• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle

  • 🔥 Free Newsletter
  • ⭐ FREE Web3 Course
  • 💡 Society
  • 🗓️ Our Events
    • Social Media Marketing World 2024
    • Other Industry Events
  • ⚙️ Tools
  • 🎙️ Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Web3 Business Podcast
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • 🎯 Partner With Us
    • Podcast Sponsorship
    • Email Sponsorship
      • Email Newsletter
      • Dedicated Email Blast
    • Event Sponsorship
      • Social Media Marketing World
    • Tools Sponsorship
  • 👋 About Us
    • Our Story
    • Articles
      • Web3
      • Instagram Marketing
      • Facebook Marketing
      • YouTube Marketing
      • LinkedIn Marketing
      • TikTok Marketing
      • Expert Interviews
  • Search
  • Top 7 Reasons Blogs Fail and What to Do About It

    by Michael Stelzner / July 22, 2011

    social media how toWhy do some blogs thrive and others fail? Do you blog? Have you been working hard to build a loyal following for your business, but it's just not happening for you?

    The good news is you're not alone. Most blogs don't get the traffic or the attention they desire.

    What follows are the top mistakes made by bloggers (and how to fix them).

    Mistake #1: It's all about you

    When I first started blogging, this discovery surprised me: Nobody gives a hoot about my products, my services or me. This also means most people don't care about you, your company or your products, either.

    What do people really care about? Solving their problems, getting access to great information and recognition. If you can provide content that focuses on the challenges faced by your readers, you'll grow much quicker.

    Mistake #2: You're overselling

    oversellingHave you ever been to a blog that contains so many ads that there's almost no room left for the content? People are repelled by marketing messages. You wouldn't wrap a wedding gift with coupons, would you? If you want to keep readers, tone down the selling.

    Great blogs deliver commercial-free gifts in the form of valuable content. That means very subtle ads. And when you do use ads, promote free content, such as a newsletter subscription or a white paper.

    Mistake #3: You're not embracing outside experts

    Whether you're a one-person show or you have employees, have you ever considered shining the spotlight on outside pros? If you're not working with experts who could bring value to your audience, you're missing out.

    These are people who have great knowledge to share with your audience. Why not interview book authors, experts working at familiar companies or even your peers? When you work with outside experts you can grow a bigger following and form potential strategic alliances with the experts.

    Mistake #4: You don't produce useful information.

    Perhaps you buy into the notion that your blog shouldn't be about your products. The next mistake is producing content people don't find valuable.

    For example, let's say you produced an article titled, “10 Things to Look for in a Wedding Planner.” Now that might be useful to people who've already decided they need a wedding planner, but what about couples who aren't sure of the value?

    Tools Resource Guide

    Looking for something to make your life easier?

    Discover the tools we recommend to drive engagement, save you time, and boost sales across your entire marketing funnel or business.

    Whether you need help planning content, organizing social posts, or developing your strategy, you’ll find something for every situation.

    FIND YOUR NEXT FAVORITE TOOL

    If you instead produced an article titled, “The Ultimate Guide to Picking Wedding Music,” or “5 Ways to Prepare the Bride and Groom's Reception Table,” you'll get a lot more interest. And just maybe some people will decide to hire you to help with their wedding.

    Demonstrate your expertise by producing highly valuable content.

    Mistake #5: You haven't made it easy for people to share

    You might have great content that people love. But if you don't give folks an effortless way to share the content with their friends, that content won't live up to its full potential.

    3 Days of World-Class Training—Zero Travel!

    Social Media Marketing World

    Travel to Social Media Marketing World off the table? Get all of the great content at a fraction of the price with an On-Demand ticket.

    That’s full access to recordings of every keynote, workshop, and session—the ones people travel thousands of miles to see. Don't wait. Get your On-Demand ticket and enjoy actionable content that you can watch anytime, anywhere.

    GET YOUR ON-DEMAND TICKET NOW

    Be sure to include relevant sharing buttons for your audience. Here's a video that shows you the most popular social sharing options.

    #6: You aren't engaging people

    Have you ever entered a small store only to find the cashier on the phone behind a desk, fully ignoring you? When people leave comments on your blog, you should engage them.

    Try replying to nearly every comment left on your blog post and watch how quickly you create loyal followers.

    #7: You're not giving people a reason to return

    A surprising 80% of people who visit your blog are first-timers, according to some recent research (source). That means only 20% are returning!

    If you want people to return, you need to encourage them to do so. We offer people a free video tutorial if they sign up for our email updates (see example below). We also employ social proof by showing how many people are on our subscriber list.

    I've been blogging since 2006 and I'm guilty of every one of the mistakes listed. So don't worry—it happens to all of us. With a few fixes mentioned above, yours could become a top blog.

    A quick read…

    If you want to learn how to grow a large and loyal following, check out the free first chapter of my new book Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition. Click here for free and immediate access to the first chapter of Launch (no registration required).

    What do you think? Have you made any of these mistakes? What tips would you add? I'd love to hear your comments below.

    Get Your FREE Course: Web3 for Beginners

    Web 3 for Beginners

    Curious about Web3, but don't know where to start or who to trust?

    Introducing Web3 for Beginners, a course taught by Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner.

    Learn the basics of Web3 and apply it to your business with this FREE comprehensive course.


    CLICK HERE TO GET FREE ACCESS

    Tags: Blogging

    About the authorMichael Stelzner

    Michael Stelzner is the founder of Social Media Examiner and the Social Media Marketing Society. He's host of the Social Media Marketing Podcast, the Web3 Business Podcast, and he's founder of the Social Media Marketing Society. He also authored the books Launch and Writing White Papers.
    Other posts by Michael Stelzner Âť

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (39 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Web3

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Discover how marketers plan to change their social activities in the 14th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. It reveals what marketers have planned for their social activities, content marketing, and more! Get this free report now and never miss another great article from us. Join more than 400,000 marketers!

    Enter your email to get
    our free report:


    Footer

    Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
    Copyright © 2023 Social Media ExaminerÂŽ
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS
    • Accessibility