Blogging Wisdom From A Master – Jeff Bullas

Jeff Bullas is a world leading blogger who attracts more than 6 million visitors to his blog every year and he has over 400,000 followers on Twitter. He is world famous yet lives 10 minutes from me and I bought him lunch and interviewed him about his strategies on blogging for business. Jeff's purpose is to help people and business succeed in a digital world and his wisdom on building personal is game-changing. Here is my paraphrase of what he shared in a keynote and then over a meal as we discussed.

Jeff believes that we live in an exciting era... the first time in history were we can all tell out story without needing access to gatekeepers who interview, edit and publish. Human beings have an innate need to be validated.

"I create, I publish – I exist."

Jeff Bullas @jeffbullas

Everyone is seeking purpose in what they do and has a desire to make a difference in the world. We have the need to share our and that is exactly why David began to blog.

Jeff overcame childhood asthma though exercise and beat it my embracing pain. Later in life he went through personal business failure then a marriage and family break-up and he was rebuilding his life. Like me, Jeff read David Meerman Scott's book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, and it created an epiphany. Around that same time he also discovered the Hubspot blog and became inspired as he began to read it.

In April 2009 Jeff started his own blog to refine his own thinking . He read a blog post that stated if you have just an idea of what you are passionate about, then start a blog. Jeff rose at 4:30am, five mornings a week and wrote... he did that for four years. He still believes that you should write a blog before breakfast, because it is the best time of day and the perfect way to invest in yourself intellectually and emotionally before the daily madness of life overtakes us.

"Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up." Dean Karnazes

The beauty of blogging is that you don't need to be completely original and can always get back in and edit. Find leaders to follow and take their ideas and make them your own. Don't steal, plagiarize or fail to attribute source, but invest in your own ability to join the conversation and create unique digital assets. Learn to write by writing blog posts that provide commentary on the things that interest you; this is where you will discover you [written] voice.

"We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas." Steve Jobs

Bullas Secret – You must be attractive

The name of game is attracting traffic on the internet in an incredibly noisy and crowded digital world. Search drives 300% more traffic than social so don't ignore it. Create content that attracts the right people. Twitter is vitally important as a powerful distribution platform. Experiment until you find what works and then do more than that. The free social media lunch is on it's way out, so you must therefore build your own e-mail list. Blogging creates traffic for free if you are willing to invest your time and energy in earning it.

Native search ranks more powerfully than paid traffic through Facebook Ads and Google Adwords. Use premium content, such as eBooks, and be willing to give you intellectual property away in exchange for an e-mail address. 75% of Google's revenue is coming from mobile users... make sure your content is published on a platform that is 'mobile first'.

Bullas Secret – Be Seductive

Think like a publisher. You must produce interesting, inspiring, seductive content that causes people to want to come back. Write the best content you can... it does not need to be perfect but it must be the best you can produce without being a perfectionist.

Done is better than perfect. Poster on the wall in the foyer of Facebook

5 times more people read the headline than the body. Here is an example of one of Jeff's headlines: Why you should forget Facebook, 15 digital marketing trends that will destroy your business. Controversy works but don't be negative or engage in personal attacks

Understand the power of simplicity. Make your writing interesting and well structured. It must be visually attractive and enable someone to skim and scan. Include images in your content and on social media because it can increase the share rates by 600%. Don't expect home runs every time. Write multiple headlines until you find the one that jumps out. Make it easy to share

Bullas Secret – Commitment

Converting traffic into customers starts with one small commitment... for them to provide you with their email address. Use free downloads and webinars to secure email addresses. But for your audience to become committed to you, you must be committed to providing great content for them.

This has been my own personal experience that I shared with Jeff. For 8 months I published original long-form content every single day on LinkedIn Publisher and build more than 12,000 followers in a year. Building an audience requires a serious commitment that few are willing to make... Jeff and I share that experience. We write when we don't feel like, when we are not inspired... but as we write, the ideas and content begins to flow.

Done is better than perfect. Poster on the wall in the foyer of Facebook

Humanity and technology has come together for individuals to find their voice and reach an audience. Social media can create connection and amplify anyone's blog writing. Jeff Bullas is a brilliant case study on self-publishing and leveraging the power of social media. He is also a world-class resource for anyone seeking to learn about blogging and how to use social media in business. I encourage you to follow Jeff Bullas and learn from a master.

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