I was drawn to this particular 85 Broads Jam Session as a neophyte to blogging. I decided that 2010 would be the year that I would dibble dabble into social media and use blogging as a way to share my passion about my signature interests (i.e. project management, wine, MBA). My strategy was to just start writing whatever came to my mind, in hopes that fellow bloggers globally would see the depth of my content and be instantly engaged. Boy, was I wrong.

Enter Kevin O’Keefe, blogger extraordinaire and a guy who ROCKS. The one hour that I invested in listening to his Jam Session on blogging was more valuable than the 75+ hours I’ve wasted trying to figure out social media on my own. Kevin dispelled the multitude of myths associated with blogging, and encouraged newbies everywhere to “get outside of your fear of blogging.” During his talk, Kevin answered a few questions that many of my friends and colleagues have about getting started.

Why should I blog? The real question is why shouldn’t you blog? Companies and professionals worldwide are using blogs as a medium for customer service, business development, and brand management. It’s a great way to meet people who are interested in your services while growing your business. Additionally, the landscape of social media and blogging has significant global reach. To drive home this point, Kevin provided some statistics on how much social media has grown over time.

Over 100,000,000 videos on YouTube
Over 200,000,000 blogs in existence
Over 100,000 blog posts daily

How should a new blogger get started? First and foremost, it’s all in your perspective and what you hope to achieve as a blogger. Blogging is much more than a one way conversation with the outside world. Kevin says, “I blog as a way to learn.” It’s about sharing information and engaging the audience in discussions about your shared passions. Here are some helpful tidbits on the keys to success with blogging.

Four Keys to Successful Blogging (Your Strategy):

1. Find your target audience and make a list of influencers – Influencers include fellow bloggers, reporters, publishers, conference coordinators, and association leaders.

2. Listen to your target audience – The more valuable information, the more people will share and engage. Make sure your content resonates with your readers.

3. Engage your audience – “Blogging is about building relationships.” ~ Kevin O’Keefe Engaging your audience not only drives communication, but helps you build your brand and reputation.

4. Empower your audience – Inspire and motivate your readers to continue sharing information and learning from one another. Increase your measure of influence.

If you’re an 85 Broads member, I would highly recommend checking out Kevin’s Jam Session online. It is also a great tool to help you prepare your pitch for Forbes Woman (see Kelly Hoey’s blog post at [85broads.com]). Just remember, having a strategy to blogging at the beginning will pay dividends in the end.

Kevin O’Keefe can be found on Twitter (@kevinokeefe) and LinkedIn ([linkedin.com]). Be sure to check out his blog, Real Lawyers Have Blogs at [kevin.lexblog.com].