You just can’t have enough when it comes to The Most Useful Blogging Skills You Can Have. You may find you’re strong in some areas and not so strong in others. But, no matter your point, you can continually improve.
A blogger wears many hats. If it was a physical business, you’d find that a blogger belongs to many departments and performs more than one job. More like 2 or 3 jobs at once. Focus is important. As you read the list, center on one skill. You will be faster, and the quality of your learning will be remarkable. I’ll show you the skills I just wrote about next:
1. Writing
This is first on the list since writing is a handy skill. A great piece of advice I read a long time ago is writing as if you’re talking to someone. This takes away the stress of writing perfect sentences again and again.
Having a routine and strong habits are essential to do a good job each time you sit to share your knowledge. This will solve writer’s block and will make you productive.
You may write video scripts even if you don’t write blog posts. This is why writing is critical. It sets the stage for everything else.
2. Copywriting
Should writing and copywriting belong to the same category? Hardly so. Copywriting is a specialized set of skills. It’s just as related to persuasion as it is to writing.
You must communicate features and benefits, so the prospective buyer perceives high value. Finally, you need to press the right buttons. Seducing a reader is no easy task, but it is crucial to the health of most online businesses.
Sales letters, emails, review blog posts, and other content benefit from sound copywriting. For many, it is sales in writing. But, think about it, you can sell in a scalable and automated way through the internet. Now, that’s exciting!
3. Online research
This skill supports most others. You don’t know how to do a specific task? Search for it! I’m sure you’ll find a definite answer, or you’ll find information that will help you to make up your mind.
Professional online research involves a bit more than just searching on Google. It means you can use suitable operators when doing an online search. If you are focused on a niche, you may have a list of websites where you get your ideas for headlines or content.
To perform online research the right way, you need the ability to concentrate; this is true because your memory creates connections while you’re reading or absorbing content.
4. Knowledge about your niche
The creation of value is or should be a priority for a blogger. This is made possible by the communication of knowledge and expertise. By being informed about a niche or industry, you’ll be making sure to communicate what you know in a way that your audience understands you.
A tip for being informed about your niche or industry is to use a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) reader. This way, you don’t have to spend time seeking news in your field.
You’ll make life easier when you write about a subject you know. You’ll feel as if the words are flowing, making work more interesting for you. Besides, specialization demands higher professional rates.
5. People skills
You thought you could get away behind your screen and keyboard. But, to succeed, you must create outreach campaigns where you communicate with all sorts of people.
You may indeed use templates to write an email, but when you need to speak on the phone to another blogger, your tone of voice and the way you handle yourself can make a remarkable difference in your results.
As your site grows in popularity, you may need to speak publicly or talk to other people about business opportunities. People skills will not only make you more effective, but they will also make your work more pleasurable.
6. Photo editing
The old but tried and valid English language adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” rings true today. You’ll find you need visuals when publishing your blog posts. Whether featured images or infographics, photos accompanying text usually have to be resized, cropped, and edited in some way or another.
Having these skills is crucial for most bloggers. However, unless you collaborate with someone who performs these activities, you will likely do them yourself.
You can begin with GIMP, or you can learn the basics of Photoshop. No matter your choice, you’ll be doing yourself an excellent service.
7. Social network savviness
As you advance in your blogging career, you’ll find that social networking sites are your friends. You must navigate this world by having a goal and being clever about it.
If you take your time, you’ll know when to create, repurpose, and post the right content. Then, write the most effective hashtags and navigate endless pages and menu options to reach your goals.
The most critical element is to be a nice person behind the keyword. This will show in your interactions with your readers and fellow bloggers. Automation is your friend. You can find it in quality software products.
8. Basic HTML/CSS knowledge
You may think you need a computer science degree to understand how the internet works. The truth is that a bit of tech knowledge goes a long way. You don’t need to create websites or web pages yourself, but you can learn basic HTML/CSS skills you will use for your whole blogging career in a weekend or two.
Do you want to underline a particular sentence? You got it. Do you want to add a form from your email service provider? No problem. In time these skills become second nature. You can even spot errors and fix them with a bit of practice. You’ll save considerable money by doing it yourself instead of hiring expensive developers. Your productivity should rise too.
Conclusion
This list of the Most Useful Blogging Skills You Can Have will be helpful in your journey as a blogger. Participating in the knowledge economy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply soft skills to your craft. Problem-solving, leadership, self-motivation, setting goals, time management, etc., are still critical to your success. By improving one step at a time, you’ll make sure you become the best blogger you can be. This means you will create value in people’s lives and benefit from it too. The good news is that you can learn what is required of you on the job. Of course, you can improve every day and have fun doing so.
