Over the past couple of months we have talked about strategies to grow our blogs, create a tribe, and earn extra STEEM. All these concepts are well worth our time but sometimes we need to witness them working. When our eyes see a steady growth mapped out we are more inclined to keep going.
When we come across another person's growth after starting these strategies it can further motivate us. Without that kind of feedback we are likely to drop the ball or cut corners on the effort we expel into our content.
Enter today's STEEM exclusive post.
Let's discuss what happens when the concepts are pursued with diligence.
My Growth
I joined the STEEM Blockchain in July 2017, made a few posts, then forgot about. We can blame it on moving and adjusting to becoming a first time home owner. Come the middle to end of August, STEEM crossed my mind again. I have used what I learned over the past decade (it's more like fourteen years) of blogging with every post I write.
What happened?
Over the next few months my blog has grown in earned STEEM Power and STEEM Dollars. Not just grow a little here and there but a steady forty-five degree climb. We see in the photo below how that looks. We can ignore the first two blips around week forty one since that was me adding STEEM that I bought to add to my account.
Edit: turns out those blips are not from me adding STEEM to my account and are earnings as @danielsaori points out in this comment.
Photo From @dorabot in the P.A.L. discord group by the @minnowsupport project.
Also look at the red line. This is the earned STEEM Dollar amount. It is a flat line for a while before it climbs in step with the other two. This is because each post created during that time was set to power up. The goal for me then was to increase my power to give better payouts to the comments.
The reason showing this is important is because most of the time, seeing is believing. My account is not that old and has only gotten consistent posts for even less time. In this series we talk about a lot of ideas and concepts to grow our blogs. That chart shows it works and that I practice what I preach.
But Sndbox!
Yes, I get upvotes from @sndbox and it has helped those numbers. So let's talk about why that fits into the practices we covered in the past. There are two main reasons I had the chance to be nominated and invited to join sndbox. The first is networking, places like P.A.L, @thewritersblock, and the 'Steemit Bloggers' discord chats are a big deal. Everyone needs to hop in and meet other people.
Do not go to these places for upvotes!
However, it does not matter how much networking we do if we do not create quality, evergreen content. If the posts on my blog were not the best they could be, @heymattsokol would never have nominated me to be a sndbox fellow.
It's that simple. The quality of our work has to be the best we can produce that day.
It's best to not complain when we see other people receive nominations or get an upvote from @curie. Those people work hard to produce quality content on the STEEM blockchain and earned the nomination. We all can do better and we all can get nominated for things. We just have to create awesome content day in and day out.
The Strategy
These are all things we covered in more depth but I wan't to outline them for everyone. These are in order from what we need to nail down first before we focus on the next. Head to the links to get a deeper understanding of what we touch on here. There is no way we can cover it all in this post.
Evergreen Content
This needs to be the main goal of our blog. The term evergreen is from the evergreen trees that stay green all year around. When our posts are evergreen, it will contain value to a reader today, next week, and even years to come. It's a time tested blogging strategy that suited well for STEEM since our content can not be removed after a set period.
We should also add here that evergreen content needs quality at the roots. It's the fuel for the longevity of our work. Since the post will stay on the STEEM blockchain for as long as STEEM exists we need to focus the quality of each post. A post with only a video and a few sentences is not considerd quality. Nor is stuffing a post with quotes from another source with little or no input.
Find Your Niche
Finding a niche may feel like we are limiting ourselves in what we can create. This does not have to be the case and often when we find the right niche for us we don't mind. When you stick to one niche, it is much easier to build a following of fans and to get noticed. This is due to all our energy focusing on one subject.
The best way to find the niche that fits us like a lock and key is our past. Think about what always comes back into interest even after a long hiatus. The farther back the trend goes the better. For me it is technology, for as long as I can remember my interest in new tech has growth in step to my understanding of the inner workings.
Networking
Once the mindset to create the best post is set and we solidify your niche, it is time to network. This is when those discord chat rooms come into play. If it was not for networking and meeting other STEEM bloggers, my blog growth would be much slower than it is today.
None of us can experience success without the help and support of other people. We are all dependent upon each other to read, vote, and share our content. Thinking we don't need not meet other people and help where we can is arrogant and will leave a bad taste in other people's mouth.
Set Smart Goals
Without setting goals we cannot aim for anything and it is best to not set view count or monetary goals. The reason for discouraging those kinds of goals is that we have little control over them. Even a follower goal is out of our hands.
We need to set "Smart Goals". These are goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound. A goal to reach five hundred follows in two months fits this "smart" goal approach but is out of our control. It is much better to set goals like, "Make a new post every Monday for three months" or "Have each post be five hundred words long and completed by noon".
Thanks For Reading!
If you have a topic that you would like me to cover and share what I learned over the last ten years of blogging please let me know!
Other Posts In The Series:
How To Nurture Emerging Community Engagement
How To Breakthrough Mental Blocks Into Flow
Keep Them Pining: Generating Evergreen Content
How To Schedule Your Content
The Most Important Blogging Etiquette You Need To Know