Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

Did you see the blog challenge announcement but wasn’t sure if it was for you?  Michele Scism wrote a blog post yesterday sharing the top 5 reasons you may want to join a blog challenge (you’ll find that below).

I was thinking… the coolest things I got out of participating in the #blog30 challenge in June… were connections.  My traffic did go up significantly, and I connected with people who purchased services or ebooks from me, but beyond that I connected with people that I can grow together with in business, who I’m happy are becoming friends.  Can’t put a $ value on that (okay, maybe you could, but I’m not up to that kind of math tonight – when I finished calculus 10+ years ago I decided no more crazy math).

And of course, the more obvious benefits are that I have 30 more posts on my blog that can draw traffic and help people with their websites, blogs, and small businesses.  Those 30 posts I can re-purpose into things like articles, expand into ebooks, and so much more.

Completing the challenge was also a confidence booster that I could come up with topics to blog about.  Some days I shared technical tips, some more general business tips, and some days I share personal or motivational thoughts.  But I shared something each day.  And if I can do it, I know you can, too!  I’ll post this week with the tips that made it easier for me to complete the last one, in case they’re helpful for you, too.

I went into the last challenging figuring I could post 30 times, but that even if I didn’t accomplish that it was worth a try.  So I encourage you to look at this challenge the same way.  Try for 31 posts, but know that even a few more than usual is still a success!  We’d love to blog with you and get to know you.  Sign up is free at www.ultimateblogchallenge.com

And now, on to Michele’s post with the top 5 reasons to join a blog challenge!

By Michele Scism, The Results Lady

Have you taken part in a blog challenge lately?  Is your blog producing the results you want?

Recently I asked a group of bloggers on Facebook and Twitter the following question:

“What is the biggest benefit you got from joining a blog challenge?”

The answers I received were quite interesting but there was definitely a common theme and I am going to share with you the TOP 5 answers.

#5 – Set an example for my clients! Are you a coach, business consultant, marketing expert etc. that is always telling your clients to blog?  Hello – if you aren’t blogging on a regular basis, how can you proclaim the benefits of blogging to your clients?

#4 – Create a daily habit! Oh so important.  We all have heard the saying that it takes 21 days to form a habit.  The normal blog challenge runs for a month, either 30 or 31 days and provides you with enough time to form that habit.  My experience has been that the thought of blogging daily can be very scary, especially with our busy lives.  However, once you accomplish it (and I have) you have a completely different way of looking at it.  Blogging is no longer a scary beast!

#3 – Reading other peoples posts! During my last blog challenge I was surprised to find out how many people actually prefer to read blogs over other longer forms of written materials.  I have always been a blog reader, of course I am also a sitcom type of person.  I like that you can start it, get to the point and finish it all in a matter of moments.  This also means that since you are participating in a blog challenge with so many others just like you that you will naturally have more traffic driven to your website.

#2 – Make connections (interact) with other amazing people! This was one of my favorite benefits.  During the last blog challenge I met the most amazing people.  I made new friends, people that I will be friends with for a long time to come as well as people that I will be doing business with.

#1 – ACCOUNTABILITY! I don’t think this should be a shocker.  Since our lives are so busy and we have lists of things to do every day, it is really easy to put certain things off.  I don’t know about you but I find it pretty easy to put off blogging.  I am not a person who sits and writes for a whole day – I am the person who beats her deadlines by minutes.  :)  So as a lot of others and I found, it is great to know that there are people out there that are going to be checking to see if you posted that blog post.

So were you surprised at the top 5?  I was a little surprised that traffic didn’t come up a little more often.  I had amazing traffic during the last challenge and actually saw a website ranking increase in excess of 50%.  Check out my blog post “Blog Post #30 in the 30 Day Challenge” for more info on the amount of traffic.

Join the Ultimate Blog Challenge for the month of August.  It’s absolutely FREE!

All you do is sign up and tell everyone about you and your blog – that way people will know how to find you.  You will then receive a copy of our free ebook “7 Ways to Get Your Blog in Motion” and you will also receive 31 daily tips on blogging.

All you have to do is start writing your posts and be sure to post them on Twitter with our hashtag – #blogboost.  Then take a little time to visit your fellow challenge members blogs as well.  Leaving comments on others blogs will also help your website ranking because it creates links to your website.

See you in the challenge ==> Http://UltimateBlogChallenge.com