So you think you’re an expert? You probably are. Still, when it comes to sharing content with people by blogging, many experts stumble out of the gate. In fact, author and blogger Gary Vaynerchuk once said that “99.5 percent of the people that walk around and say they are a social media expert or guru are clowns.”
There are a few reasons.
One, you may know things too well. Case in point: vlogger Hank Green, who uploads videos online with his brother John Green (who happens to be a successful young adult author), recently went to Twitter to note that when he talks to reporters, he’s apt to share more knowledge than necessary that is entirely off-topic (that is to say, he rambles).
Granted, this is when he’s talking to reporters, but many bloggers can suffer from a similar lack of focus just by wanting to share more than is necessary and showing off that you know an awful lot about your area of expertise.
Two, you may assume too much knowledge about your audience. You may think that your audience knows who you are and what you’re trying to provide or say, but this may often be not the case. And that may show through in your writing.
Three, you may come across as being boring or dry. Cue tumbleweeds.
However, there are ways that you can give your blog a “wow” factor, and add a little zip and pizzazz.
Focus Your Writing
If you have a tendency to ramble online and try to share too much knowledge, chances are that most people are not going to wade through your content and gleam what you’re actually trying to say.
A good strategy is to write an outline for what you want to say in your blog posts before actually blogging. That may help to focus your thoughts and cut down on the verbiage.
Show Who You Are
You need to show people exactly who you are. Write content that matches your personality. You can also create a personality that perhaps differs from who you really are. What you want to do, though, is create an online persona that is consistent and engaging.
One way to do this is write as though you’re talking to people you know. People want to read what a real human being has to say, not something that they can find in an instruction manual.
Post Great Pictures and Videos
Human beings are visual learners. According to Positionly, roughly 46 percent of people say design is the No. 1 criterion for evaluating trustworthiness and 40 percent respond better to visual content over plain text. Content with videos bring three times more links than blogs with plain text.
You don’t need to blow your budget, either. Obviously, you’ll want to be professional, but even the simplest videos and photos can improve your credibility. Plus, adding photos and video is a good way to break up your content and get away from paragraphs of plain ol’ fashioned (and sometimes boring) text.
And, as they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words.
Build Relationships
Writing good content is half the fight. You need to keep your audience’s interest by commenting on other blogs, or talking to them through your social media channels. People tend to react more positively when they feel they are being listened to and you include them in the discussion. More people will then be likely to listen to you.
Be sure to share your content through social media channels. Find out at what time and what day people are more apt to read your content. And once people do, engage them. Have calls to action at the bottom of your posts. If you connect with your audience, chances are they may find your content even more worthy of reading.
Stop Selling
It is better to position yourself as a though leader than someone who is pushing something on someone. People get turned off by sales pitches. Instead, focus on bringing value to your audience by giving them something worthwhile through your content. If you’re an expert, share your knowledge and stop giving people boring old promotional copy.
What do you think? Are there any other tips that you can think of? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section!