Type-A Mom Conference – 10 Habits of Highly Successful Bloggers

It’s the first session after lunch today at the Type-A Mom Conference in Asheville, North Carolina, and I’m in a bit of a food coma. But this is 10 Habits of Highly Successful Bloggers with Angela England, and she knows what she’s talking about!

Habit 1 – Technical Skills

SEO is very important. You need active titles, bold subheadings, and consistent keywords. Use images to increase your research. Title your images or give them captions. Have multiple submission methofs – RSS, email, Twitter, and Facebook. (Woot! I have all of these!)

Habit 2 – Speak Up

Don’t be afraid to network. Introduce yourself to someone you don’t know yet.

“Many bloggers forget to ask readers to comment. Or they’ll post important information without sharing their personal perspective or opinion.” (She scrolled away before I could get the attribution for this quote.)

Tips for encouraging comments:

• Ask a question.
• Present a challenge.
• Leave something off the list.

Bcome part of the community:

• Pass an opportunity to someone else.
• Make an introduction.
• Create something to help someone else.
• Feature another blogger.

Create your OWN opportunity:

• Don’t wait for someone to open the door.

Habit 3 – Have a P.L.A.N.

• Precise – Have a specific direction in mind.
• Lasting – Over a period of time.
• Arrival Point – Where are you heading? Destination?
• Natural – Realistic to YOU and your goals.

Habit 4 – Be PROactive

There are things you can control and things you cannot. You can control how often you blog, how you engage with your community, etc.

Circle of Influence vs. Circle of Concern – content, frequency, bookmarking, community. Angela tweeted and blogged up a storm about Baby Jaeli. “Do what you can’t.” Everyone did what they could do, and they raised $40,000 in two weeks for Jaeli.

Habit 5 – Be True

• Tested – What have your actions proved?
• Reliability – Consistency is vital.
• Understanding – Show that you care.
• Servanthood – “An honest and sincere intent to set your heart on the good of the people around you.” – Angela England
• Time – A daily investment.

What are you doing to intentionally cultivate trust?

Habit 6 – Be Yourself

• “Be genuine. Bloggers can sniff out fakes in an instant.” – Meryl K. Evans
• Your voice matters.
• Your voice has value.
• Write with passion. Write with nerve.
• Write with your heart wide open.

Habit 7  – Focus Your Efforts

• Schedule? Routine? Guilt trip!
• Peanut butter and jelly analogy. You don’t make one sandwich at a time for everyone in your family. You do it assembly line style to get the most out of your efforts.
• Work smarter. Do research for multiple sites at once. Do a series. Post where most effective for links and affiliate revenue. If you’re writing about a competitive topic, post it where it will have greater visibility.
• Work where you need to be. Follow the passion.  You may need to cut stuff out.

Habit 8 – Remember Your Value

• Your words have value. Send reprint fees to plagiarists. (Send them a bill and give them 24 hours to pay or take it down.) Write paid content – not free.
• Working with companies and brands. Free advertising? Paid campaign! Present options for paid promotions, tiered.

Photo by EdenFantasys.com

Habit 9 – Overcome Obstacles

• Juke – sidestep around
• Spin Move – quick change in direction
• Speed/Running – times of great speed
• Continued Effort – the long, empty runs
• Dig It Out – stretch your efforts to the max

Habit 10 – The Slight Edge Principle

It’s small. It’s easy. It’s hard. It’s the little things that add up. It’s everyday choices. One blog post today won’t make or break your blog, but 100 days of posts will add up to a huge change over time. “They add up to stunning successes or quiet failures…” – Angela England

Questions

Use Google Alerts to find you material online. Use quotation marks around exact quotes from your posts. Also check out your trackbacks, because they will uncover content thiefs as well. You can send DMCA takedown notices if you don’t want to send them your bill.

Christina Gleason (976 Posts)

That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.