Have you ever thought like you are doing the blog hamster wheel? Doing routine blogging activities i.e commenting, thinking of next post, RT with no progress in sight? I’m sure you have. I’m sure most of us would have thought of this or are going through this and are contemplating about pulling the plug. Kill your blog and kiss it goodbye.
Great… What next? Have you thought of life without blogging? Perhaps..
But before you go down that road, I want you to think about a couple of things first.
1. “Rome wasn’t built in a day”
Yeah, your blog ain’t doing great but what the heck, how much time did you spend blogging? A few days, weeks, months a year? The measure of success of a blog depends on a whole lot of things. This applies also to any business! Give it time and like all things online, you need to give your blog time to mature by itself, get the recognition and build a following.
2. What have you been blogging about?
Are you publishing posts that no one reads? Maybe it’s time for you to sit back and reflect on your content. If you want to make you posts fantastic, quality is something you can’t skim on. You should also take a step back and ask yourself if your audience will enjoy reading your articles? I give you a hint. Create content that are:
- Unique
- Original
- Personalized
- Epic!
3. Rebranding
It seems like everyone has something to say about blogging and making money online. I say this because these rehashed, repeated stuff almost always talks about topics related to those 2 niches. It gets boring sometimes like a broken tape recorder. Do you really want to talk about blogging and making money online? What about rebranding your blog? Change your logo, image, content and style into something else or focus on something more specific in those niches. A good example to illustrate this is Tia from BizChickBlogs.
4. Consider a Site Redesign
Sometimes all it takes for a blog to catch your visitor’s attention is to do a complete site redesign. Design plays an important role in your blog or business site. Don’t underestimate the power of simplicity though. Too much clutter leaves your readers with too many choices. It can mislead, confuse and frustrate your readers.
5. Poor Focus vs Laser-Targeted Focus
The one thing that strikes me most about people coming online to start a business is that they are all plagued with the attention deficit problem. They don’t focus, hope for big returns and fall prey to those “push-button” software. Another thing that strikes me is they focus on the wrong thing. This affects me too and I’m working on it. It’s been said before on this blog. Follow the “Pareto Principle”. Focus 20% of your efforts on things that will give you 80% results.
6. Get an Expert to Help
I don’t imply a real professional but someone who has got much more experience than you. Don’t make quick judgements about your blog’s fate without considering the opinions from those who have walked the same path before. I’ve always got the more experienced bloggers and marketers to help me with certain things here. So you should do the same!
7. Get Your Readers to Help
You see sometimes the easiest thing you can do is to ask your reader for opinions. A good way to do it is to have a poll system or just a short post to ask your readers about anything related to you business or blog. As for polls, I use the WP-Polls plugin to setup a poll on my blog.
8. Wait… Your Skills are Only Blogging??
That’s right. Is that your only skill? If that is the only thing you know then I have to warn you that you need to know much more than that to ensure a successful blog today. If you use your blog as a form of business or a medium for your business then you absolutely have to learn a whole lot of things. Copywriting, some design skills, networking, website creation, management skills, video marketing skills and some techie skills are some examples.
Granted, you can get someone to help you with the techie bit or outsource some video work. But otherwise, coming out with a 700 word post each time daily, is only a small part of the whole picture.
9. You Are Killing Your Blog Yourself?
Most people are on the way to create another job by being the all-in-one business man. Trust me, trying to do all this will kill your enthusiasm even if your blog is still alive.
You blog because you are passionate?? Don’t we hear that everytime?
Yes.. Passion can’t even safe you. Being passionate is only part of the equation but doing everything yourself is not only going to kill your enthusiasm, it will also be detrimental to your health in the long term.
In addition to that, doing everything spreads your focus thin which is against the 80/20 rule. So you think you can handle everything and be good at everything? Think again.
10. Think Out of The Box, Beyond Blogging
Blogging is a powerful medium to spread your brand and business but blogging only won’t bring you far these days. You need to spread your wings and think out of the box. If your traffic is stagnant, readers scarce and opt-in rates poor, consider things like podcasting or video marketing. Think about Web 2.0 sites like Hubpages or even article directories as well. Right now I’m focusing a little bit on Hubpages as I find that the community there is great apart from having people actually read my articles.
Video Marketing is something in my plans this year but I don’t have the resources to go too much into it yet but I do see it as a great prospect for leads and opportunities. Pat Flynn is a great example of someone who has used podcasting for his blog. Of course, there are bloggers like Hector Cuevas as well.
What about opening your own online store? The possibilities are limitless if you only spend some time thinking…
11. Take A Break
I don’t care even if your Alexa ranking disappears or your readers disappear. Sometimes this is something you really ought to do. I know most bloggers suffer from some sort of separation anxiety syndrome. It’s true that your blogs might suffer in terms of rankings, traffic and readership but that’s only normal in today’s online world unless your blog is multi-authored. Take a break and get your head out into the open. It’s really like a breath of fresh air for me personally. You should try it too!
