Deciding to start a blog comes with a lot of questions and requires a lot of thought. One of the most important questions during this process is, “Will it be beneficial to me and my practice?” According to rheumatologist Paul Sufka, it is! “You have complete control over what is in your blog, as opposed to physician review sites where you have no control. This allows patients to have a chance to learn about you as a physician directly. It also provides a way to express your interests both inside and outside of medicine, and can lead to others with similar interests connecting with you,” explains Sufka. If starting a blog is something you have debated and you are ready to take the plunge, here are a list of blogging basics to help get you started.
Consider who you are blogging for.
Obviously your blog will have something to do with rheumatology, but it needs to be more specific. Target your demographic population and find your niche. The World Wide Web is full of blogs, how will yours stand out? Doing this early in the process will help you establish the tone and voice of the blog and clearly define who your target audience will be.
Choose your name.
This may seem simple, but choosing a name or description for the blog section of your website can be difficult. As you are choosing your name think of some exciting taglines and content that will capture the reader’s attention.
Create quality design.
It is important that your blog is visually appealing and makes a big impact. Humans are visual creatures so while you may not feel that a rheumatology blog needs a nice design, think again. Consider your audience again as you put together your design. Keep it classic and don’t overwhelm your reader with clutter, annoying pop-ups or hard to read fonts.
Draft your posts.
Draft several posts ahead of time. If you cannot manage at least 10 posts in advance, now may not be the best time to start a blog. Doing this ahead of time will help you plan for posting in the future and give you plenty of time to edit and make changes. Keep your posts reader-friendly, especially with a medical blog. It may be easy to get wrapped up in medical terms but once again, remember your audience.
Allow your readers to engage with you.
Keep yourself accessible to your readers. This makes you and your blog more relatable. Let readers comment on your posts, and when they do be sure to reply. Include a small personal profile somewhere within the blog and include email contact information.
Keep in mind the best blogs are written by those who are knowledgeable and passionate. Write about what you know and what excites you. If you aren’t excited about it, your reader won’t be either. A blog is a creative outlet, but it is also a way to mold your online presence, build your reputation and ultimately your practice.
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