We recently attended a free webinar that Marketwire, a multi-industry news and communications organization, hosted on getting your blog to do more– more traffic, more business, more buzz generation. We would like to share some of what we learned with you and get your feedback on what makes your blog successful.

Marketwire’s How to Make Your Blog Pay Off in 2012 Recap:

1) The starting point and your master plan: Before starting a blog, you need to think of “Your Unique Perspective”. What does your audience want to hear and how can you use your skills to bring this to the table? It’s good to have a clear idea of blogging tactics and be flexible to change as the audience will help you to drive the direction of your blog once it picks up speed.

2) Brainstorming sessions are a good way to generate ideas for your blog: When it comes to blogging and engagement, it’s always good to have a team of people throwing ideas back and forth to create something better. Consider doing a roundtable with your team, from the marketing department to the finance gurus, and watch the magic unfold.

3) Tell a story: What keeps people coming back for more? A good story. Make your blog unique to your audience by engaging them with good stories. You can do this by implementing a special segment feature on a timely basis or your day-to-day posts. Remember it’s all about making that connection. So although organization and structure is key, make sure you are not losing your voice– be yourself.

4) Bringing everything together: Lastly, your blog should act as a content and social media hub because that’s what it is. A good blog should easily link to and from your website and also be connected with the social media platforms that your audience uses whether it’s Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.

What are your thoughts on being a successful blogger? What techniques are you using now?