Blogging is a powerful tool for building your personal brand. Blogging is also an effective way to connect with friends, family, and co-workers outside of your physical location.
However, blogging requires time and effort that not everyone is willing to dedicate.
Does it still make sense for you, is blogging worth it?
Here are some things you might consider before signing up to start a blog.
1) Digital Presence.
It’s difficult to market yourself without a digital presence these days. How do people find you online? How do they know what you offer or who you are?
A blog will provide a strong online image with qualities such as professionalism, credibility, etc. It will help build buzz about what you offer.
2) Authority.
Having a blog establishes you as an expert in your field. It helps build relationships with other bloggers and provides a place to network.
Blogging creates a level of trust that you have something worthwhile to say, and it also puts you on the map as someone who cares about what they’re talking about.
3) Social Media.
Blog content can be shared through social media services such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. This platform allows you to share and promote your ideas and help build an audience.
4) Expand Your Network.
Blogging opens up a world of possibilities for building new relationships and meeting new people with common interests.
Blogging also gives you the opportunity to become active in your niche community by interacting with others who share similar experiences as you do.
5) Make it a Business.
Blogging is a small business. It’s not an extra service you perform as a freelancer. It’s a valuable asset for your personal brand.
Defining yourself as the expert in your niche, will attract clients to work with you. It will also allow you to create products and services that speak directly to the needs of your audience.
Bloggers who do not use their blog for business purposes are wasting their time. You should monetize your blog to keep all the initial investments that went into it intact, even if sometimes you might just save money on hosting expenses .
6) Become an entrepreneur.
If your blog is anything like mine, you tend to get an idea in your head and you want to run with it. Blogging will allow you to start a business with the push of a button. It gives you flexibility and allows you to work from anywhere in the world.
You can set your own hours and work at any given time that works for you. If an idea comes into your head while climbing a mountain, swimming in the ocean, or taking a nap after lunch then all that’s stopping you is getting that idea up on paper and posting it on the Internet.
Blogging also allows for multiple streams of income so if one fades out, there are others ready to take its place.
7) Your knowledge is your most valuable asset.
Think of blogging as a bank account for all your information. Blogging allows you to store important documents in the cloud so they are always available to you, no matter where you are or what device you use.
You can also save your business process files in the cloud so they are automatically backed up when you save them.
Most blogging platforms allow for backups of their databases which can be used when they fail, for example when there’s a server crash or website is hacked into or when someone has deleted all posts since June 1, 2009.
8. Increase Your Income.
Money earned through blogging can be used to pay off credit card balances or even to start an ecommerce store.
If you are in the early stages of your entrepreneurial journey, blogging can help build your brand and earn some money to put towards your business.
9. Create a community.
A blog provides a place where people can interact with you and share their thoughts, ideas, and comments about topics that are relevant to your business or industry.
You will also have the opportunity to share information about your new products or services with them on your blog.
You always want to be sure you’re sharing good content that is relevant and helpful, but that’s also fun for people who read it regularly on a daily basis.
10. Make Connections.
A blog is an awesome way to connect with like-minded individuals in your niche. Blogging expands your network and allows you to establish relationships with people who share your interests.
You can also gain followers, which is awesome when it comes time for you to promote any new stuff that you’ve got going on in your business.
