Video Credits: Roberto Blake via YouTube
Image Credits Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
Blogging is not as easy as it may seem. I am sure many would agree with me if I would say that blogging requires one to be a multi-skilled and talented individual before he or she could achieve success in this field. This activity does not start and end on writing a piece of content. Blogging requires more than a writing skill.
Image Credits: Hathawayshirley via Pixabay
Having my own blog helped me gained some basic knowledge in setting up the site which includes purchasing a domain and hosting package. Apparently, such activity wasn't that easy especially for someone who was trying to learn on her own. It is expected that we commit several mistakes along the way. But what important was we learned new things. I started using Wordpress.org last June and decided to set up my own blog. One of the most difficult tasks is finding a niche as well as creating a name for our blog site.
Image Credits: Jirehg via Pixabay
I was able to survive the first month implementing a trial and error strategy. It was after two months that I realized that I still have to learn a lot of things to become a successful blogger.
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
Rediscovering Bitlanders helped me more than with any writing sites that I worked with in the past. With the knowledge that I learned from maintaining my own blog added to the skills I acquired from Bitlanders, I can probably say that I made some improvements. Though I know that I still need to enhance whatever skills that I have.
Here are the 4 basic skills you need to possess if you wish to become a successful blogger:
Writing Skill
Writing is the most important of all the skills one has to possess in order to fully harness the full potential of blogging. How we conceive an idea is an excellent ability but how we communicate this idea to the right audience and to gain and retain their interest is another thing.
As a blogger, we must provide value to our readers. No one will give an interest in how you feel or what your issues are. Their only concern is how they could resolve their own issues. And if you have the solution, that would be the time that you can have their attention.
Be a solution!
With the availability of online tools, nowadays, almost anybody can write a content but the point is, how are we going to write a profitable content.
One of the most common hurdles is the fact that not all of us has English as the first language. The limitation on the vocabulary can hinder us in our growth as a successful blogger.
Image Credits: 3844328 via Pixabay
We are truly fortunate that online tools are now available to help us. I personally use Grammarly to help me check the spelling and grammar of my content. Although we shouldn't rely too much on the tool because the tool has also some limitations. Double checking and proofreading our own work is still the best way to make sure that we have an error-free content.
Reading the work of other successful bloggers can help us in one way or another. Reading others contents frequently can help hone our own writing skill.
Management Skill
Image Credits: Geralt via Pixabay
Management is an essential skill in blogging. We should manage our resources, people and time that these may work for our benefits. We may have to work on our own but still, we have to manage our time. We have to organize things so as to have a smooth workflow. Adopting a system that will make our work easier is one kind of management ability that a successful blogger must possess.
Time will come that we won't be able to handle things on our own. We need the help of other people. How we deal with our partners can have a great effect on the overall outcome of our projects.
Artistic Skill
It would be dull and boring if our content would be composed mainly of plain text. People are more attracted to something with illustration and colorful presentation. Attaching a relevant image and video to our content will give life and will make it more visually appealing and dynamic. Hence, readers' retention can be expected.
Learning basic photography can be a good option because it would more realistic if we are incorporating our own photos into our content. However, for someone like me who has yet to learn photography, I am using images from free sources online. There are times that I would use photos and videos taken from my mobile phone.
Related post: A Comprehensive Guide on Attaching Photos and Embedding Videos in Our Blogs
Just recently, I learned that placing blog graphics to my post can enhance and add life to the content. I started using Canva to create blog graphics and I love the result. I have been experimenting on the designs and different color combinations which is readily available on the site. There are thousands of templates available for free and some for a minimal fee. I always go for free as of this time.
Blog graphics are essential in order to make our content stand out and attract attention from the readers. When we share our contents on social media, the first thing that can captivate the audience attention is the design or the image preview. These previews can be an image or the title of the content itself.
Here are some of the Blog Graphics that I created using Canva. I discovered that images placed horizontally may tend to automatically appear as blog preview when sharing with social media sites as well as with Bitlanders rather than those which were placed vertically.
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
Canva is one of the best sites that we can use for creating designs such as blog graphics and other imagery for our blogs.
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
Networking Skill
Blogging is a different level of writing. We have to learn how to interact with other bloggers and other fellow writers. We need to learn how to deal with the different types of people we encounter on social media.
Image Credits: Geralt via Pixabay
Knowing how to use Facebook, Twitter and other social media is an added factor. As a blogger, we should learn the different strategies in sharing our contents on social media. I discovered recently the effectiveness of the use personal photos incorporated into the content being shared on social media. This strategy, based on experience is effective in generating more views for the shared blog post. We will talk about this in my succeeding blog posts.
Meanwhile, here is an infographic on the importance of social media in business.
Image Credits: CreditMonkey.com
Here is another video explaining the importance of social media in blogging.
Video Credits: Darren Rowse via YouTube
Thank you, my friends, for dropping by. I hope I was able to share some useful information that you can be used in your blogging activities.
Meanwhile, here is a Querlo Chat for you:
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Written for Bitlanders:
by: Sharon Lopez
Thank you for reading.
Please visit my blogs for more articles.
Sharon Lopez is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Commerce Major in Banking and Finance and currently working in the government handling programs on Business Friendly and Competitive LGUs.
You may visit me on Facebook.
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Would you like to earn from sharing your ideas, videos, and photos? Join us in Bitlanders!
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are that of the author and does not in any way represent the agency or department she currently belongs.
