Most of you must have wondered how the top blog sites like
Linda Ikeji, Bella Naija, Nairaland were able to break into and popularise the
Nigerian Blogosphere. These guys were able to make big bucks from blogging in a
country where blogging isn’t as popular as it is in countries like the US. For every
click and view you make on their website, these bloggers get richer.
THE SECRET INGREDIENT
The one universal feature that made these top bloggers
famous and engaging is “content.” In 1996 billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist
Bill Gate wrote an essay titled “Content is King” which was published on Microsoft
saying that he expects much of the “real money” to be made on internet to come from
content. He wrote “Those who succeed will propel the Internet forward as a
marketplace of ideas, experiences, and products-a marketplace of content.” Remember
this article was written 18 years ago, years before the explosion of the blogosphere.
Maybe he was a fortune teller.
So what is content? This is how I define it. Content is the
subtotal of all the textual, aural or visual elements contained in a website. In other words, content is that
which appeals, attracts and engages the users of your website, blog or online
platform. Once a user enters your url ,the next thing that opens is Content. If your
content doesn’t satisfy the needs of your users ,I advise you dig deep and find
something that does.
UNDERSTANDING THE
NIGERIAN ONLINE AUDIENCE
The problem most Nigerian bloggers have is that they think “for”
the audience instead of thinking “like” them. Ordinarily the Nigerian internet
users have a rigid list of reasons why they browse the web and all you need as
a blogger is to go through the list and figure out which reason best suits your
objectives and how you can synergize your objectives and the element (reason)
to capture the right audience.
Here are some reasons why Nigerians use the internet;
·
Entertainment (games, fashion, music , videos,
gossip)
·
Social networking
·
News
·
Sports
·
Tips (health, financial, relationship)
·
Education
·
Job opportunities
·
Shopping
·
Marketing and other commercial services
·
Read books
I’m sure the list is endless, but these are the popular ones.
Having the writing and creative skills is not enough if you want to succeed as
a blogger in Nigeria. You must have a content that is appealing to the user and
make her come back, share or perform a certain action as the case may be. The top
bloggers in Nigeria build their posts around the aforementioned reasons and the
popular culture of the society. That is why they are “blowing.”
PATIENCE PAYS
It might not start working immediately but when you carve
out and occupy a good niche in the blogosphere, the sky is your starting point.
Take your time and study the Nigerian blogosphere and devise
a means of blending what you want to communicate and what the audience wants to
know. Study the top blogs and their audience and start practising.
Watch out for the next article on this series on how to be a
successful blogger in Nigeria. Cheers
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