Ben Stroup

The team at Ben Stroup Enterprises is a diverse crew hailing from all over the country with a set of highly complementary skills and passions. Many of us are behind the scenes so we want to take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on each member.

JEREMY CHANDLER serves as Social Media Director at Ben Stroup Enterprises. Combining his passion for “connecting” and interest in the latest marketing trends, he helps individuals and organizations establish and manage a social media presence that is vital for anyone looking to thrive in today’s world.

1. Are you an extrovert, introvert or “ambivert?” 

I would say extrovert. Growing up, I was a lot more extroverted than I am today, but I still feed off the energy of others and enjoy connecting with people as much as possible.

2. What are your currently reading?

I like to read a couple of books at a time, usually one fiction and one nonfiction. Right now, I’m in the middle of two books: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

3. Which Nashville coffee shop do you recommend to out of towers? 

That’s really really a tough question, but the two I frequent most are CREMA & Frothy Monkey.

4. What podcasts do you subscribe to? 

Right now, the only one listen to regularly is Michael Hyatt’s podcast, This is Your Life.

5. What is your favorite quote?

“If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” – Sir Isaac Newton

As someone who really values mentoring and learning as much as I can from those who are older and wiser, I always refer to this quote from Sir Isaac Newton. I think it perfectly captures the importance of mentoring and finding people who can speak wisdom into your life.

6. Would you prefer money for a housekeeper, cook, gardener, or personal secretary? 

I’m going to say personal secretary, simply because my wife is an expert in the other three.

7. What is one item on your bucket list?

My wife and I love to travel so most of my bucket list consists of various cities and countries we’d like to visit. Probably the place I’d like to visit most is Italy.

8. What is your tech device du jour?

While I’m just trying to keep up with Ben’s technology expertise most of the time, I’m currently really enjoying how easy Evernote makes things across all my devices. It’s become a valuable tool over the past few months.

9. What social causes fire you up? 

I wouldn’t say that there’s one specific cause that excites me more than others, but I love to see social justice organizations look for creative ways to engage supporters in championing their cause. One organization I follow and support is Blood:Water Mission. My wife also works for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee. While it’s not a social justice organization, I love hearing the stories she shares about the kids and families who get to take their minds off all of the stresses and struggles they’re dealing with, even for a little while, by experiencing something they’ve always wanted to do.

10. What is one book that has made a huge impact on your life? How so? 

Linchpin by Seth Godin is a book that I’m constantly recommending to others mainly because it’s been so beneficial in the way I approach my work. As someone who’s in the “early stages” of their career it’s been extremely influential in the way I think about making an impact and doing work that matters.

Connect with Jeremy on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Hilary Sutton is a content writer at Ben Stroup Enterprises and is passionate about giving a voice to stories that are begging to be told. You can connect with her via Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or email.

In 2011, content marketing was still a relatively new, emerging discipline that companies were trying to wrap their minds and processes around. Today, nine out of ten businesses are implementing content marketing strategies. While some companies are still working to navigate the space, there are others who are leading the way and setting the content marketing trends that are going to help businesses connect with customers over the coming months and years.

A few weeks ago, I ran across a post from Content Marketing Institute with 7 tricks content marketing trendsetters can teach you. While each trick has proven successful for the brands highlighted in the post, there are two that we’ve found to be extremely beneficial for the work we do with clients.

1. Create content partnerships to reach more people.

The post highlights a content marketing tip used by SalesForce in which they partner with complementary brands that caters to their audience. Looking for strategic partnerships to reach more people is something we do for every client. Whether it’s through creating relationships with thought-leaders to provide additional content or reach out to influencers to become exclusive brand advocates, finding those relationships and utilizing them through our content marketing efforts has proven to be extremely beneficial.

Another key content marketing channel for creating partnerships is social media. By creating social content that adds value to others, you’re able to build trust and gain permission to start a conversation. That conversation may lead to a significant partnership. It has for many of our clients.

How do you do this? Consider sharing a valuable post they wrote with your followers or responding to one of their tweets with a genuine compliment.

Creating partnerships to reach more people isn’t simply a way to increase awareness, it can also increase your brand equity depending on the influence a strategic partner has developed.

2. Keep a consistent content publishing schedule.

This is one of the things that the top content marketing brands do very well. The tip from Content Marketing Institute suggests that you should keep an editorial calendar that looks three months ahead, and make detailed content plans at least a month in advance.

