How to return to blogging with redefined goals

Are you guilty of paying for hosting and a domain name that you didn’t use for a long time?

Or have you given up and just let your online presence expire along with your content ideas?

Hey, I’m not judging! Because just like you, there was a time, a very long one, where I stopped blogging and allowed things to go South. I let things fall apart because my blog didn’t have a clear roadmap.

Don’t let time pass by. Set your blog to win this year!

Rethink what your blog or website is all about

Take your ‘blog comeback” as a chance to rethink the purpose of your blog. Something from your previous blogging attempt could be improved to keep up with the trends and demands of your audience. Remember, your blog is your business. It’s an opportunity to rethink and develop in so many ways.

Answer the following questions to get started.

What is the purpose of your blog? 

Are you writing about a specific niche? 

What would you write about?

What are the visual elements you want to include in your blog?

For example, my website has always been about my work-from-home journey as a new mom. As I manage my work-life with my daughter, we unravel some unique milestones worth sharing. It includes our travel and road trip adventures, amongothers.But as my daughter grows, her needs evolve too. These changes have influenced my journey as a hands-on mom trying to manage my time between work and home. I share those experiences in my blog to boost other hands-on parents like myself. 

Set new blog goals

The blogs today have evolved from a simple text-based layout into an art form that amplifies a blogger’s brand. It has become a storytelling and income-generating platform for those who blog for a living. One of my on-demand online learning providers, Shaw Academy sited at least two types of blogs, business blogging or professional blogging to define our goals. If you are marketing a specific product or service, then business blogging may be the right fit for you. It means your main goal is to feature and sell a product or service. But if the blog is the business itself, meaning your blog generates an income from a sponsored blog post, ad placement, affiliate programs and so on, then it’s professional blogging. 

Identify whether your blog is a business or a professional blog or a hybrid so that you can set the right goals. For instance, if your blog is a business in itself, then you may need to include ad and sponsorship leads to your SMART goals or partner with influencers for a blog campaign.

Give your brand a fresh new look

Starting over is an opportunity to set new standards on producing content while solidifying your brand and identity. For instance, my website started as a blog sharing my story as a first-time mom. I used the Gema theme in WordPress, but as my content categories grew, highlighting my digital services and content became my focus. So, I adapted the one-page design but kept several pages for easy navigation. As for the visual content, like photos and videos, I adjusted the color tones and quality to emphasize a theme.

Editing my content is always easy with Adobe Lightroom followed by setting my brand’s palette using Canva.

Did you know that you can also create moodboards, logos, style guides among others with Canva? Sign up for a FREE account, today!

Get a better understanding of your target audience

There is a chance that your site visitors have changed over time. Their interest may have grown outside the scope of your blog. You can choose to cater to this changing interest or tap into a new audience. But, before you do, create an audience profile based on your existing subscribers and followers. Look into your social and website insights to learn more about your audience. Do you want to go an extra mile? Reach out to your audience and ask them to fill up a form to discover their content needs and interests.

Offer help to your community with products and services

A lot of bloggers and industry experts extend the power of their blog into products and services because it’s a potential source of income. But this strategy could also backfire if you lack the preparation and resources to create stellar offerings that your audience will genuinely appreciate. Aim to have a steady pace in building products and services and maintain transparency on where you are in terms of delivering the products and services you wish to provide. 

Grow your community with Opt-in Email and Newsletter

There are several tactics to bring traffic to your blog. Often, those blogs that could instantly build a connection with a site visitor would get a revisit. However, it won’t guarantee regular blog traffic in the long run. So, the best way to connect to your audience is to have an email campaign to build the connection. It will bring your audience closer to the content that matters to them through your customized emails and newsletters. You can try Mailerlite, Sumo, MailChimp and so on before purchasing a premium subscription.

Plan your content weeks or months ahead

Have a steady “blogging” come back with a solid content plan. I remembered in my interview for a paper. I got asked about my strategy in producing content for my websites. The truth is free applications are enough to keep you on top of your content goals. I use Google Sheets and my desktop calendarto record specific content series. In this way, it’s easier to see the ideal days. Also, make sure to write a feature blog to promote a product or service regularly.

Create your social media promotion strategy

Today, social media platforms have become ultra competitive with their own social ads capabilities. It’s nearly impossible to get the impressions and reach you need without paying for an ad. Luckily, there are still ways to promote your website organically but it requires a lot of work. One of the popular ways is by publishing your blog on social media channels. But you must go an extra mile repurposing a blog post into timeline posts, a podcast or a video. Create an ad campaign out of it or develop a creative strategy to boost your organic reach through a creative way in presenting your content. 

Check my recommended social media tools here. But if you need a clearcut social media campaign for your business, don’t be shy to ask. 

Simplify your CTA

I’ve seen seasoned bloggers cranking up their calls-to-action with a lot of information to stay connected, to download a free template, to join a Facebook group among others. It’s just crazy! And believe me it’s far from what I’ve learned in my previous advertising job. But I understand that in this ultra FOMO time we live in, we only have one chance to capture our audience. If your blog name isn’t catchy enough, chances are you’ll be quickly forgotten. Instead of bombarding your blog visitor with too many CTAs, focus on one or two calls-to-action that is relevant to your blog. Let say you are posting a travel story, add an invite to Pin and subscribe to your newsletter – that’s it! Or you can simply invite them to watch your travel vlog and subscribe to your channel. Leave the Facebook group invite to succeeding posts, but make sure it’s relevant.

Learn and improve as you go

Since I returned to blogging sometime in April, I saw my reach and daily visit grow, but it comes with a lot of hard work. From a once in a blue moon approach, I turned into a content machine, writing and creating content about my tips on working-from-home, travel tips with my daughter and so on.

There are endless opportunities when you have your blog or website. For me, it has become my creative outlet while sharing the things I have learned in freelancing, working-from-home, digital marketing, and a lot more. It’s just a matter of committing to a good comeback and sticking to your content schedule.

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