As a result of my book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, and my speaking, I get a lot of e-mail about blogging. People want to know what I advise about getting started. In this episode of the podcast, I answer this question.
Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/Petegar
In my book, I share a social media framework. It consists of three parts:
Home base. This is a place in cyberspace that you own and control. For most people, this will be a blog. It could also be a podcast or a video podcast. It is a place where you have 100 percent control of the design and the content—in other words, the branding and the message.
Embassies. These are places in cyberspace you don’t own and control, but where you have a presence. Examples would include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, etc. Don’t confuse these with a home base. You don’t want to use these as the primary means of delivering your content to the marketplace.
Outposts. These are places in cyberspace you monitor using a tool like Google Alerts.
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So, for most people wanting to build a platform, a blog will be their homebase. It is the foundation of everything else they do.
But how do you get started? You can launch a successful blog by taking eight steps.
Determine your blog’s focus. For example:
My blog is about intentional leadership.
My friend, John Saddington, has a blog about entrepreneurship and startups.
My daughter, Mary Crimmins, has a blog about fresh, seasonal, and local food.
My friends at Gap International have a blog about exceptional business performance and growth.
Before determining your focus, answer these two questions:
Can you generate high-quality content with this focus on a regular basis. By “regular” I mean at least once a week. (This is the minimum standard.)
Will your content attract a loyal and growing audience?
Select a service. There are scores of options—WordPress, TypePad, Blogger—but I only recommend WordPress. However, it comes in two flavors:
WordPress.com—the hosted version
WordPress.org—the self-hosted version
To decide which one, answer these questions:
What is your ultimate goal? Is this just a hobby or will this be the basis of your personal or professional platform? If the former, choose WordPress.com. If the latter, choose WordPress.org.
How much control do you want? Self-hosted WordPress provides an unlimited number of themes and plugins. Hosted WordPress provides a more limited set of options.
What is your level of technical proficiency? If you are technologically challenged, choose WordPress.com. If you are a bit of a power-user, choose WordPress.org. Note: You don’t have to be a Geek or a programmer.
If in doubt, start with WordPress.com. You can always upgrade later.
Set up your blog. If you are going the self-hosted route, watch my screencast, “How to Launch a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog in 20 Minutes or Less.”
Then select a theme. With WordPress, you can select from thousands of pre-designed themes and then adjust the details. Chose from one of the major theme providers: WooThemes.com, ElegantThemes.com, StudioPress, or StandardTheme. I am also developing a premium WordPress theme called GetNoticed!, that will be available in a few months.
Remember: a blog is never really done. It is a work in process. Don’t get stuck here. “Perfectionism is the mother of procrastination.”
Write your first post. If you haven’t done a lot of writing, this may prove to be the most difficult part. Keep your posts short if you don’t have a lot of experience. (I recommend less than five hundred words.) Develop momentum. Get the hang of it. Stick to what you know. And you most certainly know more than you think you know!
If you don’t know where else to start, begin with a “Welcome to My Blog” post. Tell your prospective readers why you have started your blog and what kinds of things you intend to write about.