If You’re Going To Bother Blogging…

You put it out there and…. hardly anybody notices. It is kind of frustrating, too, because you poured your heart and soul into all that writing.

People should really read your stuff. What’s wrong here?

ByDavid Risley Posted on
11 Comments

Chances are, you are in 1 of 2 different camps as a blogger…

But, first, check out this all-too-common scenario.

You get an idea for a killer blog. You think it is going to be awesome. You’re going to make it the internet’s premiere site on this topic, and you’re going to be awesome.

You’ll be the ninja, the guru, the authority on the niche.

You see what the “A-list” does, so you’ll do that. So, you write a LOT of blog posts. I mean, seriously – A LOT of them. You write an e-book that you plan to sell. This thing is gorgeous! A work of art. You know this isn’t some cheesy ebook. It has a lot of value.

You put it out there and…. hardly anybody notices. It is kind of frustrating, too, because you poured your heart and soul into all that writing.

People should really read your stuff. What’s wrong here?

So, you build up the courage to approach one of the “A-list” people and ask them to promote for  you. You spend a lot of time researching how they do it, and you start copying the techniques you think they’re using. After all, it worked for them, it must work for you, too, right?

So, you’ve put together this big launch, with great content. You’ve gone out of your way to do what all the “big guys” do. You promote on your blog. You really SHOULD start making some money here and start getting noticed, right? Right?

You sell just a few copies. Your blog gets just a little traffic, but it is all from the same little crowd of people. And they don’t comment on your posts much, which just pisses you off even more.

Seems like a lot of work for nothing. You feel as if you don’t have the magic touch that some others have. You feel you’re too late to the game. Perhaps you can’t stand out because too many other people have already come in and taken over? Or, perhaps it is a conspiracy from a “syndicate”? Hmmm…

The one thing you know is….. THIS SUCKS.

So, chances are (as I said), you’re in 1 of 2 camps. You have either already experienced something like this, or… you don’t even really give it a solid try because you fear this will happen to you. You don’t want to fail. You’d rather have the hope of success than the certainty of a failure.

And The Secret Key To Success Is…

Well, if you know anything about me, you know what I think of secrets. And what I have to tell you is not a secret.

First, you’ve got to have a product. Groovy. For anybody to take you all that seriously, you’ve got to have some kind of product. But, there is something even more fundamental than that…

You have to create something that people really, REALLY want.

We’re talking about something that motivates people emotionally. A big, burning desire. It is about what is going on inside of their heads, their guts, and their hearts.

See, in the above scenario (which wasn’t too pretty), you would be attempting to build your online empire based on your idea, what you think people need and want. And you simply built it.

In other words, you were thinking about yourself, not your audience.

The “secret” key, the one so many bloggers screw up, is to cater to the internal desires of the market, not simply what you care about. Bloggers tend to fall in love with themselves too much, and then get offended when nobody notices.

Putting Your Stake In the Ground…

It isn’t a safe bet to build a business on something which might not be there tomorrow.

You don’t build businesses based on Twitter, or Facebook, or even Google. It is easy to lose perspective on just how fast the Internet is changing. A few years ago, Twitter didn’t even exist. Who’s to say it will exist in a few more years? Who’s to say Google will still be doing things the same way? Maybe they’ll kill off Adsense, who the heck knows.

It is important, as online entrepreneurs, to focus, not on the medium, but on the message. It is important to build our online empire based on something solid.

That solid foundation is human nature.

Which brings us right back to the point about making yourself TRULY valuable by helping people, and by giving them what they REALLY want. Because, humans will remain humans. We want stuff and we’ll always spend money for things we really want.

Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Google…. these are all just the current medium. In a few years, we’re likely to see some adjustments to how we do things. But, the foundation will remain, and you’ll just adjust. No big deal.

So, are you basing your business on that solid foundation? Are you giving people what they need and want? Is your business model based on these fundamentals, or are you just riding on the tactic of the minute? Do you even have a business model?

————

A quick reminder… Blog Masters Club is CLOSING DOWN on May 18th – for good. To learn why, click here.

 

11 Comments

  2. I did sort of ok for a while a couple of years ago with helping people who hate SEO do just enough SEO (unSEO!) to get right with search. By percentage, I think I converted about 20% of my list to customers. In the end, list was too small to make it a viable business for that market. =(  Pivoted into day job for now, which is turning out to be very cool. And will provide “infusion” for another round in the future…

  3. One of the best decisions I made was to add an autoresponder to my new e-mail subscribers saying “Hi, nice to meet you! What’s your biggest difficulty in learning English?” (I teach English through my blog)

    I’ve gotten all sorts of replies, from the general to the specific – sometimes I turn them into blog posts to directly meet that need (people LOVE that!), and I always reply personally with some tips.

    Can I ask you a question about emotional motivation, David? Which do you think is more effective – positive motivations (this blog post/product will make your life better and help you achieve greatness) or negative ones (this blog post/product will solve a problem you have). True, they’re two sides of the same coin, but I’m curious if people tend to go for one more than the other.

    1. Depends on the thing you’re offering, really. In general, though, the negative side tends to be a stronger motivator to folks. It is almost a sad statement of human nature, but it is true.

  4. “Which brings us right back to the point about making yourself TRULY
    valuable by helping people, and by giving them what they REALLY want.” Very well said!!  Great post.  I just found your blog and I’m looking forward to checking back on a regular basis.  Great content here! 

    Cezar

  5. Hi David,  that is a great write up.  I have been wondering about some of the questions you have brought up in this post.

    Human nature is the answer it seems.   I need to ponder that a bit more.   I have noticed that others have really worked hard and have not gotten very far with their blogs or site.  

    So, these questions have been on my mind lately as well.

    Does your blog program involve people helping each other? 
     

    1. The current deal on Blog Masters is just for the information, and you’ll, of course, be able to email me and ask questions. And I answer my email. 🙂

      There isn’t a mastermind or forum inside BMC currently. That’s what we do inside the Inner Circle.

      1.  Ok, I see.   Clearly – many people have blogs and are NOT successful so if you know what the answer is and it is in the course, it would definitely be worth it!    Thanks David for sharing all this info. 

        1. A lot more to say about that in the near future. 🙂

          Yeah, most bloggers never make it. But, there’s two sides to that problem. One is the person not taking action and instead over-thinking and calling it action. But, the other side of responsibility lies with people like me. And I’ll clarify that one a little later. 😉

          1. Well, I’m definitely looking forward to hearing more – oh, I’m the same as AllThingsPondered – i have more than one disqus profile

Leave a Reply