Web Marketing Strategy Update

Six Exceptional Blogs That Show What Works

It wasn’t too long ago that anyone mentioning a “blog” was subject to ridicule. Thanks to social media marketing and a few Google content updates, companies place a huge value on high quality blog content. No matter what you’re blogging about, whether it be home décor or Star Trek, there are infinite ways to drive traffic and readers to your site.

Highly successful blogs, such as The Modernista and The Oatmeal make it look simple. That’s because seasoned bloggers know that creating a high traffic site takes huge amounts of creativity– we’re talking years of outreach, redesigns and fine tuning of content. It’s difficult and time consuming, but before you quit, don’t.

If you’re a dedicated blogger, you already have tools and resources at your disposal. After close examination of six exceptional blogs, we found various actionable ways to beef up the quality of your site.

Young House Love: Deliver Specific, Yet Relevant Content

Young House Love is a highly popular DIY home décor site. Run by Richmond residents Sherry and John Petersik, the site delivers various DIY tutorials, before and afters, and how tos. The key to Sherry and John’s success is the high volume of exceptional content they produce. Never lacking in creativity, articles such as Our Sunroom Mini Makeover and Making Postcard Shelves provides highly specific in depth home décor tutorials with high resolution photos.

Take cues from this blogging savvy couple, and try to appeal to a smaller audience. Post regularly, write about what you know, and have a honest, relateable voice. John and Sherry have a unique style and engaging story- they’re raising their daughter Clara while renovating their home, mostly with affordable, DIY projects.

Need more proof that this works? Sherry and John have been blogging for years and just hit the New York Times Bestseller List with their first book, Young House Love.

Do this now: Make a content calendar and schedule regular posts weekly. Use a social media planning tool, such as Hootsuite, to update statues whenever you want. Once you have a plan in place, stick to it. Focus on only sharing relevant, top notch content that will really pull in your readers.

Books of Adam: Capitalize on Your Talent

In the world of blogging, you have to love what you do. No matter what kind of content you’re producing, if you’re not passionate about it, you won’t have the motivation to follow through. Adam Ellis, a freelance graphic designer from Portland, is a prime example of this.

Adam, author of popular blog Books of Adam, is a highly talented illustrator. Starting out by drawing hilarious renditions (derpy portraits) of Facebook profile pictures, Adam transformed his hobby into a profitable business. His Portrait Store allows readers to submit pictures for Adam to illustrate.

By relying on his artistic skills and storytelling abilities, Adam gained an incredibly loyal fan base and endless opportunity for growth. His first book, The Blunder Years, is coming out in July 2013.

Do this now: Assess your skills, strengths and weaknesses. Do you have a killer blog design, but don’t update enough? Is your content boring? Be honest about what you’re good at, and then, do it to the best of your ability. Don’t worry so much about readers- chances are, if it’s exceptional, you’ll find an audience for it.

Awkward Family Photos: Sell An Additional Product or Service

Awkward Family Photos is exactly what it sounds like, a compilation of outdated and extremely odd family portraits. The wildly successful blog has been turned into multiple books, but just in case it ever gets old, the site has it’s own storefront to go off of.

The AWP storefront features direct links to purchase the books, calendars, t-shirts, and even a board game. The hilarious photos are enough to encourage readers to come back, but the additional storefront offers something a little extra. Luckily, online storefronts such as Etsy.com, Ebay.com, and yes, even Craigslist, make this possible.

If you talk about crafts or home décor, considering opening a store on Etsy. Ebay is great for auctioning off items, and Craigslist works to sell locally. If you don’t have any products to sell, open an online storefront. You can sell branded t-shirts, sweaters and more directly from your blog or site.

Julie & Julia: Make an Actionable Goal

One of the most appealing things about Julie Powell’s infamous cooking blog, The Julie/Julia Project was the goal behind it. Julie Powell, a near thirty something married woman, longed to find direction in her life and found it in Julia Child’s cooking. Powell prepared all 524 recipes of Julia Child’s Mastering The Art of French Cooking in one short year.

The blog gained an instant following, and was turned into a book, “Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen”. The book was then turned into a movie by Nora Ephron. Powell launched a career in butchering shortly after and wrote another book, “Cleaving: A Story Of Marriage, Meat And Obsession”.

Julie’s story caused such a reaction because it was relateable. People in similar dead end jobs sympathized with her plight, and cheered her on throughout her year of cooking. By giving herself a deadline, it was easier to stay motivated to the project.

Do this now: If a similar type of blog appeals to you, sit down and make a list of your goals. What excites you the most? What challenges you? Transform it into something actionable, and like Julie, set a deadline.

Stuff White People Like: Don’t Be Afraid to be Snarky & Political

Stuff White People Like blog poked fun at the stereotypical “white person” and got away with it. Actually, it got more than that- Stuff White People Like has been published into two books. Author Christian Lander explains on the SWPL site that he started the site for fun after a conversation with a friend.

The blog only consists of a few pages, including a laundry list of “stuff that white people like” that is currently up to 134 list items. With list items such as #119. Sea Salt, or the ironic #92. Book Deals, it’s easy to see why this snarky blog was such a hit. Christian never expected the blog to go anywhere, which may be why it became so successful.

“Don’t try. People can smell desperation,” Christian says to other hopeful viral bloggers. Although he sort of considers himself as a comedian, Lander explains that the blog is primarily about a generation that “values authenticity and credibility”. To date, the blog has received 93,123,212 hits.

Do This Now: If you know you’re funny, or really enjoy criticizing people, consider writing an article in a new voice. While there’s always the possibility of negative feedback to particularly snarky content, Stuff White People Like proves that it can pay off.

Post Secret – Accept User Submitted Content

With a whopping 580,071,689 visits to date, Post Secret is one of the most popular blogs online. The site simply posts content submitted by people around the globe, mostly anonymous secrets written on cards, napkins and photographs. The blog was started by Frank Warren, who hoped to provide a safe place for people looking to unload a never before known secret.

Besides routine blog maintenance and the selection of submissions, the blog depends on user submitted content. Users can submit self created artwork with secrets by mail. Post Secret Community, a separate site directly affiliated with the original blog states that over 500,000 secrets have been told to date.

Do This Now: Consider adding an option to your blog or site to accept user content. Whether it be enabling comments to create a community, or simply adding an option to guest post, it could help increase traffic to your site with hopeful participants.

Melissa Weidenborner is the SEO/Social Media Manager for a custom apparel company, Queensboro.com, located in Wilmington, NC. Follow her adventures on Twitter @vintageandnerdy.

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