Talk about being lost in the crowd, my chosen niche is filled with so much information on the web I’m surprised I’m at all where I am today.
My competition is multi billion dollar companies with their company blogs, Doctors, p.h.d. types, anything that ends in ‘pedia’, professors, and tens of thousands of little voices like mine all wanting your attention on just one subject.
My name Jerry and I blog about pest control.
Typing furiously all night only to have 16 hits the next day
I’m not sure what your blog is but if you were like me when you started you probably spent many an hour typing furiously all night only to have 16 hits the next day. What a terrible feeling that is.
Rays of hope were far and few between and I would be very depressed at times because I know that I am a great pest control technician and have owned my own company for years but couldn’t get anyone to read what I had to say.
Giving up was definitely an option but the one rule I kept reading about from all the blog gurus was content, content, content. So, I pushed on with my little blog and punished myself daily with my constant stat checks.
I began to be me and write the same way I spoke
What began to change for me is something I think can work for anyone whether you have a crocheting blog or you do nuclear fission. I began to be me and write the same way I spoke to customers who I serviced.
While most blogs were only spewing out information fit for an entomologist I decided to start telling my story. Not in any chronological order and not every day but I sprinkled in some of the craziest things I’ve seen and many of the off the wall ideas this sparked in my head.
Sure I still do the complete life cycle of the flea and the ‘How to’’ that is also popular but I knew that everybody was doing step by step instructions so it might take a lifetime to rank for anything like that. What I saw that was missing were the daily experiences and feelings that came with being a pest control technician and business owner.
Sparked a huge debate
The extreme lows that I felt when I started my business struggling to make the bills and the conquering exhilaration’s when I hired my first employee. I began talking about the people and what some have meant to me and how others still get me angry to this day.
All of the articles are bug related of course but you might guess otherwise when you read my poem about earwigs which sparked a huge debate as to whether one could lodge in your brain to lay her eggs or the morality of side jobs, I was called a thief on that one.
The other major factor was my increased use of forums and social sites. I used to skip these links when I used Google to find bug information because all they ever led me to was a forum where no reliable facts were.
No gestapo ever showed up at my door
Just people giving there bogus 2 cents worth for the most part. DUH ALERT. I realized that this is where I should’ve been all along after responding to just one idiotic person who used motor oil on her cat to get rid of fleas.
From that revelation I joined what ever forum I could and just kept slipping links in. I even got banned from one or two for breaking the advertising rules but since no gestapo ever showed up at my door I still join groups but I’m more careful now not to upset the moderators.
Using search engine alerts I find where people are talking about my subject and join in on Facebook or do it yourself sites and simply add a good comment or helpful tip and post my link. One such site called thriftyfun.com covers almost every subject you can possibly think of and a large section of my traffic comes from folks clicking in from there.
Get slightly depressed when I don’t hit 1000
I’m by no means any kind of blog guru like Marko Saric or some of the others I’ve read and my html knowledge is a big hinderance when I try to do the simplest things. I can however fulfill the one rule everyone seems to agree on of content and if the people won’t come to me right off, I create a way for them to find me through my forum post strategy.
These are not by any means the only things I’ve tried or still do but they are definitely my primary vehicles to promote my blog. Oh and the days of 16 clicks? After 2 plus years they are gone and although I’m not setting any records I now only get slightly depressed when I don’t hit 1000, I’m starting to catch on.
A guest post by Jerry who blogs at Pest Cemetery. Want to guest post on HowToMakeMyBlog? See more info here.
Image by Chumpboy.
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{ 17 comments }
Fantastic post, thanks for sharing. Was having second thoughts about doing a blog, worried about specializing, about being (something)…
Why not stay with being yourself. Thank you so much for writing your post.
Joe
Awesome post! Niches are the way to go. Be specific, write good content, and stay focused!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this post. It confirmed two things in my mind. First the importance of a clear niche – sure each post can be varied but a common thread should tie everything together. And second – lots and lots of good content. Giving up and not writing anything won’t bring in traffic- period. Thanks for the great pointers!
Hey Jerry,
Awesome Post dude. I think niche is the most important part… !!
Thanks for sharing this great Post. Retweeted.
~Dev
Well… I think you could give away a free report or something that does with your niche and I think you could go after audience like housewife… just my thoughts….
Hey Jerry,
Nice post. It’s amazing when you sit there and realize there are 1000 people a day clicking to your site to see what you have to say about bugs. It’s an amazing world….great going.
Brandon
Thanks for your kind words everybody. I am working on some things along the lines of e-books etc. and I am thankful for the growing traffic. Thanks also to Marko for letting me guest post.
Btw– I like all your sites too, pretty impressive
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Sometimes I am having a second thought of ending my blog but this post have given me interest to go forward in my blogging career.
What a wonderful guest post! I am where Jerry was and have been trying to think of better ways to blog and be seen. Thanks for the ideas!
I agree that The niche in the blogging haystack
I like your strategy! Be yourself, take a stand (even a controversial one), and break the rules sometimes! It’s hard to find success when you don’t do anything remarkable (as Seth Godin would say). It sounds like you’ve found a good recipe for success.
I’m battling with how to have a business model online that fits with me and how I love to do things. I do believe time is of the essence. Guest Posting can obviously help with traffic but you need something strong to direct people back to when they decide to click to know more about you.
Thanks for the ideas!
I can completely relate, writing a niche blog myself. I do think putting your voice in the article..adding a spark of personality, can turn a boring subject (like cleaning a garage) into a more interesting read.
Thanks for all the great tips! DIY blogs are really common, so this is pretty helpful for me.
This is a great article. It seems to have the whole truth, if only I could figure out what I would best be able to write about! And it would help if I could find a way to make money on the side…
Keep up the good work! I like the fact that your blog is about pests, AND business ownership.
Lots of interests… few passions.