Over the past three years, creating a consistent content marketing schedule based on an established strategy has become a top priority for our work. Each quarter, we take a moment to establish our strategy for the upcoming months, often reaching out for feedback from the sales team about some of the questions they receive in the field. This helps us develop the content needed to ensure the prospect has an opportunity to work through many of their questions before they ever engage a business or brand as an active buyer.

The net effect of this is the length of your sales cycle decreases—and so does your cost per sale. (That will sell in the C-suite all day long!)

On a monthly basis, we take time to create strategic, search engine optimized headlines based on this strategy. Taking a moment to each month to consider a broad perspective (such as a key business objective or brand statement) ensures every piece of content we create helps clients achieve one of their overall marketing goals.

The thing I love about the tips highlighted in the post is the same thing I love content marketing in general: Any brand can utilize these tactics to reach their audience and move them to take measurable action. You don’t have to be Coca-Cola, Nike, or Cisco to succeed with content marketing. You just need to invest in it.

Are you leveraging the tips used by content marketing trendsetters with your blog or other content marketing pieces? How has it paid off?

Jeremy Chandler serves as the social media director at Ben Stroup Enterprises and  jumps at any opportunity to connect with others. You can connect with him on Twitter, LinkedIn,Facebook, or Google+.

The team at Ben Stroup Enterprises is a diverse crew hailing from all over the country with a set of highly complementary skills and passions. Many of us are behind the scenes so we want to take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on each member.

LAUREN MURRELL, owner of Volacious, partners with Ben Stroup Enterprises as creative director. After a few years of wearing khakis and working in a cubicle, Lauren decided to start Volacious and work for herself.

1. According to Meyer’s Briggs what is your personality type? Do you think it’s accurate? 

I honestly don’t remember the results from a college Myer’s Briggs test. I’m assuming there’s a ‘type’ for being forgetful?

2. What historical time period are you most drawn to?

The early 1900′s. We have so much information for this era that it’s hard not to be interested. I’ve had conversations with my grandfather who was a map maker in WWII. It was fascinating listening to him talk about a range of experiences and how they impacted him.

3. What are you most passionate about in your work? 

The answer to this should probably be ‘to make beautiful art’, but it’s really keeping deadlines.

4. What music are you currently listening to?

I’ve been wearing out a Spotify list I made entitled ‘New 80′s’. It consists of Bon Iver, CHVRCHES, Kavinsky, and others.

5. What is one item on your bucket list?

To take my kids (once they’re old enough) to Walt Disney World every two years. It truly is the most magical place on earth and I can’t imagine not exposing them to that as often as we can afford it.

6. What fires you up about design? 

I probably enjoy large web projects more than print right now because it deals with user interface design. You aren’t simply designing something that will be printed and mailed or handed out, you’re designing something complex that people can interact with and use.

7. Do you prefer the mountains, the sea, or the city?

I grew up on 17 acres in a little town in Missouri, so I can definitely do without the big city. I think I like the mountains and sea equally.

8. What is your favorite family activity?

Saturday mornings with my husband and 3 year old daughter, Jovie. We cook a big breakfast together, play loud music, and watch Jovie dance.

9. What is the best movie you’ve seen this year?

I’ve only seen a few this year so far, but Zero Dark Thirty wasn’t half bad.

10. What do you do to de-stress? 

Prayer and coffee for most situations. If it’s work related, I find that simply walking away from my computer or a project for a few minutes, hours, or even days brings me to a point where I can take a fresh look at it and continue. I don’t remember how I de-stressed at my old cubicle job, but freelancing from home offers me that freedom.

Connect with Lauren on Twitter or Facebook.

Hilary Sutton is a content writer at Ben Stroup Enterprises and is passionate about giving a voice to stories that are begging to be told. You can connect with her via Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or email.

Whether your blog for business, to build our platform, or for fun, every person that invests time in producing content does so to generate conversations. Businesses produce content to generate conversations with customers. Platform builders might be hoping to eventually land a book deal or some other conversation that leads to real world impact. Those that blog for fun have their own kinds of conversation they’re hoping to generate.

While each motive is different, a majority of the people who struggle to turn their blog content into conversations are missing the mark. Many hope that by simply adding a question on the end and opening up the comments section, they’ll eventually generate the kinds of conversations they’re looking for.

However, I wouldn’t want to waste that much time and energy on the “hope” that conversations will eventually start trickling in, would you? A few weeks ago, I came across a brilliant post from MarketingProfs that asked the question, “Is your content sourcing conversations?”

