literally millions of blogs and websites and yet we have some strange faith that we can attract readers to our blogs. Ask yourself this question - Why would anyone visit your site? Indeed, an even better question might be - Why would they ever return?

It really is all about marketing and marketing is war.

The Daily Battle
Each day or so, we post something to our blogs and then set about either sitting back and hoping or we engage in some marketing. But who are you marketing to? What makes your post so compelling that someone will decide to visit your blog, read your article and not someone else's? It's our daily battle in an everlasting war for readers, reader loyalty and revenues.

Think about this carefully as you post. Am I saying something unique or just paraphrasing something I have already read out there? Is there any value in what I am writing - am I offering my reader anything to take with them? Is my article so compelling that people who read it will tell their friends, come back tomorrow or post it to a social networking site?

Take a look around and you'll see that 90% of what gets written on blogs is a rehash of somebody else's original thinking. The blogosphere is full of trash and average content. It really is.

Writing Original Quality
To compete in the war you have to write original and quality content. Go take a look at Steve Pavlina's website. There you will find original, inspiring, quality posts time and time again. He knows his market and he delivers exactly what they want. That's why he is successful.

But what is quality? It's an article that contains your expertise in a well written format. Quality isn't about length of article. It can be short - but it should be original and it should contain some value or benefit to your readers.

Remember, you are war. Someone, somewhere is writing a quality post and they will take our traffic away if you don't compete. It's a daily battle - don't forget.

Developing Your Brand
To attract and retain visitors, you need to develop your brand. Remember that your brand is like your personality. You can't say that you deliver something and then expect that promise to stick if you don't follow through. My article on branding should be you guide.

In essence, what you have to achieve is notoriety. You need people to remember your website/blog and attach some value to it so that they will come back. That is notoriety. John Chow has it, Steve Pavlina has it. Do you?