4 Reasons To Blog and 4 Steps To Get Started

Did you hear that global publishing empire, News Corporation, plans to charge for online subscriptions to their newspapers? You probably already know that they’re owned by media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, with newspapers like The New York Post, The Times in Britain, and The Australian. Huge changes are happening in the publishing and business worlds and Murdoch says:

“We intend to charge for all our news Web sites. If we’re successful, we’ll be followed by all media.”

So why is this good for bloggers? If established sites charge for their information, I think individual bloggers will become more influential because:

• There will be more blog readers: for example, many people won’t want to pay to read the news and the search engines won’t rank information that’s hidden in subscriptions sites.
• Blogs can can offer similar, or better, information free.
• Blogs offer a sense of community, interaction, and the a exchange of ideas that both readers and writers enjoy.

More Power To Bloggers

The power is slipping away from many large news agencies and businesses who don’t understand, or are scared of, the Internet. So individuals now have an opportunity to carve out a niche for themselves through blogging, and compete on a level footing with the big guys. Blogging, if done well, can give you a chance to supplement your existing income, grow your business and even become a full-time blogger.

Take Perez Hilton. The website he launched in 2004 is now one of the leading sites worldwide for celebrity news. For a gossip columnist with pink hair, having his website named one of the ‘50 most powerful blogs’ by the UK’s conservative Observer newspaper is quite a feat. Now Hilton is lining up TV shows, books and even a record label, just because of one small website he started five years ago. Love him or loathe him, the man with a passion for celebrity trivia is a serious source of inspiration for bloggers. According to the biography on Hilton’s website, he’s even been named one of the 15 most influential Hispanics in the US.

Pros of Blogging For Business Owners

Some bloggers, like Perez Hilton, now make their living from blogging. You probably shouldn’t expect that kind of success to begin with, but there’s no reason you can’t try. Most professional bloggers say when they started, they never expected their blog to become so successful. If they succeeded others will too.

For SMEs, blogging offers several advantages. Many business owners will benefit from using a blog to sell more of their products or services, whether your ultimate goal is to blog full-time or not. A good blog can grow your business and increase your income. Smart blogging can lead you to become influential with the people you most want to influence ~ your customers.

4 Reasons To Blog

1. To establish a rapport and build relationships with your existing and potential customers.
2. To improving your search engine ranking and reach more potential customers, which, if your website is well-designed, will translate into more business.
3. To ensure you’re the first company people think of when they need your products or services.
4. To showcase your expertise, professionalism and willingness to help.

Still Not Convinced About Blogging?

Blogging has negative connotations. The main comments I get from people, who don’t read blogs yet anyway, is that blogging is a waste of time. I disagree. I think setting up an effective blog can make a big difference to businesses of all sizes. Let’s take the real estate industry as an example. In my area, perhaps due to the slow housing market, real estate companies are spending more money on glossy print publications, and claiming that people prefer to look for houses in print, not online.

In my experience, people are going online more and more to look for everything, from music to houses and from motivational tips to financial success. But because most big real estate agencies where I live aren’t using the Internet to their advantage, there’s the possibility for a blogger to clean up. The same may be true for your business, and if so I hope it’s you who cleans up. If you’ve got a good knowledge of your industry, average marketing skills and an interest in Internet marketing, you’ll probably do well.

Do You Want Blogging Success? Are You Ready To Invest Yourself?

If you answered yes to these two questions then please read on.

Starting a blog can seem over-whelming at first. There’s so much to learn, with an encyclopedia of knowledge on this website alone. But don’t be scared by what you don’t know. You can learn how to blog well, and the information you need is readily available for you on this blog, in books and through workshops. Start your blog small and have fun learning how to improve it as you go along.

Four Steps To Get Started Blogging

1. Prove your investment

   Be prepared to invest 10-40 hours of your time to set up your blog with your branding, and get to know your way round your blogging software. Or consider paying an expert to set up a blog for you for $1000-2000, so you can concentrate on creating content.

2. Get writing

   Just start brainstorming for ideas and writing useful and positive articles. Once you start writing on one topic sometimes you’ll slip off on a tangent and discover another subject worth sharing.

3. Spread the word

   Email your existing clients, leads, friends and relatives and tell them about your new blog. Add your website and blog address to all your new print materials and your email signature.

4. Ask for feedback
   Get people to tell you what they like and don’t like about your blog. When you’ve got a new website or blog, you’re constantly tweaking it and striving to improve it. That’s perfectly normal and nothing to be ashamed of. Expect it to take a while to be perfect and congratulate yourself on having started your blog.

Final Inspiration To Get Blogging Or Stick With It

Ten years ago the idea that someone like Perez Hilton could become a competitor for big news sites like CNN would have been ludicrous. The blogging game has only just got started and if you don’t play you won’t win. There’s room for plenty more successful blogs out there. I like to think there’s a special need for more female bloggers, but whatever your gender, the publishing and business worlds are being shaken up. Now is the ideal time to get your foot in the door.

So, ladies and gentlemen, pick your niche, start writing and make your voice heard. There’s never been a better time for blogging. With a good blog at the very least, you’ll grow your business and who knows, maybe you will even go onto become a professional blogger.

Written by Annabel Candy from In The Hot Spot
Posted on September 1st, 2009 and filed under Blogging
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