When it comes to generating conversations that matter with your content, here are three ideas from the post that stood out along with some personal thoughts on how you can apply them:

1. Move from one-off blasts to serial storytelling. One of the things we stress in our work with clients is to always look for how the content we share ties back into a strategic goal or area of thought-leadership. Doing so keeps us from creating random content that doesn’t produce conversations and ensures that the content answers buyers’ questions at each stage in the buying process.

No matter your reason for blogging, always tie your content back to a strategic goal or service. What’s your niche? What story are you looking to tell with your content.

2. Shift from packaged campaigns to turning on the fly. The great thing about blogging is that it doesn’t have to be a certain word length to get published. In fact, sometimes shorter is better. People can consumer more information than ever before and most of your readers probably read multiple blogs or articles throughout the day.

By producing short-form content and immediately finding ways to repackage and repurpose it, you’re able to keep people engaged in what you have to say.

3. Overcome the multichannel challenge. Making sure that your content is consistent among every social media channel is challenging. However, if people can connect with you and receive a variety of beneficial content, they’ll be more likely to engage. This doesn’t necessarily mean feeding your tweets into your Facebook status updates, although that works for some. Instead, your job is to connect the dots for readers and you do that by coordinating content and conversations, even as they move from Twitter to your blog to Facebook to LinkedIn to real life.

Sometimes your conversations will happen online—whether on your blog or through social media. Sometimes they will happen offline. Either way, you know you are hitting the mark when conversations are created around the content you produce.

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to generating conversations with your content?

Jeremy Chandler serves as the social media director at Ben Stroup Enterprises and  jumps at any opportunity to connect with others. You can connect with him on Twitter, LinkedIn,Facebook, or Google+.

The team at Ben Stroup Enterprises is a diverse crew hailing from all over the country with a set of highly complementary skills and passions. Many of us are behind the scenes so we want to take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on each member.

BILL SEAVER, owner of MicroExplosion Media, partners with Ben Stroup Enterprises as digital marketing director. After spending many years in traditional marketing, Seaver left his role as the executive vice president for a marketing firm to focus solely on social media marketing.

1. What is one item on your bucket list?

To create a bucket list.

2. What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?

Play to your strengths and don’t do things the way everyone else does.

3. If you could, would you live year round in your favorite season? Which one?

No, I like the variety. I’d stick with the four seasons. There’s always something to look forward to and something to move beyond.

4. What are you currently reading?

Tim Ferriss’ Book “The 4-Hour Chef” and Russell Moore’s “Adopted For Life”

5. What is your favorite social network?

I can’t say that I have a favorite. They all have strengths and weaknesses. I’m paying a lot of attention to Instagram right now because it’s really moving beyond a service for adding filters to photos and becoming a highly focused and influential social network in its own right.

6. Do you follow any thought leaders? If so, which ones?

Seth Godin and Mitch Joel are the primary two people I read on a regular basis. I also recently started listening to an interesting podcast called “On Being” from American Public Radio that is a unique series of discussions about matters of faith, values and humanity. It’s great mental and spiritual exercise to listen to it because you will rarely agree with everything you hear but the value of hearing another perspective sparks wonderful insight and thinking.

7. What is your favorite quote?

I wouldn’t say I have a favorite quote but there are many that come to mind:

For work: “Potential means you haven’t done anything yet.”

For life: “Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.”

For fun: “Never milk a cow that has only one udder.”

8. What do you find most rewarding about your work? 

Helping people push beyond what they think they can do and showing them opportunities that they otherwise wouldn’t see.

9. If you weren’t in digital marketing, what line of work could you see yourself in?

If I walked away from digital marketing tomorrow I’d probably become a serial entrepreneur, both developing my own businesses and helping other people do the same.

10. What is your favorite family activity?

Riding bikes, game nights and watching old TV shows like The Andy Griffith Show and Dennis the Menace.

Connect with Bill on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

Hilary Sutton is a content writer at Ben Stroup Enterprises and is passionate about giving a voice to stories that are begging to be told. You can connect with her via Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or email.

The age of influence is your chance to create the change you want to see in the world.

The is your moment. That means there are two things which are true about you….

1. You are a person of influence.

Whether you think so or not, there are people out there in this world who are interested in what you have to say.

Whatever stage of life you find yourself in, the truth is people that will listen to you. Granted, you may not think you have as much influence as someone else, but that doesn’t matter as much as it did 10 years ago.

In the age of influence, a 25-year old living in an 800-square-foot apartment in Iowa has the opportunity to influence just as many people as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company in New York City. Remember, it was one random guy in Egypt who used Facebook to bring down an entire government. Before he learned how to leverage the age of influence, Chris Brogan was just a guy who spent 10 years flying to conferences around the country broke, eating leftover granola bars.

