Do I need a Big Audience before I Start A Blog?

Have you wondered “Do I Need a Big Audience Before I Start A Blog?”

If so, you are certainly not alone.

A lot of people think that there’s no point to blogging until they’ve built a Big Audience.

But of course, a Big Audience means little until you’re clear on how to identify your target audience.

After that, whether or not you need a Big Audience before you start a blog really depends on where you’re at in your online development.

Here are the two main sentiments I hear from bloggers that I work with.

Which one resonates most with you?

“I Need a Big Audience Before I Start A Blog”

So, these are the people who have already built their Big Audience.

Maybe they have a professional services website (ie., doctor, lawyer, accountant etc.)

That means that they already have an audience, maybe even a Big Audience.

But maybe it’s not leading to as many new clients or customers as they had hoped for.

It’s always nice to start a blog when you already have a standing audience.

And if you do, then people already see you as a leader and an authority in your field.

Here’s why it’s a good idea to have a Big Audience before you start a blog.

Special: FREE Guide… How I Built My Blog Audience Using Only Free Traffic

If you already have a Big Audience, then you don’t have to convince people that you can add value to their lives.

They have already come to expect that.

So, you already have earned their trust.

Your personal brand has been firmly established in their minds.

So starting a blog may be just the thing you need to get them to take some specific action that they’re not doing now.

With a blog, when you give them clear calls to action…

• buy,
• join,
• attend
• etc…

…they are more likely to jump on it because they already trust you.

Your blog takes you much further in strengthening that relationship and bond.

“I Want to Start A Blog in order to build a Big Audience”

But here’s the thing…

you don’t need to have a Big Audience before you start a blog.

In fact, you don’t need to have any audience at all.

The biggest reason to start blogging is to build an audience.

Let’s say you have

• an audience of zero,
• a credibility of zero,
• and an authority recognition score of zero.

But you need to build an audience, credibility and authority.

You start a blog to accomplish that.

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So let’s look at this.

You don’t really want a Big Audience.

Do you?

If you say, yes… then I’d ask you why you want it.

You’d probably say what you’re really looking for is to do something like this…

• find clients for my service
• sell my products
• become a successful affiliate marketer
• get speaking offers
• etc

So, you see, those are the things you’re really looking for.

Those are the things you really want.

You don’t just want a Big Audience.

In fact, you just see a Big Audience as a means to a specific end… selling your services, or products, etc.

Why should I start a blog if I already have a Big Audience?

Okay.

Let’s back up to the person who already has a Big Audience.

Why blog at all?

Here’s why.

You want to build your authority even more

You think because you’re already a practicing dentist or a real estate broker that you have all the authority you need.

But you don’t.

There are plenty of other competing professionals out there.

And they’re all scrambling to improve their authority and increase their Big Audience.

They’re doing marketing and personal branding stuff like

• writing books
• making videos
• giving speeches, and
• teaching courses.

They’re doing everything they can to let people know that they’re at the top of their field.

So you need to do the same thing.

One of the best and easiest ways to do that is to start a blog.

Here’s what a professional services blog looks like

You know the things your prospects are interested in right?

If you’re a dentist, for instance, you know that dental implants is a hot topic.

If you’re a realtor, you know investors want to find the “worst house in the best neighborhood.”

So you already know what your prospects want.

Now…

Use your blog to deliver those things to them.

Write articles about dental implants or finding the best houses in the neighborhood.

These are the things that will prove to people that you are at the top of your profession.

And as you do that, you will continually be building and growing your Big Audience.

This is how ordinary professionals become super stars.

You want to build a stronger bond with your Big Audience

Of course, it’s great to have that Big Audience.

But on top of that you want to build a stronger relationship with those people.

Special: FREE Guide… How I Built My Blog Audience Using Only Free Traffic

So work hard to get them on your email list in order to do that.

Every time that you send out an email to them, they are hearing from you directly and personally.

They’re beginning to know you as a person, not just a professional.

They’re beginning to like you in a way that they wouldn’t if you were just one more dentist or lawyer or realtor.

That means they’re beginning to trust you more all the time.

This is how you build your practice.

And this is how you make your Big Audience even bigger and better all the time.

You need to improve your conversion rate

A Big Audience is important to have so that you always have a fresh pool a prospects.

But that doesn’t help you if they’re not converting into clients.

So you need to work harder at this.

Blogging is a great tool to do that.

People will come to know, like and trust you as a blogger.

Then they will be much more likely to convert from passive readers into active clients.

Improve your Calls To Action

Probably the most important call to action on your blog is the one geared to getting members of your Big Audience to become your clients.

In order to actually get members of your Big Audience to become clients, though, you need to give them a reason to take that action.

And you need to have mechanisms in place to help them to take that action.

But you don’t usually get people to jump from being a passive reader or audience member, to a committed paying client in one big step.

You usually need to get them to sign up for little things.

These are called “mini commitments.”

You need to set up your blog like a sales funnel.

Give people things like videos or ebooks or other articles you’ve written.

Ask them to sign up for those things.

That’s one type of a mini commitment.

Your reader is not agreeing to call your office and sign up as a client.

But they are agreeing to get some small piece of content from you.

