I see it too many times, someone starts a blog talking about beginner basics that have literally been talked about and written on hundreds of times. Most bloggers need to start offering something beyond what they think their audience is capable of knowing. You need to establish your credibility and knowledge by talking about topics that are pushing their intellectual capabilities.
Earn your links
If you want people to link to you, you’re going to have to start offering unique knowledge and content. People don’t want to read about how to blow dry their hair, but they want to know how to blow dry their hair with a round brush. Instead of setting up WordPress, people want to know how to customize WordPress to do XYZ. It’s not that they don’t need help with the simple stuff, it’s that there are already a ton of articles on the beginner stuff and trying to get that traffic is useless. Your traffic would also not be as targeted and passionate, making them less valuable to you. If you’re offering truly valuable insight, which my favourite type would be infographic data, then you’re going to earn links.
Would you come back
Picture yourself as a college student sitting down for your first lecture of a class. If you understand what the professor is talking about entirely, do you think you’ll come back to the next class? Will you think the professor is intelligent and knowledgable on the topic? I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t come back. However, if the professor was talking over my head most of the time, I’m going to come back to the class, because I need to learn this stuff, and my professor seems to know everything about it. He established himself as a credible source.
Most people are capable beyond what you think
If you’re an expert in an industry, you are used to the feeling of knowing more than your listener. You’re used to explaining your internet company to your 75 year old grandma or explaining how to drive standard to your 16 year old daughter. However your blog readers are already interested in your industry and your blog isn’t the first blog that they read.
They’ve read other blogs
Chances are, this is not the first blog in your industry that your reader has checked out. They’ve been on similar blogs and they are holding the standard of quality pretty high. This is especially true if your initial readers are friends who are also experts in your industry, who already know as much about you, or more about certain parts. If you can keep them interested in what you’re saying and keep their attention, they are going share your blog with their following and fellow friends. They simply are not going to recommend a blog who doesn’t offer some sort of awesome value and insight.
No Comments