Interested in Blogging? Start Mapping!

Mindjet Blog traffic doubles in the last 4 months!

First, thanks and welcome to all our new readers! I started blogging for Mindjet almost four months ago and since then our blog traffic has jumped over 100%! And that’s not including all the readers of our RSS feed. I’ve been amazed (and excited) watching the numbers grow, especially since I’ve never blogged before!

How did our blog success happen? Here are a few tips that I’ve discovered along the way:

Look Before You Leap 

If you’re looking to have your blog drive traffic for your business, start reading successful blogs and learning the art of blogging. Follow the top blogs about your industry and your target markets. More importantly, check out the blogs about blogging. These educational resources are packed with rich content in both their posts and user comments. Some of the blogs I check out regularly are: 

• PROBLOGGER: Darren Rowse provides a lot of rich content covering blog content, design, monetization of blogs, technologies, and much more!
• copyblogger: Brian Clark is all about using words to create action which makes his blog a must read for any business writer!
• For more general blogging tips, periodically look into BloggingPro, The Blog Herald, or one of my favorite new services, Guy Kawasaki’s alltop: All the top Blogging news.

Map Before You Write

Darren Rowse’s favorite technique for coming up with new topics to blog about is using mind maps. In his post today, he wrote "I outline my mind mapping technique here but in short the technique is that you take one post idea (one from your archives perhaps) and then brainstorm ways that that topic can be expanded upon into numerous new topics. You then take some of those new ideas and think about ways that they too can be expanded upon into new posts. This technique can literally help you identify hundreds of new topics to write about."

Copyblogger’s Mara Rogers also posted an article on how she "writes better posts or articles in less time." One of her steps…you guessed it. Mind mapping.

There’s a pattern forming here. Some of the world’s best bloggers are using mind maps to brainstorm and develop content!

Other writers, like Roger Parker, have developed entire writing methodologies based on mind mapping. Check out his site to see how you can plan, write and promote your writing!

Write to Add Value

I’ve been focusing a lot on highlighting ways to use our products and services. Here are some ways to add value with your blog:

• Highlight new features or services
• Provide tips & tricks
• Provide insights into your industry’s trends and outlook
• Share customer successes
• Provide resources (e.g. templates, tutorials, etc…)

Join Communities that Matter

One of my first challenges as an evangelist was to figure out how to take the conversation to people outside of the mind mapping community. Think about how you can inject your product or service into the conversations that matter for your business. Check out communities on NING, LinkedIn, or even other complementary product communities. These communities often let you add your blog posts too. Give your company a voice and link back to your posts. But only link back if you’re adding value. Otherwise, you’re spam!

Another way to grow your blog traffic is to engage with other bloggers. Write and link to their blogs or provide helpful comments in their posts. Do it when and where it makes sense.

Integrate Your Communications

Can your blog be integrated with your other communication vehicles? Try leveraging these resources to highlight relevant blog posts. Integrate your blog with your marketing and product strategy. For instance, I kicked off my blogging with a series of 8 blog posts to celebrate our launch of MindManager 8. Are you engaged in any social networking? Find ways to integrate your conversations with links back to blogs that support your conversations. 

So, thanks again to all our readers, fellow bloggers and inspiring mappers! Keep sending your feedback & suggestions, hooking up with me on Twitter, and sharing your maps and ideas with the world! Together, we’ll change it!

About the Author: Michael Deutch is Mindjet’s Chief Evangelist, content contributor for the Mindjet Blog and the Mindjet Connections newsletter. Get more from Michael on Twitter.