As they make these mini commitments to sign up for your offerings, they will be more and more likely to sign up as your client as well.

How will I build a Big Audience when I start a blog?

Now if you’re just beginning to start a blog then you obviously won’t have a Big Audience.

Don’t wait to have your Big Audience, though.

Instead, build one with your blog.

That may sound easier said than done, but it’s really not nearly as complicated as you might think.

Here are the things you’ll need to do to create and build a Big Audience when you start a blog.

Develop a Core Message

The most important thing you need to do is develop a core message.

A core message is really the thing that you are trying to be known for.

Most important, it’s the message that will help you connect with your blogging audience.

Here’s an example.

If you blog about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), then you want to be known as the go-to SEO expert.

But in order to do that you need to have a core message that unique to yourself.

So maybe you want people to know that you use graphics to build a strong SEO optimization strategy.

Your core message in that case, would be that people need to use graphics more wisely on their websites in order to get search engines to rank them higher.

What’s your core message?

In other words, why should people want to work with you and read your blog instead of all the other people out there.

What unique value will they get from you?

Special: FREE Guide… How I Built My Blog Audience Using Only Free Traffic

When you answer that question, then you embed the answer into your core message.

And this is the message that you want to deliver in everything you do online.

Put it

• in your videos
• on your blog post
• in your graphics or
• any other content that you’re developing.

People will now recognize this as your core message (even though they won’t be calling it that).

When they want to know more about your core message topic, they’ll come to you.

That’s how you build a Big Audience when you start a blog.

Showcase your authority on your blog

Of course it’s not good enough to just have a core message.

You also have to deliver your core message.

You have to get people to associate you with your core message.

In that way you will be showcasing your Authority in everything you say and do.

If you do a Facebook live presentation… deliver your core message in one way or another.

Then when you write your blog post… deliver it in another way.

Maybe you develop quiz.

Or you might create an infographic or image.

Make those reflect your core message, too.

Everything you do and every piece of content you create should in one way or another support and reflect your core message.

In this way people will not only think of you as an authority.

But they will see your authority in action because you will be showcasing it all the time in many different ways and on lots of different platforms.

Drive people to your blog.

Of course, bloggers can’t just stay on their blog to showcase their authority.

You’ll have to leave your blog.

You need to

• get involved in social media and forums…
• join other people’s Facebook groups
• share your images to Pinterest

Broadcast your core message on multiple platforms to attract a Big Audience in your niche.

In other words, you need to do what I call “taking your blog on the road.”

You’ve got to get out of your blogging bubble and go find your target audience it exists.

One of your key goals as a blogger is to find your target audience and position yourself in front of it.

By that I mean put your content before them.

Whether it’s in Facebook posts or tweets or guest posts on other people’s blog.

Find a way to take your core message on the road so that people can discover it.

Then invite them back to your blog where they can discover more about you.

Showcasing your authority is personal branding.

It’s one of the main reasons to start a blog in the first place.

Take names

And all the time, just keep taking names and email addresses.

In other words, at the same time that you start a blog, you should start building your email list.

Keep telling people to join your list.

Promise that you will give them more value like the message you just delivered in your Facebook presentation, or on a guest post.

Let people know that they are important to you.

Let them know that you want them on your email list in order to give them even more value than you could on your blog post, or in social media postings.

When people value what you’re doing they will be more than happy to join your list, and stay in close contact with you and what you’re doing.

Build a relationship with your subscribers

Once you have people on your email list, then you can continue to build a relationship with them.

They will become the core of your Big Audience.

So connect with them consistently.

Don’t make them think that you forgot them or that you take them for granted.

Always give them valuable information and thoughtful emails after they sign up to your email list.

It’s not enough to build a Big Audience.

You also have to keep it.

So you’ll need to keep people interested in what you’re doing.

Always be revisiting your core message with them.

You have to make sure that when they are in the market for the products and services that you offer… that you are the person they’ll turn to.

Not only because you offer it, but because they know you, like you and trust you.

Building and maintaining your email list is critical to growing and nurturing a Big Audience among your blog readers.

Do I Need a Big Audience Before I Start A Blog?

No.

If you already have one, that’s great.

Now work on making it more responsive to you calls to action.

Increase your conversion rate by strengthening bonds and improving your calls to action.

But…

Don’t wait to create a Big Audience before you start a blog.

Blogging is the best way to create one.

So, No, you don’t need a Big Audience to start a blog.

But you do need to blog effectively in order to create one.

Learn More About Donna’s Popular Top Tier Coaching Program for Bloggers

So what do you think?

Do you think you need a Big Audience before you start a blog?

Or is it more important for you to start a blog to build a Big Audience?

How would you advise someone if they ask “Do I Need a Big Audience Before I Start A Blog?”

Leave me a comment to let me know where you stand on this.

-Donna

PS: Don’t forget to share this on your social sites, too 🙂

• Bio
• Blogging Magic

Donna Merrill

Donna is a well known blogger and creator of "Blogging Magic" - an intensive guide to blogging. "Blogging Magic" is for beginners who are trying to figure out how to bring their blogs to life with tons of visits, comments and social media interaction. It's even for advanced bloggers looking to reach new levels of authority and engagement with their audience.