My Top 10 Blogging Tips for 2015!

Gone are the days when blogging exists simply as a forum for ranting about your "achey-breaky" heart, or an oppressive boss.
That's played out like 8-track tapes.
Fast forward. It's 2015, a new age and a new stage.

Blogging has evolved into a profitable medium that has launched major book deals, created income avenues for today's entrepreneur, and has even been integral in increasing awareness of important social causes. 

With millions of blogs launched into the blogosphere, it's become the new black!
Much like competitive sports, if you want to emerge a "winner" here, you'll need to have a strategic game plan in place.

With this being the goal, I'd like to share with you my Top 10 Blogging Tips for 2015.
The practices and principles outlined are based upon my six years of professional experience, trial and error, and a little savvy that has allowed me to be recognized with a few blogging awards along the way.

If you're on board, let's get busy.

HERE THEY ARE, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER...

1. Know your target audience.
Better yet, become intimately acquainted. What are their interests? Their challenges? Their habits?
As they say: "Knowledge is power."

2. Have concrete goals.
Is the objective of your blog to build a platform? Meet new people? Make money? Entertain? Educate? The clearer you are, the fewer detours you'll encounter on the road to success.

3. Provide take-away value.
Much like many of today's restaurants offer "value-added" menu selections to customers, today's readers are "hungry" for information and inspiration that can make a positive difference in their lives.
Show appreciation for their time and readership through quality content and valuable resources.

4. Don't forget the importance of humor.
When appropriate and applicable, tickle your readers' funny bone. That's right. Pastor Joel Osteen does each Sunday on his weekly TV sermons. I find it rather refreshing.

5. Keep your site updated regularly.
Blogging is hard work. You'll get no arguments here. Still, that doesn't mean you should "check out"  when things get busy or rough. Take breaks, as your situation dictates, but don't take an extended leave of absence without notification to your followers. You'll lose momentum, credibility, and likely lose loyal readers as well.

6. Add value to the blogging community.
Support others. Share links. Tweet to your peeps. Comment on other sites. Conduct interviews on successful authors.
Just like other areas in life, it creates good karma. And who couldn't use more of that?

7. Maintain a good "sharing" balance.
I hate to say it, but some folks share waaaayyyy too much with readers. Of course, it's definitely a personal decision. But keep in mind that you never know who might be reading your site. It could be a potential client, your in-laws, your boss, or members of your church congregation. For this reason, "full-disclosure" is not always wise ( or recommended). Don't get me wrong: you certainly should share some personal info on the individual behind the words. This might include your hobbies, talents, dreams, recipes and favorite things. It helps to personalize your blog and builds bonds based upon commonalities.

8. Brand your blog, baby.
Make it memorable. Make it personal. Branding is to bloggers what TV commercials are to businesses. Have a clever tag line. Create a logo that is associated with your spot and adds to the visual appeal. Write in your own style. Keep 'em coming back for more.

9. Guest post.
Not only does it help to establish your expertise and cultivate new readers, it's a way of "working smarter, not harder." And did I mention that it helps to foster relationships with editors and other bloggers? It's a real win/win.

10. Use quality images to enhance your writing.
This may seem elementary, but unfortunately it isn't. I can't count the number of times that I have come across sites that were fabulously written, with photos that were amateurish, or blurry, or cartoon-like in appearance. I'm no expert on this, but a picture is more than "worth a thousand words." It's part of your blog's online image. Act accordingly.


Well, there you have it folks, 10 tips to make the second half of the year better than the first.
I've shared. How about you?