12. Convert Your Blog into a Multi-Authored Blog
This can be tricky. Blogs like Technshare, BizChickBlogs, Problogger and Famousbloggers are multi-authored. No doubt they will survive even without the owner adding content. But, it can be tricky. It can be difficult to get people on board to help as a contributor regularly. Basically, you need to get this right in the very beginning. Alternatively, find some good blogging partners / friends to help you with this project.
13. Sell Your Blog or Put It on Flippa
WARNING: ONLY IF ALL ELSE FAILS
If all else fails, then consider doing this. Find someone who is willing to buy your blog. This involves a lot of risks that is why I put this consideration LAST!! If no one is willing to take up the offer, go to Flippa.com and list your website for sale there. Remember that if your blog ain’t up to scratch with certain things like traffic, popularity and sales, it won’t sell for a high price on Flippa. You might as well forget about it and think about it again.
Finally…
Before you consider killing your blog, take these 13 things into consideration or have you already decided? Let me know your thoughts.
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{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: Findmyblogway
March 17, 2011 at 12:14 am
Hi Bryan,
That was a detailed breakdown on things we can do before we go and kill our blog. So far i am enjoying my time in the blogosphere and networking with like minded people. Unless there is a change in my routine life, i will see myself blogging continuously.
It really depends on you goals to start blogging. There are many reasons in people killing a blog. Lacking of passion, no time or simply couldn’t find a way through. No matter what reason, this post is a good guide for people who prepare to quit.
Thanks for sharing.
Lye
Lye Kuek Hin recently posted..Best Time To Publish Your Post – Does It Matters
Hey Lye,
There are many reasons why people start a blog but ultimately they should have some long term plan out of it. I’m sure you are enjoying your time in the blogosphere
I can appreciate some people blog for the sake of just blogging. But i also find that there are more people coming out to blog just because someone said to them that it’s one way to make money online easily and that a blog is a good thing for your business. Unfortunately most people don’t have any clear idea how to get there still. Can’t say that I’m an expert in this but I’m learning lots along the way. It’s a great ride but certainly a challenging one though.
Twitter: rdempsey
March 17, 2011 at 12:55 am
Hi Bryan this is a great post. I went through this exact thing with Life Of The Freelancer. I had months with no comments, no feedback, no nothing. What I did have though were hundreds of daily page views along with a podcast with 2k+ regular listeners (and still growing on all counts). What I ended up doing was writing a post saying that all people wanted were interviews and that I was going to stop putting up any additional content. That got some people talking and commenting, though it has since stopped.
What I did find out though is that the audience I had gained was not the audience I though I had. Until I did a survey and had the numbers in front of me I had been talking to the wrong people.
Now I have it right and things are picking up again. So “just asking your readers” is great, especially to find out who they are.
Robert Dempsey recently posted..Scott And Rob Podcast 3
Hey Robert,
Wow I didn’t know you had a previous blog
I understand that feeling of no interaction. It’s like you are just talking to yourself. I’ve been trying on my previous posts to get more input from readers (as you might have noticed). Trying to change my tack on certain things now. I think as a blogger, there are many different things you gotta try out and see if it works. What works for you might not work for me. What I find here on my blog is a mixture of people who have much more experience than me and those who are still learning.
Not so much in the middle. I also realized that there are a lot of people who are trying to seek out good information and part of them are newcomers online. So right now I’m using other mediums to get people in. Have to learn how to diversify like what Pat commented here.
Twitter: danalingga
March 17, 2011 at 2:17 pm
I mostly like the “think out of box” advice. It is often that we will get so many benefit when able to think out of box.
Dana recently posted..5 Best Games for iPad 2
Dana,
Certainly thinking out of the box is essential. I think that is even more important these days as more people are talking about the same thing and people are getting more cynical. The difference is being unique, honest and providing value. Yeah, value is something that a lot of people talk about doing, but I believe there’s more that can be done. Seems like a lot of people are talking about the “think out of the box” advice. Maybe a good idea for my next article
Twitter: lavenderuses
March 17, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Hi Bryan
You are so right about the hamster wheel lol Blogging is very time consuming. Blog hopping, commenting, writing posts, tweeting and so it goes on. And unless there are products to sell then it sure isn’t profitable!
I have come to the conclusion that although I enjoy blogging about the lovely lavender, it is not bringing the results I need at the moment. So I am diversifying. Will still keep my lavender blog but am looking at other biz models so that I can monetise and grow my business.
Had to think outside the box and look at different options. Everyone blogs for different reasons. Mine was always as a platform for a business.
