Woah. We’re drilling down to the big stuff now. Generally, this stuff makes me run a mile because I run my blog in a pretty laissez faire way. I write what I feel like writing, when I feel like writing it. That said, if you want to go pro and build your blog into something bigger, a plan is a good idea. Bloggers like ME got in early and built our readerships before things were super competitive. We had an early adopter advantage and didn’t have to work too hard for our readers.
NOW, things are quite different. You need to have a consistent and clear view of what you want from your blog if you’re seeking success (whatever that means to you!) You also need to blog consistently – especially if you want to attract sponsors or brand affiliation. (More on that in another lesson!)
This week’s post is short on words, but long on spreadsheet. I’m attaching two for you to take a look at. One I’ve filled out a little bit, so you can see how it works. The other is blank for you to go nuts on.
Blog Strategic Plan Pips Example
Your competitors and gaps in the market
While this is getting super strategic, maybe that’s your cup of tea? QuickSprout has a great tool that will let you assess your own site and 3 competitor sites. Find that here.
Facebook also allows you to monitor other pages, which can be handy if you want to see what other blogs like you are doing (and what they are doing well!) From your page head into INSIGHTS and scroll down to the ‘PAGES TO WATCH’ section. You can add blogs like yours there and see how they are going – and what is working for them. (It might help you refine your own approach/strategy).
SimilarWeb has a bunch of tools to help you compare your site to others (or just see how it’s ranking in all manner of ways!) And there are others out there too.
Gaps and niches
I certainly understand the importance of keeping an open mind and learning from others’ success – and that is where competitor analysis can come in handy. If you’re keen to dig deeper, you can start considering what you might be offering that others aren’t. This can be a great way to launch niche content which can do very well – with Google sending lots of traffic your way if you pick up on a trend and write to it before others do.
I did this on JustB once, playing around with the idea of filling niches or gaps. I wrote a post about container homes and it got thousands and thousands of visits. If you can hit on something that is under-represented online and write something useful about it – your audience will find you – that under-represented gap will be your friend!
Some other useful links on developing your own strategy…
This Flickr spreadsheet image details objectives, tools and metrics nicely – you could create something similar
This epic guide advice from Quick Sprout – look at the Create A Simple Planning Document section – it’s not that simple, but it will get you thinking!
Some questions to ask yourself (again?!) as you make a plan..
1. What is your blog’s mission? If you haven’t got one, write your mission statement!
2. How much time do you want to spend blogging?
3. What do you hope to gain from blogging?
4. How do you want your readers to feel?
5. What do you need to improve, skill-wise?
6. What do you need to improve, blog-wise?
7. Do you still need to find a way to make money from your blog?
8. What small thing can you do each week to improve your blog?
9. Name three great things about your blog:
10. Where would you like to be, blog-wise, in 12 months time?
Let me know how you go with your spreadsheet – what insights you gain – any clarity, even?
x Pip