As the new year approaches, blogging as an industry and as a means of expression is showing no signs of slowing down. Bloggers will face challenges up ahead but if they get it right, 2017 can be a rewarding year. Thriving as a blogger in 2017 is going to depend on a lot more than good content. Bloggers have to be able to provide a complete package of entertainment instead of just providing good content. Every blogger needs to focus on the following aspects for success in 2017:
- Re-evaluate your content
Evaluate your content thoroughly. Everything from the quality to it’s relevancy needs to be measured again. The length of your content needs to meet the standards set by search engines while simultaneously answering the doubts of their users. Re-evaluating involves understanding how well you are addressing their problems and devising new strategies for your content. Is your content insightful enough? Does it resonate with your audience? Do I need to move into different forms of content production? – All of these are questions that bloggers must ask themselves.
- Setting new goals
Bloggers that have a clear plan for the near future are more successful than those that don’t plan ahead, this aspect is true in almost all aspects of life. The goals that are set for 2017 have to be realistically achievable. These goals could be related to traffic, views, shares or comments along with other measures of engagement. Once bloggers decide on their goals, they have to sort out a detailed plan outlining deadlines and strategies. If deadlines are constantly not met then it’s time to re-think the strategy.
- Re-think your social media
Social media is a huge traffic generator and much like the content, a social media strategy has t0 be evaluated for efficiency and results. Re-evaluating the platforms and cutting out unnecessary ones is something that bloggers must do. This gives bloggers the opportunity to focus their efforts on relevant or newer channels. Social sharing has to be made easy by providing social media icons on the side of every blog post. Most blogging platforms are now equipped with plugins that enable social buttons. Bloggers must use them wisely to reap the benefits.
- Upgrade your marketing
Bloggers that fall behind on the marketing aspect of blogging are often forgotten. Marketing is the key to reaching existing new customers while simultaneously gaining new ones. Marketing strategies could involve various forms like email marketing, social media marketing, influencer marketing and more. If these forms are not providing the desired results, bloggers can use metrics to understand where the problems lie and improve. For example, if email marketing is part of the strategy and the problem is that users are not opening the mails, bloggers can try using catchier or more intriguing titles.
- Overall maintenance
With a new year come new advancements in technology and these can be a benefit to bloggers as well as a burden. The downside of improved technology is new security threats. Bloggers have to upgrade their security to prevent spammers and hackers from getting the better of the readers. Other aspects like faster page load speeds and user-experience are just as important. A large number of potential readers will leave a site if the page does not load within 5 seconds, bloggers have to make sure that all their pages load quickly. Overall user experience needs to be re-evaluated and upgraded for better functionality.
2017 is more likely to see a smaller number of hugely successful bloggers, but those that make it will make it big, without a doubt. Consistency and originality are still the most important factors but bloggers have a lot more on their plate to consider for success in the new year.
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