Today I got to meet Wendy Piersall of eMoms at Home! Woot! Oh yeah, there was a conference on blogging, too, somewhere in between conversations with Wendy.
If you’ve never met Wendy, in person or online, run (don’t walk) on over to eMoms. It’s the ultimate resource for WAHMs (and WAHDs)—especially for information on starting your own business, entrepreneurship, overcoming fear (and life’s hardships) and more. Plus, Wendy is a total sweetie! (This never, EVER hurts!)
Not sure why we’re so red . . . maybe we were just laughing?
Okay, so the Blogging for Business conference was fun (although it made me feel bad for not making very much money off my blog. Now where is that old monetization strategy?).
Okay, enough buzz words about blogging—you guys are going to get to hear plenty more about that. For my full write up of Wendy’s excellent keynote, see my post on Marketing Pilgrim today.
But if you don’t feel like reading all that, I’ll pluck out the parts that are most pertinent to personal bloggers. (The brackets are there because I’ve rephrased it to take out language about your business and your customers.)
Let’s get personal: Why did you . . . start this [blog]?
- To pursue a dream (passion)
- To make a difference in people’s lives
- To fill a need in an under-served market
In other words, you were passionate and/or you wanted to help!
Blogs don’t benefit business unless they BENEFIT YOUR [READER]. You have to have that passion, the cause—what’s in it for your [reader]? What are they looking for? What do they really need? Why did you go into [blogging] in the first place? Because that’s why your [readers] will come to you, spend more with you, and seek you out.
Questions to answer for yourself
- How can I help my [readers]? What do they need?
- What personal stories, ideas or experience an I share on my blog that will encourage people to connect with [me]?
- How can my . . . blog be a true reflection of [its] founding inspiration (passion, making a difference, filling a need)?
Blogging is about community—it’s about connecting with other people. I started this blog (on MamaBlogga.com, at least) to help connect with mothers who are struggling to feel fulfilled in motherhood to help them (and me!) find fulfillment.
So why did you start to blog? And is there anything I can do to help you feel fulfilled in motherhood?