Grow Your Blog Audience

By: Kelly Beall. Image: K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union Tribune.

You've chosen your blog's awesomely catchy name, you have a cool design you love, you've been posting for a few months and now what? Growing your audience of course! Now brace yourself for what I have to say next, there's no one right way to build your readership. It can be a tough pill to swallow, but there's no magic formula because each site's readership varies in every possible way. What works for Design Crush might not work for your site, but I prefer to liken this side of blogging to a science experiment – a little of this, a little of that, record the results. And if the outcome isn't awesome enough back to the drawing board! No harm, no foul.

Social media is definitely a big part of the formula you should be using to achieve success. I love this article full of Social Media Dos and Don'ts by some of your favorite bloggers. (Psst... if you don't have a Twitter account or Facebook page dedicated to your site I suggest you set one up. Now.)

Install Google Analytics and pay attention to what it's telling you. Here are the Top 7 Google Metrics to Monitor.

Write about topics that are already hot. They're popular for a reason and consulting Google Trends is a fantastic place to start.

Your post's title is the first thing a potential reader sees, learn how to write Magnetic Headlines to pull people in from the get-go.

Get to Know Your Readers! Finding out what they want will only contribute to your success.

Plan ahead using something like this free printable blog planner. It will help you stay true to both your site and your ultimate plan (mwahahaha).

Want more? Be sure to sign up for Kelly's class, Expanding Your Audience, on Alt Channel later this month!

Link Love: Creating Great Content

By: Melanie Blodgett. Photo by: Tokketok

Hit a wall for content? Check out these great links to get you back on track:

- Megan discusses taking the mantra,create without fear, to heart

- 50 Post Ideas for the Rough Days

- Victoria shares ways to create original content (without having to bust out a tutorial)

- Avoiding getting trapped in the rabbit hole of inspiration

- In a nutshell: be yourself. That’s what the blogosphere really needs.

- Consistency. Plan. Research. Content is Key.

Don't forget to check out Melanie's class, Content is King, later this month for more tips about creating awesome content.

5 Blogs That Rock Original Content

By: Melanie Blodgett Image by: Besotted Blog

With the saturation of blogs, creating content that stands out is becoming more and more important. Luckily original content comes in all shapes and sizes so there is always a place for more creation. Today I’m sharing five blogs that set a high standard for content in the hopes that they’ll inspire you.

Design Love Fest

I’m pretty sure Bri is prepping to take over the world. A lifestyle blog that covers a variety of topics, what really makes Design Love Fest stand out is how each post is taken to a professional, editorial level (often by collaborating with talented friends) and given the Bri spin. Even the product posts are made original with creative layouts.

Pencil Box

Katie’s blog is original because it’s all about her life and family, something that nobody else is experiencing. What makes it appealing to more than just her mom is the beautiful photos that accompany each post, her writing style and friendliness, and the glimpses she gives into her life showing the beauty she sees in the everyday.

Mer Mag

Just one glimpse at Merrilee’s blog and you’ll be able to see her outstanding talent. Mostly a diy blog, I think what makes it successful is that Merrilee focuses on what she knows best and creates art and projects that come naturally to her. And convinces you your final product will turn out as great as hers.

100 Layer Cakelet

Cakelet is a prime example of a niche blog that’s curated and edited with consistent styling and top notch finds to create a beautiful site with original content.

Wit & Delight

Not only is the layout of this blog original, Kate has a talent of finding products and topics that you haven’t already seen hashed out all over the place. Her witty writing adds to the appeal of the blog.

Editorial Calendars with Nicole of Nicole's Classes

By guest contributor Monica Lee.

How do brands manage their blogs? Monica Lee asks about the importance of having an editorial calendar with Nicole Geurlat Hill of Nicole's Classes.

Treating Readers Like Valued Customers

By: Sara Urquhart. Photography by: The Light Fantastic

We’ve all experienced the joy of a great customer experience and the frustration of a lousy one. When you’re selling goods, offering a product, or have a brick-and-mortar store, paying attention to customer service is obvious.

But the fundamentals of customer service also apply to blogging, where your readers become “customers” whose loyalty and happiness directly affect your success, so here are 5 tips for treating your customers right:

1. Show appreciation for readers by doing your best to respond to their comments and emails. For email overwhelm, consider the five.sentenc.es email approach, introduced to us at Alt by Erin Loechner ofDesign for Mankind.

2. Create new posts consistently. Whether that’s daily or three times a week is up to you, but readers will come to expect regular updates. Offer them the service of consistency, and let them know when you’ll be away.

3. Offer authenticity. Remember you are your site’s best asset, and readers come for your curated perspective, your great DIYs, or your point of view on any given topic. Being true to yourself is a gift to readers.

4. Use your readers’ trust wisely. At Alt, Jenny Komenda of Little Green Notebook shared her concept of “blogger capital,” which is basically your value and credibility to your readers. You create “capital” when you post original ideas and content. Treat your readers well by balancing your original content, or capital, with sponsored posts that feel authentic to your brand and blog purpose.

5. Make visiting your blog a pleasant experience with good design, lovely images, and user-friendly functionality.