22 Secrets Of Power Bloggers

I was watching Seth Godin who is one of the worlds top bloggers, being interviewed the other day on an online video.

I had never seen him on video before or even seen a photo of him except for his blog photo which is a rather memorable partial image. What really intrigued me was that my first impression (which frankly is still embedded) was that he is the “Woody Allen” of social media both in manner, speech and great insight.

In the interview he said that he doesn’t participate on Facebook or Twitter as he didn’t want to lose his focus and clarity that he brings to his blog which is his primary focus and he then went on to say “Most people are a wandering generality rather than a meaningful specific” which from my research is a quote from Zig Ziglar which he said, indicates that people  who lack clarity about their life purpose weaken their effectiveness to a massive degree if they don’t  get clear and motivated about what they want most out of  life.

This rather insightful quote made me think about what makes the top bloggers successful and extremely influential in their subject of choice.

So here are some of the characteristics that the power bloggers exhibit that brings them so much influence and power.

22 Secrets Of Power Bloggers

1. Consistent:

If you want to build a following and create influence your fans will come to expect to read your articles on a consistent basis whether that be once a week or every day. Don’t disappoint them!

Chris Brogan posts every working day. His blog ranks “Number One” on the Advertising Age for global marketing blogs.

2. Write well

If you are wanting to do well online you need to be able to write well and I don’t mean perfectly but good enough to help position you as being articulate and well read and Brian Solis does this with skill, expertise and a dose of panache.

3. Uniqueness

If you are going to stand out you need to be unique and Gary Vaynerchuk with his video blog titled “Wine Library TV“  does that with his vigourous personality.

4. Mix it up

The Hubspot blog uses humour, webinars, text, PDF’s, Online video and even a weekly online TV broadcast for an industry that can be a touch monochromatic.

5. Focus

I have read blogs where I am not sure what their area of expertise is or if they have a split personality, Mari Smith is well known for her focus on Facebook

6. Be Personal

Your readers are wanting to see “you’ because it makes you real and authentic John Chow’s Blog goes on a trip to China and talks about food and even takes photos of bowls of food.

7. Provide Analysis

If you want to be seen as an expert glossing over the surface is not going to cut it. The readers are wanting to see that you know your stuff. Brian Solis knows how to go into some great analysis of his topic of choice.

8. Provide detail

Some real facts, figures and detail are what your fans are keen to see that allows them to see the data and the facts to back up your story. Case studies, surveys and research are often a great fan topic.

9. Be controversial or thought provoking

Be willing to be controversial. It can get you noticed!

10. Be passionate

Leo Babauta with his blog Zen Habits demonstrates his passion with his consistent theme of simplicity and being passionate in the extreme. His blog is one of the top 100 blogs in the world.

11. Teach and Instruct

Lee Odden in his Top Rank Blog gives great instructions and “How To’s” that help his readers optimize their websites and implement social media marketing for their business.

12. Break News in your niche first

Breaking a story first in your industry gives you “Cred”.  Mashable seem to be able to do this regularly and it also helps to have over 2 million subscribers.

13. Provide great depth of resources for your readers.

For me if a blog has a lot of resources that help me with my business, passion or hobby then I am coming back time and time again and the Hubspot blog does this in spades through case studies, research and how to videos.

14. Foster and Nuture your fans and tribe

Seth Godin the author of “Tribes” says Smart innovators find or assemble a movement of similarly minded individuals and get the tribe excited by a new product, service or message, often via the Internet. he also says that you only need 1,000 fans to make a difference.

15. Provide a rich media experience

Hubspot’s blog does this well with a great array of media including video, text, image, slideshare(Powerpoint) and podcasts. It has also increased its blog post from one a day to sometimes 3 daily.

16. Provide a unique design and brand name

You can make the brand your name (personal names are great for personal branding) or it can be something different such Smashing Magazine which is a great blog design

17. Have an opinion

David Meerman-Scott who has certainly influenced my path with his book “The New Rules Of Marketing and PR” is not afraid to tell corporations what his views are and has led him to be invited into the boardroom of General Motors and meet with CEO’s. His blog is called Webinknow.com

18. Be Original

Don’t be afraid to be original, so check out So Good Blog which is an absurd look at the world of  food and is not afraid of being different.

19. Write a book or two

Dan Schwabel knows how to promote his personal brand and he also knows that a well written and promoted book will make his blog rock and his influence.

20. Connect to your peers and help them out

You will find that a lot of the bloggers are unafraid to promote each others blogs through linking and commenting on their own blogs. They also often collaborate on projects and joint ventures. Reciprocation is a a very powerful tool.

21. Be everywhere even if you can’t be there

If you can’t be there personally you can participate online and a lot of the bloggers are guests on podcasts and webinars even when they are on the other side of the Globe. The power bloggers are everywhere!

22. Do presentations and public speaking

Almost every person mentioned in this post is  a keynote speaker. It helps the blog!

The top bloggers of course do not have all these characteristics but you will find that they will tick the boxes for quite a few of the ones I have mentioned.

So what other characteristics do you think are important to be an influential power blogger?