Pushing Social was selected as a Top 10 Social Media Blog by Social Media Examiner.I’m beyond thrilled and my Momma is proud. I’m sure this award will be the highlight of my year.
Can I let you in on a little secret?
I’ve been hunting down this award since this time last year. You see, last year Pushing Social was a finalist too. Every day for two weeks I checked Social Media Examiner (SME) for the winners. When the day came, I was crushed. I didn’t win. That was a big problem because I hate to lose.
From that day, I resolved to win this year. I’m going to tell you what I did because I want your blog to be on the Top 10 list next year. By the way, my techniques will jumpstart any blog. You don’t need to be in the social media field, electricians and landscapers can win with these tactics too.
Here’s my secret sauce:
Build Your Email List
I doubled down on building my email list. I noticed last year that some clever bloggers asked their list to nominate them for the award. Smart. My problem was that I only had a few dozen people on my list last January. I immediately created an expert product and offered it in exchange for reader email addresses. I also stopped being bashful about asking for email. My optin box is the #1 thing you see on the blog.The tactic worked, I grew my list to about 2,500 loyal and extremely cool readers. These folks stepped up big time and flooded SME with nominations. Major fist bump to those folks.
Stay Out of the Echo Chamber
Ok, I admit it, I was getting a little comfortable in the echo chamber, meaning I was writing posts on slightly rehashed topics and not delivering unique content.I revamped my editorial calendar and wrote content that spoke directly to my readers. I tried to put a voice to their challenges and offer unique solutions. This content ended up getting shared big time, sometimes racking up 100+ retweets within hours.
Look Like a Million Bucks
Last year’s winners spent the money to have great-looking blogs. My daddy always said that the first step to getting the part is looking the part. I switched to the Genesis Framework and spent a little cash to get a fresh-looking Child Theme. I switched because it was relatively simple to install a great looking theme right out of the box. (Full disclosure: I’m an unabashed Genesis Fan Boy and affiliate)Over the year, I switched themes twice. Each switch was painless (even fun). Every theme switch increased average time on site, pageviews, and lowered my bounce rate. Better yet, the SME judges had a “tight” blog to look at when they came to visit.
Focus
Pushing Social is about blogging. I’ll write about Google+, Twitter, or Facebook if it makes you a better blogger. Maybe I’ll start a general purpose social media blog some day but the big boys already have this base covered.I don’t have a problem with general purpose blogs but you need A LOT of content to pull this format off. I’m a busy dad with a day-job and zero time, so I needed to concentrate one topic. The benefit is that PS readers know what they are getting and they come back every day for their fix.
Also, I hoped that Pushing Social would fill a “niche” in the mind of the SME judges. I didn’t want to be a “Social Media Blog” I wanted to be the best resource for professionals who blog. Frankly, I couldn’t compete against all social media blogs, but I’m willing to duke it out with blogs about blogging (still not easy though).
This is what SME said about Pushing Social:
(cue mastermind villain laugh)
Earning My Stripes:Last year’s winners were prolific bloggers. These cats delivered amazing content 3-4 a week. Some even published a post every day. All year I toyed with the thought of posting every day but was always scared off by the pundits and gurus.
Finally I bit the bullet and committed to blogging every weekday. It was hard. I had less time. Somedays I wondered if I was losing my frackin’ mind. I’ve had an absolute blast. The best part is that I was able to demonstrate that Pushing Social was a player willing to pump out content that people can use.
Just so we’re clear here. I like pundits and gurus. They are just wrong 50% of the time about what will work for Pushing Social. They are also 100% wrong about my motivation, willpower, and commitment. So when they say don’t blog everyday because you can’t maintain quality and quantity, I smile and ignore them. Maybe you should too.