I think many blog out of fear. What do I mean?
Like all other online fads, many jump on the bandwagon because it’s what everybody else is doing. Take social bookmarking. There are so many sites dedicated to it that it would be impossible to use every one of them continuously and effectively.
I started my blog just over three years ago (February 2005). I did it out of a bit of pressure, I admit. I felt left behind. While I agree that particularly as a freelance writer I must stay on top of certain trends, there comes a time when each of us should ask, “Is this something I need to do right now?”
Following are a few guidelines for deciding, “Is this a trend I need to hop on right now?”
How to Decide if a New Trend is Right for Your Business
1. Industry Relevance: You must first decide if it is relevant to the success of your business. As mentioned above, I’m a freelance writer. So, blogging was something I needed be aware of. And now, with the proliferation of blogging jobs, it’s a revenue stream I would have been missing out on if I hadn’t started to blog.
2. Time: Consider the time investment of getting familiar with a new trend. A primary question I always consider is “How will this impact my day-to-day operations, and will it add to my bottom line?”
I have very little, if any, extra time in my day to just fiddle around. If a new technology (fad, trend) is not going to add to my bottom line on the front- or back end, then it’s not one I’m likely to fool around with.
For example, I just queried a contact today about doing an interview on podcasting. I’ve been familiar with podcasting for almost three years now, but have yet to implement into my marketing mix because I just don’t see how it can add more to my bottom line right now – at least not with some marketing muscle behind it (which I don’t have time for right now).
3. Money: Thank goodness a lot of the new technology to come along online is free (eg, blogging, videos, social bookmarking), but some of it isn’t.
Especially before you spend money on a new technology, trend or fad, ask how it’s going to pay for itself over time. If it’s not going to for a few more years, then you might want to wait a few more years to get involved with it.
4. What’s Working Now: If the marketing methods you’re employing now are meeting your sales targets, then don’t jump on a new wagon because it’s the newest, brightest, shiniest one to come along in a while.
That’s why I’m a big believer in having long and short-term income goals. If you want to increase your income by 50% over the next year and a half, then that new fad might be just the thing to get you there.
BUT, if you can just increase what you’re already doing to get you there, then why not?
Staying on top of new trends is one thing; implementing them is another altogether. Doing what’s best for you and your business does not mean jumping on every fad to come along. It means implementing only when you’re truly ready.
An interesting article Yuwanda. As a fairly new blogger its taking me a bit of time to work out whether a lot of the niche social networking sites are worth the time it takes to use them, trying to keep a network at places like stumble and digg take up enough time, without spending time at other networking/income stream tasks, so i rarely bother with the new technology's, unless i can see that it is something that will take off and will ultimately help me achieve my core blogging goals.
Great article.
I think a lot of people do blog out of fear, I've certainly met a few of them online.