In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been on a bit of a guest blogging mission lately. My buddy Ken Jones has playfully dubbed it the ‘James Duthie world tour’. And while the frenzied tour hasn’t finished just yet, I thought I’d pause for a moment to explain the reasons why I’m intent on invading as many digital marketing blogs as possible. As it turns out, I couldn’t fit that explanation into a single post. So over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be publishing a series of posts outlining the benefits of guest blogging, including real data from my experiences. So… without further adieu, I interrupt my guest blogging schedule to discuss… guest blogging.
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Authority. We all want it. Authority is sexy. Practically every blogger is chasing it in some way, shape or form. Authority brings power, respect, visibility, opportunities and loyal followers.
But establishing authority isn’t easy. I’d know… because I don’t have any. As a newbie to the blogosphere, I’m like millions of others out there trying to be seen and heard. Echo…echo… echooo
So how do you create authority?
I’ve tried a lot of traffic generation tactics since creating this blog. Some, like StumbleUpon, have been instant hits. Others have generated dismal results. Commenting on other digital marketing blogs was initially a tactic I’d discarded to the ‘dismal’ category. It was time consuming and rarely brought in more than the tiniest trickle of traffic. In order to comment, I needed to read a range of articles and develop intelligent thoughts to add to the conversation (not bad things really when you think about it…). I found I was spending up to an hour of my time in order to contribute just 5 or so comments to the blogosphere. It was so much easier to just press the magical ‘Thumbs Up’ button… Talk about lazy! It was only a couple of months later that I realised my attitude sucked and that commenting was one of the productive activities a blogger can partake in… Read the rest of this entry »
Blogging can be a tough gig. I generally summarise my blogging experiences in a couple of words - rewarding, inspiring, engrossing & addictive. But there are also days when ‘pain in the ass’ enters my mind (usually when I’m still in the office at 10pm). Blogging is an ongoing commitment and most of us will encounter days when motivation and inspiration is lacking. But what happens if/when the camel’s back finally breaks and you decide you’ve had enough? Could you sell your soul blog…? And more importantly… would anyone really be interested in buying it?
I came across an interesting post recently in my regular reading that posed the question - ‘Is blogging worth the time commitment?‘. Great question and one that most bloggers will ponder at some point. I’m not afraid to admit that I massively underestimated the time commitments associated with blog maintenance. At face value blogging seems like a simple case of writing and publishing articles. But don’t be fooled… there’s so much more to it. Don’t believe me…? Then come take a journey into my blogging diary…
Last year I thought I was a pretty damn good digital marketer. I had 5+ years industry experience and had just landed a job with Australia’s biggest digital marketing agency. I was on my way… Yet looking back as little as 4 months later, I’ve had a stark realisation. I knew squat! In fact, in retrospect I liken myself to a cocky teenager who thinks he has mastered all of life’s lessons. So what sparked this change of heart? Entering the blogosphere. Indeed, I now wonder whether it’s possible to be a truly good digital marketer without being a blogger…?
April has been a tough month. Aside from falling ill, I’ve also been busy keeping my personal life in order. As a result, my ability to blog regularly has been affected. Just three posts in 20+ days in April is evidence of that… hardly the quantity of work likely to maintain an engaged audience in a hyper crowded market. My struggle got me thinking about the issue of quantity vs quality, and whether it’s ok to publish a few crappy posts when you’re starved for time…?
Guest blogging rules. No shit Sherlock… I hear you saying. There are literally tonnes of articles out there already promoting the benefits of guest blogging. Glen Allsopp and Skellie are just a few of the many to openly write about their guest blog love. Wayne Smallman is another interesting contributor to the topic, due to his coverage of both the positives and negatives of guest blogging (yes… there are negatives). Yet despite all the guest blogging banter, I am yet to come across a case that provides tangible results. So on that note… welcome to my personal guest blogging story (particularly useful for blogging newbie’s).
Is it just me, or is anyone else out there getting a little tired of the generic Top 10 articles that flood the blogosphere…? It seems everywhere I go I’m confronted with a list that will revolutionise my digital life:
“10 ways to optimise your blog in 10 minutes”
“The Top 10 ways to use social media to build your brand”
“10 ways Twitter enhances your cyber-stalking capabilities” (Ok… I made that one up)
Etc, etc… Sound familiar…? Personally, I’m so sick of this article format that I thought I’d develop my own little Top 10 list - Ten reasons why Top 10 lists suck!
Find your niche. It’s the marketing buzz phrase for 2008. Seth Godin probably has a lot to do with that, as he continues to spread the love for niche marketing via his blog. And when Seth talks… people listen (for good reason)! It seems like every man and his dog is trying to establish their own little blogging niche (myself included). And while I generally subscribe to the whole niche marketing theory, it’s not without its limitations…
It may seem strange that I’m asking this question… particularly given that a number of my previous posts discuss the virtues of social media. But Lyndon Antcliff got me thinking about my social media habits with a recent post regarding social networking… or as he referred to it - notworking. And I have to admit, I am indeed guilty of the ‘not working’ syndrome at times.
Ok… I admit it… I grossly underestimated the time required to establish and maintain a blog. By no means did I ever expect it to be easy, but I have found myself a little overawed by the time I’m putting into it (part by necessity and part by addiction). In fact, it got me thinking about the sacrifices we make in order to create and maintain an online presence…
Blog regularly. It’s the unwritten rule of the blogosphere. Actually… what the hell am I talking about? It’s probably THE most written about blogging rule on the web. Maki & Tony are just a few to discuss the virtues of regular blogging. So I won’t bother going any further into why it’s important. What I will do is show an example of the impact reduced blogging frequency has on your traffic.