Have you identified your target reader for your blog? They will become your biggest cheerleader. So get focused and start nailing identifying your ideal reader today.
By Chanda Temple
Today is Day 3 on how to make money with your blog. We’ve already looked at how important it is to get serious and get creative with your blog. Now it’s time to get focused.
Javacia Harris Bowser, founder of See Jane Write in Birmingham, Ala., recently held a workshop on this very topic. One way to get focused is to know your reader, she says.
Who’s your audience?
When you write, do you have a specific person in mind? Are you targeting that person? If you aren’t, stop what you are doing and start thinking about that. Why? Because you need a very clear picture of your reader and what she wants to read. Think of it this way: Your ideal reader will become your ideal customer. If they like what you have to say, they will come back for more Eventually, their like for you will turn into their support for you and they will buy what you are selling.
Know EVERYTHING about your reader
This may sound a little weird, but trust Javacia, it works. She doesn’t just write something and hope it connects with everyone. She’s identified a certain person as her ideal reader and she writes for that person. When writing an entry, ask yourself if your ideal reader would care about it. If she would, go for it. If she won’t, don’t.
For her ideal reader, Javacia knows what she likes to watch on TV, her age, whether she lives in a house or a condo, where she spends time on social media, does she cook or eat out, is she married or single, etc. Knowing everything about your ideal reader will help shape you into a better blogger. Try it and see how it works. “An ideal reader is not only someone who reads what you do, but promotes what you do,” Javacia says.
Does your ideal reader prefer Facebook, Instagram or another social media outlet?
You need to know where your ideal reader likes to go on social media because this is where you need to be, too. Is it Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, somewhere else? Wherever it is, go there and promote your blog posts. Hang out there. This will help you build your blog and your brand.
Tomorrow’s topic is how to connect with followers of your blog.
For upcoming See Jane Write Birmingham events, go here.
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