4+1 Things the iPhone Can Teach Us about Blogging

This post was guest blogged by Dev Basu. Dev authors Daily Moolah dot Com, a blog on making money online. He is an established internet marketer and serial entrepreneur, based in Toronto, Canada. Daily Moolah dot Com covers topics such as blog monetization, affiliate marketing, Wordpress SEO, PPC advertising and much more.

Zeitgeist! No I didn’t sneeze…but there sure seems to be a trend about Apple going on in these guest posts. While Arpit’s taking time off from Clazh designing a Wordpress theme, I’ll try to shed some light on what all this buzz about Apple’s iPhone means for bloggers worldwide.

1. Establish Your Niche Early On : ‘iPhone’ is currently the 7th most popular search term on Technorati, with over 1700 blogs dedicated to Apple’s brand new ‘uber’ device. Lesson learnt bloggers - Get in on the game early on, because you are competing in a niche with over 306,337 posts at last count.
2. Press Release Your Way to Buzz-dom: Ok, so buzz-dom isn’t a real word, because I just made it up. But neither is ‘iPhone’. Apple’s marketing campaign has been ingenious to say the least, and hopefully your blog (and mine for that matter) will share a fraction of that success. Establish the same buzz Apple did by issuing a Press Release for your blog or website. You will be surprised to know how many bloggers haven’t considered a Press Release a viable way of boosting their blog’s popularity. Find out more here
3. Dare to be Different: Touch technology, task scheduling, and the ability to play mp3’s on your mobile phone aren’t all that revolutionary. But the iPhone is as successful as it is because Apple dared to be different, and so should you. I’m talking about uncommon wordpress themes, opinionated posts, disruptive content that makes you and your brand stand out among the rest of the herd.
4. But Don’t Re-invent the Wheel : Wait a minute - didn’t I just suggest being different from the rest? Yes, be different in your design, content, and opinion. But in doing so, choose technology, platforms, and design that is tried and tested in your niche. The iPhone, while touted as an all-in-one uber device, is still a phone at its core. Similarly, be the best you can be at being an authoritative blogger, coder, or marketeer. In code speak, why use flash when valid CSS is the prevailing standard?
5. Keep it Simple Sherlock - Is your blog easy enough for a one year old to use? Apple’s iPhone sure is based on this YouTube video. The key here is to have usability and interoperability at the top of your priorities when going about your blog. Make your RSS feed more accessible, your blog easier to navigate, and yourself easier to reach.