Today is the last day of the 30 Day Blog Challenge. This was the first time I did not host it, and I knew that Dr. Jeanette Cates was the person who would make it special for so many people. We don’t have the final numbers, but it looks like more than 300 people committed to the challenge this time, and many will have completed it. Thanks, Jeanette, for all of your hard work. I appreciate you.
I posted 40 times during these 30 days. Three of those were guest posts from the talented D’vorah Lansky, and the remainder were written by me. The conversation kept growing in the member’s area and on Twitter, and it seemed like I never ran out of things to blog about. Herein lies the dilemma. If you are trying to build your business online, your blog must support your goals.
After reading many blogs this month, it appeared that many bloggers had slipped back into the days of the blog being an ‘online journal’ of sorts. There was lots of talk of children and grandchildren, summer vacations, new friends on Twitter, and what was happening in their daily lives. These types of posts do not build a business.
I learned that quantity does not make up for quality; I will now go to posting two or three times a week, making sure I truly have information to share in my area of expertise. I learned that your blog’s look and feel really does make a difference; I’ll be changing to a more custom theme soon. I learned that you must reciprocate when someone leaves a comment on your blog; those who did not do this appeared arrogant and insincere. I learned that if you will be out of town for 11 days during the month of the challenge (I had two speaking engagements in different cities) that posting in advance will not be the same as doing it every day or so; I plan on ‘being there’ more next time, whenever that may be.
This challenge took us from spring into summer in the northern hemisphere. My business continues to grow, and I am thrilled at the new readers and students I now have to work with. If you have been reading these posts, thank you very much. I know we all have more imprtant things to do, so I appreciate you taking the time to stop by. Keep on writing and growing your business. Summer does not have to be slow if you keep on writing and creating.
What did you learn from this blog challenge? How may I support you in your online goals?
More from my site
How To Host A Webinar To Build Your Internet Business
Can You Bottle Passion and Success To Make More Profits Online?
The Value Of Press Releases In Your Business- The 30 Day Blogging Challenge Is Over – So What's Next?
How Much Does It Cost To Start An Online Business?
Continuing Education For Internet Marketers
I thought you had commented to me in the past that we should include more about ourselves and family on our blog. The post I wrote this morning, “Mobile Media Machine – Live Video Broadcasting” was about the use of streaming video technology on a cross country trip with my daughter last summer.
I’m not sure if the posts you mention above are completely personal with no reference to the business at hand or that our posts should be all business. Can you clarify that please?
Thanks,
David Mease
David,
I just read your post and left a comment. Yours is a perfect example of how we can
build our business by sharing information on a more practical level.
What I was referring to in my post were the blogs that talked about summer
vacations without any connection to business.
You are doing an amazing job, and everyone should be reading your posts.
Connie
It is a bit of a dilemma as to the direction a blog should take. Some folks use it for dispensing business information only… or take a casual approach like Pat OBryan takes… (talking about vacations etc.) I know Pat says he uses his blog strictly for relationship building and very few posts are business. Vitalie uses his to promote and sell sell sell. That boy never misses a beat. lol
I personally enjoy a bit of personal information now and again… but I generally go to blogs for business information.
Since this was a new blog… most of my posts were informational. I only had 3 that were on the personal side, two of which talked about the challenge itself. I put a budurl on all the posts so I could track the individual subjects. Some posts I had over 300 readers with lots of tweets and comments. I’m still trying to draw conclusions on the various subjects.
I enjoyed this challenge… even though it was more challenging that the one before… due to the fact there were many more people and it was hard to get around and comment on all the sites. I had to narrow it down to about 20 that I commented on and tweeted on a consistent basis.
I did find that a few that… I gave a great deal of attention to did not return the favor. Interesting.
I have built some pretty strong relationships and offers to guest post and JV. Looking forward to that.
There was much to learn during this 30 day challenge. From day one things went crazy. The first being, when things get rough, just keep going. It was hard to keep writing never mind visit other websites. But during this 30 days I have posted, written articles and started reaching out more.
It is difficult posting in advance things change. People ask questions on one post that really need a follow up, yet I do hope to build a reserve of posts for the next family emergency so they can be ready to go to work should I need to go.
Thank you Connie!
~ MJ Schrader
Thanks to both you and Jeanette for getting me involved in the blog challenge and writing as part of most days. I will keep the habit up, in addition to the posts I do for clients. Thank you for that velvet fist;it is appreciated.
Connie – you set such a wonderful example in both creating the Blog Challenge and then by living what you teach with daily writing. In hosting my first Blog Challenge, I must say I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tweets, comments, and wonderful people involved. And we owe it all to you.
Yes, I agree that unless you structure an article to go from personal back to business that it probably doesn’t belong on your business-related blog. When I HAD to post “brags” on one of my grandkids, I’ve done it on a different blog from my main blog. Of course, the issue then becomes, which blog is “really” you. So it’s an ongoing dilemma. I think it comes back to keeping your goal in mind – we’re here to run a business, not a GrandMom’s brag book. 🙂
Thanks again for your leadership and participation. You inspire us all!