Enjoyed your post and thanks for sharing Bryan. Appreciated.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavender oil recently posted..The Lovely Lavender’s Smelling Sweet…Unlike Athlete’s Foot!
Hey Patricia,
I think your comment here is echoing your previous posts on comments don’t equal sales. We should all learn how to diversify. It’s getting more important these days as competition goes up. This blog has so far worked out well in terms of getting people very interested in the things I know and what i do. It definitely will be a medium for my business as well but as the main source of income. Definitely not.
Twitter: alexanderthegry
March 18, 2011 at 9:52 pm
Hello Patricia,
I think you approached this blogging business idea somewhat wrong. You actually made friends with all the bloggers and started to connect with everyone this way making them feeling practically obligated to come back and comment on your blog, so you actually didn’t attract clients but rather your brought friends in to see what you are doing.
A good strategy would be to make people come to your blog because they are interested in lavender, by using organic traffic, platforms like digg, stumbleupon, facebook, twitter and trying to find those people that are interested in lavender or in it’s effects on their mind and body.
Also, your business seems kind of local, a good way to advertise your merchandise is to find local shops (which include your niche) and try to make them give you some shelf room for your products.
There are many ways to do it, but unfortunately in your niche, friends don’t really buy. Have fun and Good luck Patricia!
Alex recently posted..Atv
Twitter: richescorner
March 18, 2011 at 7:20 am
Hi Bryan,
I also like the think outside the box concept. I actually think it’s one of the best ideas to take a step back and have more fun with your blogging. Think about topics that interest you and try to find a creative way to write about them. Find unique ways to relate off topic subjects that are interesting to your niche. I think it’s just way more fun to concentrate on enjoying the process of blogging.
Richard recently posted..How Not to Go Viral- Alexandra Wallace Mucks it Up
Hey Richard,
Like you said, there are a lot of out of box ideas that can be explored. Not many are doing it these days and most are hoping for some miracle that they will get the results they want “accidentally”, don’t you think?
Twitter: alexanderthegry
March 18, 2011 at 10:04 pm
Hello Bryan,
Well I don’t think many people take this long (as in steps) to quit their blog, they just someday, think that they are fighting a lost battle and decide to do something else.
I know some friends of mine who wanted to start blogging, and they bought a domain, installed some cms and began writing articles etc. And after a few months, they would have abandoned it like it never existed, they just lose interest and forget about it.
Although this steps sounds good for anyone that really is involved with blogging and wants to continue but doesn’t see results, the usual quitter wont even take a second look at his blog, let alone follow 12 steps.
Alex recently posted..Atv
Hey Alex,
I must admit that I didn’t consider bloggers who call it quits before thinking and going through all the points here. For those who fall into the groups you’ve mentioned, this post most likely won’t apply to them unless they have a slight hope in their minds to revive their blog in anyway possible. I do agree that a blog won’t be of benefit to everyone. It really depends on the individual. If they feel like a blog does not help them achieve their objectives, then they should move on and go for something else.
Twitter: seommotips
March 19, 2011 at 11:12 pm
Wonderful tips and great post. The title was really catchy and I could not resist visiting blog after I see your submission in BlogEngage.
I’d love if you elaborate #9 a bit. I guess you are talking about outsourcing. I am looking for some more information regarding this. What sort of tasks are outsourced by bloggers and how they are doing it.
Suresh Khanal recently posted..All you need is ONE Reason
Hey Suresh,
Welcome! Yeah I must admit point #9 wasn’t very clear but it’s definitely relating to outsourcing and not doing everything yourself. Spreading yourself too think makes it really difficult to achieve your goals in the long term. I think for bloggers key things that can be outsourced are like ebook creation or video blogging scripts. You can get in all the key points for your ebook but you are not such a great writer. Getting someone to do the whole book with your points in it is one way of outsourcing. You can also consider outsourcing the ebook design if you are not so savvy with designing or Photoshop. Another thing that you can do is to get people to outsource designing your blog. I believe also video blogging is a very underutilized area. Some bloggers might be shy about doing videos or not so spontaneous with a camera in front. I think outsourcing video scripts is a good way to get around this too.
Anyway, if you can write down a list of things that you are not good at, and then think of which to outsource.
Twitter: seommotips
March 20, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Thank you Brian for the explanation. Sitting to make the list first
Suresh Khanal recently posted..All you need is ONE Reason
Twitter: stevescott1
March 20, 2011 at 12:01 am
Bryan,
Great post, there are many people out there who get discouraged blogging and not seeing quick results. These tips should be a bit of a wakeup call and a good call to “action”. I found myself nodding along with many of them!
Steve@Internet Lifestyle recently posted..THE 1 Internet Business Time Management Tool
Steve the man!
