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HandyMarketer
07-22-2012, 04:51 PM
Hello all,

I have started a blog a few months ago: The Handy Marketer (http://www.handymarketer.com) and I have some confusion in my head as to what I want to talk about and who it's addressed for.

As the name says it's all about marketing, but I am not into social media marketing, as opposed to most of the blogs out there these days. Basically I've been working in various marketing and communications for the last 8 years, and I've learned a lot of things on the job, even quite advanced graphic design. I'm a hands on person and like to do lots of things myself, so I usually have plenty of tips to share with my colleagues.
When I started my career I was working with agencies but then I learned how to design stuff myself and found it very useful. I then went into learning Wordpress and creating websites and that proved to be extremely useful too. So now I would like to share what I learned and offer tips and advice to people in similar situations: students getting in their new jobs, small business owners having to do their marketing or marketing professionals looking for help.

The thing is I don't know how to present my blog. I am not a graphic designer by training and it's not my full time job, so I don't want to have a graphic design blog. But at the same time I like teaching the basics of design so that business owners could create a brochure, a newsletter or a website without spending a fortune.

When looking for similar sites however I always fall back on social media or internet marketing blogs. I know it's an important part of Marketing today (and I am using too so will eventually write about it), but what about traditional marketing?

I know that I should focus on a restricted niche but I can't clearly say who my audience is and what I will teach them. When brainstorming for blog topics I listed photoshop, websites, event management, powerpoint presentations, etc.. the whole mix basically. should I just embrace it all or is it a big mistake?

How would you recommend I choose my niche? I'd be keen to receive some help.

Harold Mansfield
07-23-2012, 10:59 AM
First things first. You have to determine your reason for writing the blog.

When I blog, I'm doing it to attract business and that dictates what I write about and who I address it to.
When I had my music blog, I was writing for entertainment and to attract people to buy the products advertised on the website.

Writing to share tips is a great way to blog, but to what end? Are you trying to get people to sign up for your mailing list? Or trying to make ad and affiliate money on the site?
If you are writing to attract business, you have to temper how much info you are wiling to give away ( making them not need you).

I think once you determine what your end goal is, it will be easier to format your content in a way that accomplishes that mission.

vangogh
07-23-2012, 12:04 PM
Welcome to the forum Christelle.

Any of the topics you mentioned would be good. I agree that focusing on a niche would be best and I can understand why it's hard to pick that niche. I had similar issues when starting out. What you could do is try a few different types of topics and see which gets the most response.

Based on what you're saying it sounds like your niche is marketing for small business owners. You can talk about all those other topics and still have it be part of the niche. For example the design posts would be focused on marketing. You wouldn't be trying to teach someone design theory, but you could show 2 examples of cards (one designed well and one designed poorly) and show how the well designed card led to more success. As long as each post is written from the perspective of your main topic you're not straying from the niche.

Don't feel like you have to get it perfect with the first post. When I first started I wasn't sure exactly where to go with my blog either. My posts were probably a little scattered at first. The more I worked at it the more I started to find the focus I wanted. Also every 6 months to a year I think about where the blog is and where I want it to go. Then I make the changes necessary.

HandyMarketer
07-23-2012, 03:42 PM
Thanks for your response, it is encouraging and you made some good suggestions. It can be quite scary starting a new blog, there is so much on the net already, but I have been thinking about it for years now so at some point I had to dig in :)

Your presence on the forum is quite impressive, I'll keep an eye on your blog too!

DeniseTaylor
07-24-2012, 02:50 PM
You know, reading your post, I got this feeling that you are very good at self-teaching and practical matters.

There are small business people who would love to have practical, DIY tips on marketing their business to control expenses. There is a lot of social media out there, yes. But many small businesses don't do social, but are dying for real world tips on how to get more business.

I think a spin like that (DIY, inexpensive marketing tips for small business) would work very well.

Just my thought on the matter.

HandyMarketer
07-24-2012, 02:56 PM
Thanks Denise,

Actually I wanted to call my blog the DIY Marketer, but it was already taken. I guess I could make it more obvious this way, all about doing it yourself on low resources.
Thanks for the advice.
Christelle

Harold Mansfield
07-24-2012, 03:07 PM
There are quite a few terms that target that niche.

Guerrilla Marketing , "EZ" , and "for dummies" just off the top of my head. Yes it's saturated, but very few offer any real world actual experience. Many are just repeating what others have already said.

I agree with you that most of the focus is on Online Marketing. Some offline tips may be well received. Or tips on tying the 2 together.

vangogh
07-26-2012, 03:56 PM
It can be quite scary starting a new blog, there is so much on the net already, but I have been thinking about it for years now so at some point I had to dig in

It can be scary and yes there is a ton out there already, but never let either stop you. The up side is that as scary as it might be, there probably won't be a lot of people reading at first so there really isn't anything to be scared about. You'll get over the fear quickly and people will start showing up. You can always remove your early posts later if you prefer they aren't archived forever.

Don't worry about being perfect with your blog from day 1. It'll likely take some time to find your voice, but the only way to do that is to keep at it. The more you blog, the better you'll get and the better sense you'll have about what to write about. If you want to start jump right in and get started and always think about how you can improve.

Elabusiness
08-24-2012, 01:44 PM
I agree with Vangogh, It can be risky as much as it is scary. But, if you work and try hard, the success will come quick. Time is the key for blogging. This is how people start blogging and making money.

vangogh
08-24-2012, 02:35 PM
if you work and try hard, the success will come quick.

I'm not sure I'd say quick, but I do agree it comes if you work hard and keep at it. There are never guarantees, of course, but the more you do something, the better you usually get.

jamesray50
08-25-2012, 07:45 PM
If you are writing to attract business, you have to temper how much info you are wiling to give away ( making them not need you).



Most of my blogs are instructions on how to do something. I take topics that people have questions about and try to make the instructions simpler than other people's answers or help files. But, I can get pretty detailed, I give step by step instructions, so if someone followed my instructions they wouldn't need me. But, there are some situations, no matter how good the instructions are, the person's situation may be a little different, and then I receive calls for help.