This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Five Ways to Stand Out in the Blogosphere

In my opinion the fastest growing and most cost efficient medium of communication nowadays are online blogs. For businesses and individuals alike, it's important to devise a strategy and theme that can evolve over time eventually establishing a foundation in order for your blog to be successful. Here are five tips to help you stand out.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
tantovincoio

In my opinion the fastest growing and most cost efficient medium of communication nowadays are online blogs. For businesses and individuals alike, it's important to devise a strategy and theme that can evolve over time eventually establishing a foundation in order for your blog to be successful.

1. Choose a theme; Blogging in Asia

I've experienced firsthand the importance of maintaining a blog when I first travelled across the globe to teach English in South Korea. Various friends and family members encouraged me to start writing about my unique experience in the East and I figured that the most efficient way to keep them updated was to write weekly in a blog for visitors to access on their spare time. I began posting a variety of images, comical anecdotes and expressed my frustrations with the education system in Korea where corporal punishment is still present and ongoing. This encouraged me to pick a theme for my blog presenting a Westerner's perspective of Korean culture.

2. Push yourself to be a Guest Writer for the Very Best

As my passion for writing became more concrete, I decided to send my previous blog posts to more esteemed social media sites and newspapers both in Canada and South Korea. I began writing for the foreigner newspaper in Korea The Gwangju News and shortly after my return home to Canada, I started writing for publications like the Huffington Post and Women's Post Magazine.

3. Commit yourself to your Blog

I became well-rounded in the blogosphere and began to truly understand the importance of committing your time to a blog and how beneficial it can be for any business today. It's important to not only maintain your blog's appearance but also ensure it is relevant and updated regularly so visitors aren't disappointed when they read your most recent post, published January 2009.

4. Think of a Quirky Idea, It Could be Rewarded

A prime example of an ordinary travel blog intended for family and friends that became internationally recognized was Matt Harding's blog, www.wherethehellismatt.com or better known as "Dancing Matt." Matt's odd dance routine in front of iconic landmarks in various countries were posted to his blog and then streamed by thousands online. Eventually, Visa got a hold of his travel exploits and asked him to star in their most recent Travel Happy campaign. We can use Matt's worldwide success to try and uncover the complicated world of blogging and how we too can produce value, entertainment and information effectively.

5. Share the Love

Once you have produced a relevant, up to date blog for either yourself or your business it's extremely important to socialize your blog. Always link your blog to other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter which will aid in the circulation of your blog, making your content readily available. Form relationships with other bloggers, quote them, retweet them and connect with them in order to effectively market your blog and generate higher traffic.

Blogging plays a huge roll in today's social networking society. It is a means of expressing personal thoughts, building a brand and is a platform for writers and consumers to interact (or in Matt's case, dance) with one another. Ultimately, when trying to produce a successful blog I would recommend reviewing these five steps in order to stand out online. They may not necessarily land you a lucrative televised advert, like Matt, but can at least help to ensure your blog doesn't vanish in the competitive world of online social marketing we see today.

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.