2. You have a message to share.

The second thing that is true about you is that you have a message you want to share. Your level of clarity about that message may vary, but the truth is that all of us have ideas, knowledge, or wisdom that we want to share with others.

You may be the CEO of a company who believes your product could change the lives of thousands of people or an aspiring author who has an idea for a book. You may be a grandmother who wants to pass down the wisdom you’ve learned over the years to your family or a 20-year-old who is passionate to rally people behind a cause.

Now that we’ve determined you are a person of influence and have a message to share, we’ve come to the question that every person of influence has to ask himself or herself at some point …

What in the world are you going to do with what you have to say?

In a time where anyone has the opportunity to share his or her ideas, what are you going to do with the message you have to share?

I wish I could give you a step-by-step guide for answering this question. However, the truth is the answer is different for each of us. For some, it may mean starting a blog. For others it may mean looking for opportunities to speak within your community. And some will pass along their wisdom in more physical constructs like books.

While learning what it takes to spread your message and move people to action takes time, every person who is leveraging the age of influence has been forced to answer this one question at some point in time. The answer may not be easy or comfortable, but it will be worth it.

The key is to take the first step, to ask yourself the question. From there, it’s time to get to work.

So what in the world are you going to do with what you have to say?

If you’ve been wrestling with the question for a while, but still haven’t been able to find the right answer, we’d love to know… What questions are you struggling with? What message do you want to share?

Jeremy Chandler serves as the social media director at Ben Stroup Enterprises and  jumps at any opportunity to connect with others. You can connect with him on Twitter, LinkedIn,Facebook, or Google+.

The team at Ben Stroup Enterprises is a diverse crew hailing from all over the country with a set of highly complementary skills and passions. Many of us are behind the scenes so we want to take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on each member.

ROBERT BENSON is chief vision architect at Ben Stroup Enterprises. He is an observer and participant in the publishing revolution and believes the opportunity has never been greater for people and organizations with a message and a platform to engage others in meaningful conversations and change the world with ideas.

1. According to Meyer’s Briggs what is your personality type? Do you find it to be accurate? 

INFJ. It is so accurate I can hardly stand it.

2. What are 5 books that made an impact on you?

The Writing Life by Annie Dillard, The Sacred Journey by Frederick Buechner, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carre, Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants by Rueben Job, and Stanyan Street and Other Sorrows by Rod McKuen.

3. What historical time period would you most like to visit?

I don’t want to visit, I want to live there. The romantic poets: Coleridge and Keats. That’s actually where I want to live. I would rather be in France. I recently discovered Paris is the center of the universe.

4. What life experience has strengthened you most?

I suffer from depression. I spent a while in a psyche ward about 20 years ago. I’m probably still standing now because of my time in the psych ward. If it were not for that, frankly, I would be dead.

5. If you could have any view from your back yard what would it be? 

The view from the balcony on the 7th floor garret apartment in Paris. We recently stayed in an apartment in Paris with a view of the spier at Notre Dame. I would trade my backyard view for that.

6. What is one piece of career advice you would give to a budding young writer? 

Do not go to any thing that sounds like a class that would teach you to write. Avoid creative writing classes at all costs. Also: see if you can find a place where someone will pay you to learn to write. For example: an advertising agency, publishing company, magazine, newspaper, even if you do not like the work. Even if they do not pay you well. No one ever pays writers well. Even if you do not get paid well you are at least getting paid to learn the craft. The first thing you learn is the craft.

7. What are currently listening to? 

James Taylor up to my ears. He’s the soundtrack to my entire life. He was the 1st record I bought on my way to college. “Sweet Baby Jane.” I’m also listening to Ingrid Michaelson a lot.

8. When you “unplug” what is your favorite way to spend your time? 

I like to lie by the pool in the sun and work a crossword puzzle.

9. Dogs or Cats? 

Cats. Though I’m not a cat person, there is a cat that lives in our house. The cat has decided I’m a cat person. She follows me around like a puppy.

10. What is your favorite thing about living in Nashville?

Living with my wife. It’s the best thing. And if she were somewhere else, then that’s where I would want to live.

Connect with Robert on Facebook.

Hilary Sutton is a content writer at Ben Stroup Enterprises and is passionate about giving a voice to stories that are begging to be told. You can connect with her via Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or email.

