10 Ways To Beef Up Your Blog

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When it comes to taking your blog to the next level, there is so much content you can write. There are plenty of other ways to beef up your blog that go beyond writing new stories. The key is providing value to your readers. Something they can’t get anywhere else. Whether it is giving your readers new ways to consume your content or provide them with tools to get things done easier, there are ways that you can go viral and solidify your blog community at the same time.

You do want to think about what your audience is into before developing an action plan. For that, you need to figure out whom you are targeting on your blog and what are their needs and wants that you can address. That way, when you do create a service or product for your readers, it’s going to be something that they appreciate.

With that in mind, here are 10 ways to improve your blog and solidify your community:

• iPhone Apps: developing an iPhone app around your blog is the best way to get your community together and keep it growing. You do want your iPhone app to be more than just your blog posts. You obviously want to get some branding time. But don’t hesitate to go beyond your blog posts and develop an app that provides a unique value to your readers.
• Blog Themes: there are many new bloggers who have no idea how to design a theme for their blogs and don’t want to spend money on custom blog designs. The best way to help those people out is by offering them a free theme or two. You can always ask them to link back to your blog from theirs.
• Wordpress Plugins: lots of people use Wordpress as their blogging platform. Developing a useful Wordpress plugin can also help you get the word out about your blog and drive lots of traffic to your community. You don’t have to develop the plugin yourself. Use a service such as Rent a Coder to hire someone to do it for you. The temptation is always there to charge for your plugin. But offering it for free will have a more viral effect. Think of it as a form of promotion for your blog. If your plugin is any good, you are going to get a persistent stream of traffic for a long period of time.
• Facebook Apps: you can always create Facebook apps and pages for you blog. But don’t limit yourself to that. Develop something useful for your audience and reap the rewards as they keep coming back to you and your blog for more.
• Twitter Apps: Twitter API is a blogger’s best friend. There are plenty of ways to develop a Twitter app that helps your community and drives traffic to your website. If you have a big budget, you can develop a unique Twitter client. If not, use your creative side. Here is a good example.
• Mashups: there is more to web than Facebook and Twitter. If you hire a programmer who is familiar with other web 2.0 services, you should have no problem developing aggregators and cool mashups for your audience.
• Simple Tools: some people assume that you need to develop a killer, highly complex tool for your audience to appreciate your efforts. In reality, simple tools can have the same effect. Take calorie counters and calculators. They are not very complicated, but at the same time very popular.
• Free e-Books/Reports: lets say you write a blog about blogging. Not every one of your readers is going to be an expert blogger. By writing a short book or report for beginner bloggers, you can not only expand your community but also solidify your existing one. Your report may go viral as well, depending on how much time and effort your spend to develop it.
• Widgets: wouldn’t it be nice if your readers could embed your content on their blogs. How about your tools? That would not only help your audience, but it can also drive lots of traffic to your blog as well.
• Portals/Wikis: developing a comprehensive portal or wiki around your niche can prove useful for your audience as well. Let’s say you write about PlayStation games. Having a comprehensive game wiki could prove useful for your audience. At the same time, it could keep your community together and drive traffic to your website as well. Don’t forget that search engines love Wikis too.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to do all this work by yourself. You can always outsource the process. Just know your audience and its needs and wants before spending money on your project. The last thing you want to do is create a tool for the sake of doing it.

What’s your take? Please feel free to add your thoughts and suggestions below.

You may also be interested in reading:

• Create an iPhone App for Your Blog with Blogapper
• 10 Essential iPhone Apps For Bloggers
• 4 Cool Tools To Create Online Polls With
• Top 5 Best Social Media Plugins For Wordpress
• reCAPTCHA: Protect Your Blog Against Spam