We all want to think big. In fact, it’s such a popular motivational mantra that there are entire books about it, including the age-old motivational classic The Magic of Thinking Big. But when it comes to building your blog traffic into a tidal wave, don’t overlook the possibility of thinking small.
We all dream of top ranked sites with loads of traffic, don’t we? It’s traffic to the blog that makes it possible to monetize. Unless you already have a name and/or large amounts of marketing cash, that just isn’t going to happen overnight. But it can happen in a short period of time if you follow some logical steps.
Don’t trip over dollars to pick up dimes
Small amounts of consistent traffic can build over time, and should not be overlooked. For example, let’s say that you have a link somewhere that generates you 5 new users a day. Hey, that’s 150 new users a month, or about 1,800 per year. Would you turn away that traffic? Of course not!
I have some content that generates very small amounts of revenue (in this example, via AdSense), but it is consistent over time. Realize that this is a numbers game and if you multiply those small amounts, you can generate consistent revenue streams without spinning plates. Read my post on Blogging for Dollars.
Start being consistent in small steps
Don’t think that you are going to become a prolific writer overnight. I’ve been a professional freelance writer for more than 20 years and I still have a hard time sitting at the keyboard turning out consistent articles.
Start by trying to turn out one quality article every day. If you can’t, pick a consistent time-frame that works. But what ever you choose to start with, stick to it! Stay on pace. You can always build up from there are you work out a rhythm, but if you start a marathon at a sprint, you won’t finish the race.
A good way to keep on track with consistency is to set up an editorial calendar (more on this in an upcoming post that is, you guessed it, on the editorial calendar). Using an editorial calendar will help you stay focused on your posting schedule. Honestly, I would be lost without one.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous point. Start with what you know you can do to stay consistent. If that is one post per week, so be it. Start with that. You can always increase later. But developing a loyal following of readers will require a consistent posting schedule. So start with what you can do now and work to increase later.
Darren Rowse at Problogger.net has a great article on How Often Should a Blogger Post. In this article, his first point is avoiding writer burnout. Essentially, don’t take on a posting schedule that you can’t handle. His last point sums up what I wanted to emphasize here – consistency is crucial.
A trick that I have learned along with the editorial calendar is to work a couple of hours on the weekend focused on that week’s content. That way I can bang out a lot of material while I am on a hot roll. Then I can spread that out over the calendar so I am not forced to write something new every single day. It also keeps me working ahead. That way I am publishing articles that have had time to be proofed and edited, instead of writing and publishing all at the same time.
Focusing on little things that move me in the direction of the bigger picture is what keeps me on track. What works for you?