Thanks for picking up my post for your Spring selection
It’s quite a brief simple round up though but it should be a clear enough guide for those who want to pull the plug..
awesome..! i hope that i won’t need any of these!! but really this will help alot of bloggers !! thanks alooooot..
Faissal Alhaithami recently posted..Facebook Advertising system Killed Google Adwords- here is why
Faissal,
Welcome! Blogging is definitely not easy and the rewards not easy to come by. Got to work very hard for it and that’s partly the reason why a lot of bloggers decide to dump their blogs for good. Hope you will find this post encouraging
To start a blog is an easy task. But to maintain a blog is really difficult. However, your article is full of inspiration. I like it.
Hi Kim,
I hope the articles is of inspiration to you. Good Luck to you!
As with anything new, you have accept that there is a learning curve and I think the one for successful blogging is rather steep. So resign your to making some mistakes, occasionally going down the wrong path and having unrealistic expectations. Accept that the start up phase is a period of experimentation and testing.
Riley
Riley Harrison recently posted..GOAL SETTING THAT WORKS part 7
Hey Riley,
Welcome here! There is always a learning curve in doing everything new. It’s a matter of what you want to do to make it work. A successful blog these days doesn’t come easy. It also depends on how you want to interpret success. It could be making a couple of hundred dollars a day or getting heaps of traffic or getting people to spread the word about your blog. My aim is to make this blog generate some form of passive income for me. There’s a lot of trial and error while doing this like you said but don’t give up unless you are absolutely sure that a blog is really not the best thing to invest your time on.
Twitter: actofrage
March 22, 2011 at 8:04 am
Good advice man, thanks very much.
I’m already giving your 10th point a try: I’m going to try a youtube video approach. Of course this isn’t anything new, but it is for me.
I also redesign the whole thing every once in a while to keep myself interested, and others as well of course
Good read mate, cheers.
Sietse recently posted..5 Steps To Improve Your Site’s SEO and Prevent Duplicate Content in Google
Sietse,
I’m glad you’re giving it a try. I think it’s probably one of the most underutilized method for bloggers out there. I’m not saying that everyone should go into video blogging completely but a mixture of both is good. Optimize your videos like hell and generate leads from there to your blogs or websites is something that I’ve been working on lately. Basically all the SEO part for videos work pretty much the same. The other thing that I like to do with videos is not to make a long one. AN average of 3-5 minutes is just right.
Cheers mate!
Twitter: actofrage
March 22, 2011 at 5:51 pm
thanks for your reaction mate.
I tend to create videos that are a max of 3 minutes long. Let’s see how it works out once I have created some more. Only a few visitors through Youtube so far.
Thanks! I’ll be visiting again
Sietse recently posted..6 Handy Tips To Help You Build Backlinks
it is not bringing the results I need at the moment. So I am diversifying. Will still keep my lavender blog but am looking at other biz models so that I can monetise and grow my business.
Kim @ Joomla Garage recently posted..WHOLESALE SIGNS
This truly is a very important blog. Thanks for sharing this valuable information with us.
Hi Bryan,
You have a great website here. I agree that it is not wise to do “everything” yourself and getting help is the key. I think the problem for me is finding help is tricky. It’s hard to know who to trust and to know if you will be happy with the results.
Marie,
Welcome! It definitely is tricky. One thing I do advice is to learn the basics and follow a few good people out there who offers valueable useful information for you to digest and take action. Don’t follow what the big internet marketers tell you. All they tell you is push button and instant solutions. NONE of that works. Blogging is not an easy thing. You’ve got to ask yourself if you are willing to do it long term. It takes a lot of time energy to maintain a blog. True you might be passionate, but lots of passionate people have quit their blogs. There’s a lot of things you need to think about besides those listed here on this article too. Sounds like i’m painting a pretty grim picture huh? Anyway, don’t give up if you are in blogging unless you are absolutely sure.
All the best Marie,
Talks soon!
Twitter: lookbigcommerce
April 5, 2011 at 10:12 am
Think Out of The Box = Have a bottle of wine with you when you’re brainstorming. The two go hand in hand very very, VERY well.
Ayden @ Look At BigCommerce recently posted..Creating A Logo For Your Ecommerce Store
Hey Ayden,
I think these days thinking out of the box is a rare thing. Lots of people are going with the “herd mentality”. To truly stand out, it is worth thinking of ways that will work and are not at all common yet. It’s difficult to be successful these days if everyday decides to do the same thing the same way.
I believe that Blogging is the Blood and Backbone to improve the visibility of the website because it reflects all about your products/services that you are offering or you can say it is like a catalog where all the information regarding company’s products/services are available so i think blogging should have as best quality , uniqueness as your company’s products/services.