If you're feeling a little bit lost or clueless about the whole blogging for business, and the business of blogging, then you're not alone. Creating a blog and going 
about with the whole blogging process is indeed a lot to take in, especially if you're completely new to creating content for the Web. Because it takes patience, dedication and lots of hard work, most business blogs because they want immediate results.
Well, if you're feeling frustrated about the results of your blogging endeavor and need a little guidance, then you're in luck. There are three sure-fire ways that anyone can use to really grasp blogging and start seeing some real positive changes that can bring in the money, the customers and the brand exposure that you deserve.
1. Blogging Is More Than Just Writing
If you go into blogging simply thinking it's just writing online and that you simply just need to do it without any rhyme or reason, then it's time for a wake-up call! Blogging is more than just writing, it is also a marketing strategy, a sales plan, an effort to expand your brand and so much more. All of this needs to be accounted for when you start planning and putting together a blog.
The business of blogging is just that: a business. You must have concrete goals, ones that can be actively achieved, and make sure that you're treating every aspect as you would with a business. This even includes having a pre-determined budget and marketing strategy.
2. Always Have Reachable Goals
Speaking of goals, always make sure that you're making attainable ones according to your time, budget, and ability to produce quality content. However, goals also need to be activities that you can achieve over a six month period. For example, make a goal of trying to achieve at least 1,000 monthly readers and publishing at least four blog posts per week. Remember, reachable and attainable goals.
A great way to keep track of everything is through an editorial calendar. Whether it's paper or electronic, keep track of everything and watch your blog thrive daily and monthly. It makes everything that much more accomplished and you don't have to feel like all of it is for nothing.
3. Analytics & Data Are Key
All of those numbers, charts, and graphs actually mean something and need to be monitored. The business of blogging relies on things like views, click-through rates, advertising revenue and even keyword competition. In order to keep track of all of those numbers, it's easier to consolidate to one dashboard or management system.
The biggest ones to keep track of are obviously: click-through rates and views. While it always awesome to have lots of views, if those readers aren't clicking on a call to action or advertisement of sorts, then you know that you need to tweak the placement of ads or your calls-to-action. Or, if you have lower views but consistently high click-through rates, then perhaps it's time to boost up the exposure with blog optimization.
And that's all there is to it! Well, sort of. There is managing the blog, creating content, and all of that. But, the business of blogging doesn't have to be this foreign thing that feels like a completely different language. It can be very simple to understand so long as you manage it like its own business.
What kind of blogging strategies do you use? Let us know how you keep things rolling with your own blog.
image 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariareyesmcdavis/2889870505/
image 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smemon/5683575389/
