Thinking about starting business blogging?
If you’re interested in the growing world of blogging, there has never been a better time to get cracking and make your start. In this article, we’ll aim to cover some ground work on blogging basics, give you some examples of amazing blogging successes and what makes them so great, while providing some inspiring pointers to help you along the way.
Every successful blog is strongly founded by three main tactics. These areas are pretty much standard with every blog and it’s almost impossible to administrate a successful blog without them.
Most bloggers agree that the director of every great blog needs to demonstrate the following:
- Consistency – Daily at best or at the very least, twice weekly posts, which readers can rely on.
- Content – Business blog content should be fresh and as innovative as much as the very first post was. Assume your readers can tell when you can’t be bothered because many of them can. Sharpen up and be attentive to your feedback – interesting bloggers are interested in their readers.
- Defined Brand Image – How long would you stick around to talk to, dare we say it…a boring personality? Would you go out of your way to check in, stick around, or get involved in a discussion?
The dry reality of blogger’s success is simple – if your brand personality is boring or you can’t articulate it passionately, be prepared for a disappointing outcome.
Photo Credit: Kristina B via Compfight cc
We’ve selected five blogs (some incredibly well known and some less so) that truly cracked the code to success, adopting those values and now continue to flourish. Each began from a much smaller idea and went on to grow into incredibly successful ventures. Which blogs resonate with you – and how possible is it that your blog concept could make it to the list with some commitment?
1. Humans of New York (HONY) – www.humansofnewyork.com
Creator: Brandon Stanton
Blog Launched: November 2010
The ‘BOOM’ Moment: 2013, When Tumblr Founder David Karp spruiked the HONY site as one of his favourites during Social Media Week.
The Concept: In 2012, Stanton lost his job and leapt on the idea of pursuing his true and authentic passion for photography. Off to somewhat of an organic start, HONY emerged from humble beginnings when Stanton intended to photograph New Yorkers in their natural habitat – with the intention of redirecting the images to a photo blog.
Stanton pairs the images with a short and emphatic statement by the subject. The magic? Readers relate. HONY has over 9 million followers on Facebook and continues to expand into other countries and cities as it develops as a world-renowned blog.
2. Huffington Post – www.huffingtonpost.com
Creator: Arianna Huffington
Blog Launched: May 2005
The ‘BOOM’ Moment: In February 2011, the Huffington Post was bought by AOL for $US 315 million.
The Concept: Here’s one almost everyone will be familiar with – the Huffington Post is a household name with not-so-humble beginnings. A politically based blog, it was launched by Arianna Huffington, who had worked hard on producing existing blogs with similar, but sectioned and focused content.
As a liberal-left theming commentary outlet and an alternative to mainstream news media, it quickly spawned into a multi-faceted news outlet featuring columns on politics, lifestyle, business, women’s interests, entertainment, environment, technology, pop media, culture, comedy, healthy living and local news issues.
3. IFLS – www.iflscience.com
Creator: Elise Andrew
Blog Launched: March 2012
The ‘BOOM’ Moment: Day one – Elise’s wholesome idea for a blog page gained over 1000 likes in just 24 hours. It exploded from there on in.
The Concept: 25 year-old Brit, Elise Andrew, is the creator of this hugely successful science and education-based blog. She was only intending to convey her true passion for scientific facts among close friends, and elected to emphasise her interest by using a few choice words in the blog’s initial title.
It’s safe to say Andrews REALLY loves science. She since trimmed down the full name of the blog so her millions of followers would be less distracted and more likely to join her in her appreciation for amazing scientific facts.
With over 18 million likes on Facebook and a daily, regular following of over 108,000 in the bloggersphere, Elise’s passion for weird, wild, controversial and current scientific discoveries, advancements and facts gave birth to one of the blogging world’s most beloved and respected pages, and is set to be soon turned into a television series. How’s that for success?
4. The Honest Toddler (THT) – thehonesttoddler.com
Creator: Bunmi Laditan
Blog Launched: July 2012
The Concept: In a sea of ‘mummy bloggers’, author Bunmi Laditan opened a twitter account under the moniker of ‘The Honest Toddler’ in 2012. Laditan quickly realised her posts were infectious, and starting a blog under the same name shortly after, she only managed to remain anonymous until 2013. THT is the innovative concept of writing from the perspective of her two year old, satisfying a relentless audience of almost 300,000 Facebook followers who remain patriotically logged in for the latest post.
5. Mashable – www.mashable.com
Creator: Pete Cashmore
Blog Launched: May 2005
The Concept: Cashmore was a tender 22 years young when, as a startup, he founded the infamous Mashable blog, way back in in 2005. Based on reporting on the value of digital innovation, the blog continued on to highlight that the connection with technology can empower the world many times over, Mashable pulls in over 34 million visitors and 15 million social media viewers on a monthly basis.
So, what’s stopping you from beginning your blogging journey today? With the top sites for bloggers at your very fingertips, it’s never been easier, simpler or faster to get started. The only thing you really need is enough spare time to devote to consistent posts of a quality your target market find entertaining. Remember, keeping at it is the key to your own blogging success.