If you haven’t heard, last week Google announced they are planning to retire Google Reader on July 1^st of this year. For most people, this came as a shock and has already created quite an uproar. While petitions to save Google Reader have popped up across the Internet and Ann Curry is urging her followers to tweet Google, most of the conversations surrounding Google Reader have been about the next best alternative. Thankfully, guys like Tony Morgan have already been on the hunt for alternatives and are sharing their ideas.

Today, I wanted to bring a different approach to the conversation. Instead of sharing five alternatives to Google Reader, I wanted to take a second to help you think though which RSS reader option might be best for you.

If you’re still undecided about which RSS reader you’re going to use when Google Reader sails off into the sunset, there are two primary questions to ask yourself that will help you narrow down the options and make the best decision:

Do you prefer cloud-based or desktop-based readers?

Most RSS readers fall into two categories: cloud-based or desktop-based. If you read your RSS feeds in more than one place (i.e. – you want to read them at home, at work, or on different devices), you’ll want to try a cloud-based RSS reader, similar to what Google Reader is now. Some good cloud-based options that have been recommended are Feedly, NetVibes, or The Old Reader.

Your other option is to go with a desktop app. While the only suggested reader I found for Windows users (FeedDemon) also announced they would no longer operate, Mac users should check out Reeder, which has a really great layout or one of its alternatives.

How many blogs do you follow?   

Once you decide the type of reader you prefer, this is the next question to ask. The format for each reader is different and you’ll want to find one that works well with the number of blogs you follow.

For instance, if you subscribe to more than 50 blogs, you’ll probably want to find a reader with a interface that is more list-based. Both Feedly and Reeder have an interface that is similar to Google Reader’s “list look.” If you use Outlook for email, their RSS Reader is also a great option if you’re used to using Google Reader.

However, if you don’t follow that many blogs or you’ve been looking to switch things up, you might want to consider something like Pulse or Flipboard. The great thing about these readers is that their interface is a lot more engaging and dynamic. Because these readers are designed to be more like magazines, they’re very image driven. While it might be a good option for creative workers, it can get overwhelming if you follow a a good number of blogs.

I’m still testing out several different alternatives to Google Reader, but the one I’m enjoying most thus far is Feedly.

What were your first thoughts when Google announced they’d be retiring Google Reader? What RSS Reader are you planning to use?

Jeremy Chandler serves as the social media director at Ben Stroup Enterprises and  jumps at any opportunity to connect with others. You can connect with him on Twitter, LinkedIn,Facebook, or Google+.

The team at Ben Stroup Enterprises is a diverse crew hailing from all over the country with a set of highly complementary skills and passions. Many of us are behind the scenes so we want to take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on each member.

IVY SPRAGUE marries her love for words with her addiction to spreadsheets as the project coordinator for Ben Stroup Enterprises. Ivy lives and writes in the farm fields of Iowa.

1. So you live in Iowa. Tell us east coast/southerners something about living there that we don’t know! (Which sadly could be almost anything.) 

Iowa is awesome. Sure, we’ve got corn fields, hogs, and the best State Fair in the nation (take that, Texas!) but we’re also home to tons of innovation in renewable energy, finance, and biotechnology. Iowa is called the “Silicon Prairie” by lots of technology publications thanks to all the new things Iowa companies are creating.

Awesome Iowa quotes:

• “The prettiest girls in the world live in Des Moines (our capital city and my hometown).” Jack Kerouac
• “Is this Heaven? No, it’s Iowa…” Field of Dreams
• “I’m from Iowa; I only work in outer space.” Captain Kirk.

2. You’re an ABBA fan. Have you seen “Mamma Mia?” What did you think of the movie starring Meryl Streep? 

I loved “Mamma Mia.” Sure, it was campy and cheesy, but you just can’t beat Pierce Brosnan belting out all his songs with that 80s music video intensity.  And the jumpsuits. Oh, the jumpsuits.

3. What event in the past, present, or future would you like to witness in person?

I’m a big history nerd, so I think I’d go back to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The founding fathers (and mothers!) were far from perfect, but the fact that they had the courage and vision to forge an entirely new nation is incredible to me. I’d love to be a fly on the wall of Independence Hall!

4. What are you most passionate about in your work? 

I’m most passionate about creating clarity in my work. I’ve seen too often what happens when people don’t understand what we’re doing, or why. Only when we all understand and support the goals can we be really successful in achieving them!

5. What are your daily reads? 

Daily reads: Bible, mashable.com, Twitter, MichaelHyatt.com, and whatever other interesting posts I see on social media. And I’m in the middle of a new book called “Early to Rise” by Andy Traub, in which I’m desperately trying to make myself a morning person.

