A blog is the tool of choice for building an online business. Successfully accomplishing this goal requires a balance between several blog related activities, including good quality content, research and solid marketing.

But how exactly is this achieved? It is not the easiest thing to pull off, and too much of one element will surely work against the others.

Spend too much time writing and too little time marketing, no traffic. Too much research and marketing, leaves your blog with limited content. What’s a blogger to do?

Every blog is different of course, but each blog must find the right combination for it’s success. There is no magic formula to follow, but rather, a feeling out process to see what combination brings you the best results. I continue to spin the dials on those locks above in an attempt to get just the right combination.

What we all know is that balance is critically important.

What we don’t know is how to merge the many variables into a cohesive and successful plan early on in the blogging life cycle.

A level of testing and experimenting must occur in order to find out the best approach. This could be many months in the development stage and will likely become a long-term work in progress as adjustments will need to be made along the way.

Let’s have a look at how I’ve broken down my blogging activities in search of that elusive combination. These are not listed in an order of importance as I see them all as equally critical.

• Writing blog post – This of course is the reason for being a blogger, sharing what you know while simultaneously learning from others and most importantly, helping others solve problems. The act of producing content is often an opportunity to learn more on a specific topic which expands your knowledge base. I established a post schedule of 5 per week some time ago and have been able to maintain that. I look to up that rate a notch over the coming weeks as a test to see if traffic increases.

• Reading and research – I use iGoogle where a host of blogs are fed right onto my homepage. This really keeps me in touch with many of the blogs I follow and makes it easy to visit, read articles and comment. The search engine is conveniently located for researching various topics, so this centralized approach is a big plus for me.

• Commenting – This is an activity that I absolutely enjoy, sharing conversations and discovering the many viewpoints of others. I don’t feel that I am doing quite enough of this and plan to somehow find more time to devote. I know how much it means to me when readers take their time and leave a comment and contribute to the conversation, so being supportive of others is what will bring good things to all parties over the long haul.

• Networking and marketing – A good deal of time is spent networking and marketing. I promote the work of others about 90% of the time, which is exactly what I want to do. Since this is an online business blog, I see that as a large part of the mission. I do however; feel that this is an area to be carefully watched in terms of time spent. Time can quickly escape, which cuts into the time available for other critical functions. The other part of networking that is most enjoyable is the social aspect. Meeting other bloggers and sharing industry knowledge and techniques has always been of great interest to me. I’ve always said, if you can make a friend, why not?

Conclusion

Blogging is a craft and the sooner you find your own personal stride and balance, the sooner you can settle into a specific area of expertise and continue to build on what you know to be the right path.

I am now in my ninth month of the rookie season and will continue to work toward that balance, realizing that as long as you press onward a path to success will appear on the horizon.

What have you done (or are doing) to find the right combination?

Thanking you in advance for your feedback!

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