The Care and Feeding of Your Blog

© Marek

“Don’t focus on having a great blog. 
Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers...
As a blogger, everything that you do flows from understanding your audience 
and seeking to help them as much as possible.”

Brian Clark
IncomeDiary.com

It's Marketing Monday, and we're down to a month and a half left of 2018. A lot of you have already slowed down, acting as if the momentum of holiday orders will carry you through the end of the year. You're surfing through your marketing efforts but just because you might have caught a big wave, doesn't mean it can't be even more significant. 

Here's the point, your blog is one of the very best marketing tools you have, but ONLY if it's done right.  Do it wrong or take a casual lack-luster approach and it will hurt your reputation, instead of building it up. 

• Be consistent: If you're not going to post at least twice a week, then you shouldn't have your blog. Your goal is to build readership and a following.  Consistent timing is a key.
• Know your audience: It's easy for me, you're my reader, a photographer, but for many of you you've forgotten who your audience is. In the portrait/social categories that means "Mom." Remember, women make 98% of the purchase decisions to hire a professional photographer. You have to be relevant in your topics and content. So many of you get completely random in your topics, posting content that's uninteresting to the readership you're trying to build.
• Be helpful: It couldn't be easier this time of year. Post content your readers need to make the photo side of their life a little more interesting. For example, now is the perfect time to launch a series of posts on picture-taking tips for the holidays. Talk about lighting, posing, and composition. They're all topics you know so well. Even a post that's a simple reminder to get the detail shots at Thanksgiving, before everyone sits down to dinner and the table looks like a bombed out military zone, will be helpful. 
• How about another series of topics? Share information about events going on in your community that tie to the arts or the interests of your readers. A children's photographer, for example, could share information about upcoming events for kids. Share information about fun locations to photograph. You know your community, don't be afraid to share your expertise.
• Be generous: It takes time to do a good blog, but as you build readership it also takes time to respond to comments and continue to stay in tune with the things your audience likes to read. That means you need to be generous with your time and the information you share on your blog. This is a serious commitment, but so valuable in building your reputation and brand.

And above everything else remember:

Your website is about your business and what you sell. Your blog is about your heart and what you feel. They work together to help define your brand and your role in the community.