6. Where do you work best (i.e. coffeeshop, cubicle (ha), desk at home ,etc)?

Coffee shops are pretty thin around our farm (sadly!), so I’m usually making frequent trips to my Keurig and then back to my home office with its views over our pasture.

7. What is one item on your bucket list? 

One thing on my bucket list is to take a trapeze lesson. I guess I spent too many years in Spandex and rhinestones as a kid in dance class. I just found out there’s a school in Chicago that gives lessons, so that may be happening soon! Stay tuned!

8. What is your favorite social network? Why? 

My favorite social network is still Facebook (even though I feel like a fuddy-duddy for saying it). And I still fondly remember the days four years ago when my mother referred to it as “Facepage.” But now I’m diving into Google+, which has the potential to be really cool once the adoption increases. C’mon over, everybody!

9. You are quote–”addicted to spreadsheets.” What! Why?

I do love spreadsheets. I love the way they’re able to take tons of complex information and help you see what’s really happening underneath all the numbers. And they’re awesome for keeping me organized. I went to London last summer and had my whole itinerary in a spreadsheet organized by neighborhood and subway stop. (Yeah, I might have a problem.)

10. Who is your favorite character on Downton Abbey and why? 

My favorite Downton Abbey character is definitely Lady Edith. We “useful spinsters” have to stick together! Although, they just introduced a new kitchen maid named Ivy. She may become my favorite—just out of botanical name solidarity.

Connect with Ivy on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Hilary Sutton is a content writer at Ben Stroup Enterprises and is passionate about giving a voice to stories that are begging to be told. You can connect with her via Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or email.

The great thing about the connection economy is that anyone can build a platform.  However, only a small percentage of people know what it takes. Today, I thought it would be interesting to talk with someone who has built a platform, and therefore knows what it takes.

Today, I wanted to highlight a recent conversation I had about blogging with Ron Edmondson. For those that don’t know him, Ron is a pastor, speaker, and sought-after leadership consultant. He also happens to be my dad. Ron knows what it takes to build a platform. His blog has been featured as one of the top 20 Christian leadership blogs and is currently getting about 60,000 visits a month.

While most people who blog think that getting 50,000 visits a month is a pipe dream, I don’t think it’s nearly that unobtainable. After seeing all of the hard work, dedication, and commitment that Ron has invested into building his platform over the past few years, I thought it would be interesting to get an inside look into what it takes to get over 50,000 visits a month on your blog.

Here’s an inside look at “the secret sauce” for building your blog platform:

You talk a lot about being intentional about everything you do. How do you keep the purpose for blogging fresh?

It’s hard, but I try to remember the person on the other side of the computer. I try to write for the struggling pastor, the burned-out leader, the young pastor looking for wisdom. Another thing that helps is that I speak from life experience, as I’m learning, so that keeps my purpose in front of me. I try to communicate what I’m learning by doing.

What’s the biggest obstacle you face when you write?

Practically it’s the routine commitment I’ve made to blog almost daily. It can be burdensome at times. In terms of the actual content, the biggest obstacle is trying to remember that what seems simple to me, may not be to someone else who is hearing it for the first time. While it seems repetitious or simple to me, to someone else it might be gold.

How many hours/week do you spend writing, strategizing or investing in your blog?

It varies, but normally an hour per day. For me, the most consistent free time is usually at 9 or 10 at night, hence the typos I try to catch by mid-morning the next day.

Some people might know that you’ve actually been writing for an online audience for nearly two decades. How much do you think your tenure has attributed to your success?

I think the greatest benefit is that it’s made writing easier. I have a fairly solidified and consistent discipline in writing.

 What are three things that you would attribute to the success of your blog? 

• Writing from an easy-to-read…as I would talk…style.
• Addressing real-life situations from a personal perspective.
• Being responsive to my readers…a real person behind the blog.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone who feels like they have something to say, but are afraid to start a blogging for whatever reason?

Just start. The beginning of anything is often the hardest part. Don’t worry about numbers or who is or isn’t reading. Just start. Be consistent. Keep improving. Find your audience. You’ll succeed…if you stick with it long enough.

Whatever you’re reason for building a platform, I think there’s some valuable lessons here.

What piece of advice stood out to you most? Are you incorporating any of these lessons already?

Jeremy Chandler is Social Media Director at Ben Stroup Enterprises and  jumps at any opportunity to connect with others. You can connect with him on Twitter, LinkedIn,Facebook, or Google+.