So a lot of people have trouble coming up with content and being able to put together and stick to a schedule. I know the concept may seem daunting but here’s a real world example that might inspire you.
She’s a girl from Auckland New Zealand. A lovely part of the world if you ever get to visit. She suffers from a number of conditions that have forced her to spend much of her life in a wheelchair.
This however hasn’t prevented her from enjoying life, travelling the world and being a vocal advocate for those with disabilities.
She’s lucid. Very smart. And has razor sharp wit that even I’m sometimes scared to go near!
Her name is Latifa and this is her blog: https://nomoretrainingwheels.wordpress.com/ – or rather, was her blog. It’s now defunct (for good reason) but it lasted 42 blog posts from May 2011 to April 2012.
Her blog was popular and had loads of social media buzz. And here’s how and why her blog was a success:
She stuck to a schedule – every Sunday morning. We all waited with bated breath for her latest blog post and in the rare case when her posts were delayed to the afternoon or evening, we’d actually get concerned! We got used to her weekly posts and made sure not to read them as they were published.
She stuck to what she knows: she knows her disability and she knows what it’s like to go from being freely mobile to being confined to a wheelchair. She wrote mainly about these things but other related matters (like discrimination, bullying and even success) and she didn’t venture into other nonsensical random gibberish for the sake of variety. Stick to the stuff you’re good at and only that – it helps reinforce the fact that you’re a master of your trade, not a jack of many. (sorry for the bastardisation of the famous phrase).
She wrote simply. Latifa is super smart. Like I said before, she’s got razor sharp wit and gives me a run for my money in the cynicism department. But she knows how to write well and without sounding pretentious. Too often we try and overdo it. You’re an expert and you know your stuff – just let it flow naturally, no need to use big words and confusing jargon to drive the point home.
She shared on social media. Latifa is a much loved friend in the social sphere and her status updates are usually hilarious (and often insightful…sometimes both!). So when she launched into blogging, she made sure people knew about it. She shared her blog posts once published. She got herself known and seen through the WordPress blog platform.
It’s as simple as that: stick to your schedule, stick to what you know, write simply and share on social media.
Use this as part of your plan to grow your online presence in 2014. It will make ‘content’ seem less daunting and will be something that’ll come naturally.
PS. Latifa has decided to get back into the blogging scene and you can find her thoughts over at Being Latifa.
