5 Ways to be a Successful Blogger in a Rural Area
Blogging has become big business—just a few years ago, bloggers were simply individuals with a hobby they wanted to share, and now they have the potential to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars. While most of us conjure up images of successful bloggers going to exclusive parties, working in offices with a prime location and a team to help them, there are plenty of bloggers that live in small towns with no staff.
You don't have to live by the beach in Los Angeles or have connections to all the coolest parties. Here are five tips to get started as an amazing blogger in the middle of nowhere.
1. Make Full Use of Free Blogging Services Online
It's easier than ever to start a blog—simply sign up for a free blog on sites such as Wordpress, Weebly and Wix. There's no need to know HTML, CSS or anything like that as most free blog sites have made their platform intuitive and incredibly easy to use.
Be sure to add free plugins to make the experience better for your readers. A few recommended ones to install would be the Google Analytics for Wordpress plugin as well as plugins for your social media networks.
2. Take the time to figure out who your audience is
Successful blogs know their readers and what their interests are. As such, this allows them to have a clear focus and to strategically plan content that will cater to their interests. Loyal readers come back to a blog again and again because they come to trust and find genuine use for the articles.
Be sure to find and engage with your target audience on social media and to keep up a rapport with them. Did you know that 86 - 90% of people will make a choice about a service or product depending on online reviews? The same goes for your blog! If you earn yourself a bad reputation online, your website traffic and social media following can suffer as a result.
3. Be Authentic and Genuine
Whether you love writing about healthy food but aren't a registered dietitian, or adore beauty but have never been trained professionally, the key is to be authentic. Your readers will forgive you if you don't have specific qualifications—blog readers want genuine content that helps them.
While it might seem strange to be writing about city street style when living in rural Iowa, you can focus on how to stay stylish in the Midwest to ensure you aren't alienating your target audience. In fact, one of the highest earning fashion bloggers hails from Utah, and her success is credited towards showing modest fashion that appeals to states in the Midwest. Instead of prioritizing content on trending topics or content that might go viral, be sure to create content that makes sense to your readers.
4. Don't be Scared to Work With the Local Community
Networking is a key skill as a blogger—whether you're in a big city or a tiny rural town. The best way to get your name out into the community is to work with others in the area. If you've started a fashion blog, go and introduce yourself to the people who own the clothing stores in your area. While there may not be any big events in the community just yet, you can discuss the possibility of throwing events in conjunction with local business owners, once they've gotten to know you better.
In addition to bettering your connection to your community, it can aid you in finding someone to help you out with the blog. You might meet a student photographer who can help you take photos, make friends with a writer who can help you edit your content—the possibilities are endless.
5. Use Tech Tools to Cut Down on Time
Blogging well takes time but don't let that intimidate you. Make use of inexpensive tech tools that can help you drastically cut down on time by managing and automating a range of tasks. Marketing and promotion of your content is essential for driving traffic to your blog and getting it seen. There are a range of tech tools that can take care of this whilst letting you charge on with content creation and strategy.
Apps and software such as Hootsuite, Buffer and SproutSocial allow you to schedule social media posts and alerts you when someone mentions your blog or leaves you a comment. Social media drives 31% of all referrals traffic and should not be overlooked. Additionally, email applications such as MailChimp and Constant Contact let you easily make newsletters where you can share updates, your latest content and other news with your readers
Living in a rural area doesn't need to be limiting your blogging dreams. In our modern and connected society, it is possible to undertake this exciting endeavor no matter where your zipcode may be.
