Blogging: Observe then join the conversation
August 15th, 2008At the Atlanta Online Marketing Summit earlier this week one of the panelists mentioned that the biggest mistake companies and individuals often make in starting a new blog is not doing enough prep work. Specifically prep work includes researching existing blogs within your intended niche or industry and joining the conversation before striking off on your own.
After a recent move to a new city I searched (briefly) for local blogs to get a feel for the city and to keep up on local politics and events but I couldn’t find any. I found it odd that my city didn’t have any bloggers so I decided to start my own blog which I kept up for about a month. Then I started getting pings from other local bloggers that I didn’t even know existed! It turned out there WERE in fact others blogging about my city and they were actually doing a great job. Needless to say that killed my interest in keeping up my own blog and today I’ve abandoned the project entirely. A little extra research could have saved me time and energy.
Once you’ve found other blogs related to your niche or industry it’s a good idea to get involved by commenting on said blogs. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to fellow bloggers and it helps you begin to shape the online conversation. In some cases you may even find others commenting on your comments, giving your valuable market intelligence on your potential audience.
Think about starting a new blog this way: It’s kinda like going to a dinner party where you don’t know the guests. The best thing to do first is to approach a group conversation and to observe - see what kinds of things the guests are talking about and note the tone. Next, try to politely join the conversation - offer agreement with a speaker or ask a question. After you’ve been a part of the conversation for a bit it’s possible to take the discussion in a different direction or to offer a different perspective - but only after you’ve completed the first two steps.
Nope, blogging isn’t rocket science, it’s just a different way of communicating. Use the lessons you learned about conversing in the real world to make your online communications a success!
