I’ve been blogging for years and can’t imagine not having this avenue for getting my message out to market. Blogging also allows me to build community, position myself as a thought leader in some circles, generate revenues and write about virtually anything I want to teach on or express my opinion on.
I’m always amazed when someone doesn’t seem to understand the value of blogging. There are so many benefits to starting and maintaining a blog. Without a doubt, the return on investment far exceeds just about anything you can do to grow your business.
Building community
One of the best ways to build community is to start by commenting on blogs that your potential readers would be interested in. When you comment, create value with what you write. Commenting is a great way for people to get to know you. Keep in mind, one comment on one blog is not going to get you much traction. Consistency will.
Inviting thought leaders and your readers to write posts for your blog is yet another way to build community.
Inviting your readers to leave comments on posts will get them more involved than if you simply hope for people to leave comments.
Being viewed as a thought leader
Blogging about things you are passionate about and you’re willing to take a stand on will position you as a thought leader. The reality is, there are not many limitations on what you can blog about.
What frustrates you? What upsets you? What do you believe in? Whatever answers you came up with, be willing to blog about it.
Many a blog have been started by stay at home moms who were passionate about better education for their children. Countless blogs have been started by those committed to the well-being of animals. Blogs on fashion, money, nutrition, relationships and just about anything are started on a daily basis.
Each blog that gets started is an opportunity for the blog owner to have a positive impact on those things that are important to them and their community. As with building community, sticking with your blog on a consistent basis is key to your success.
Visibility
I’ve had incredible opportunity show up as a result of blogging. One of the most amazing was when I used my blog to raise awareness and funds for rescue animals. I’m passionate about the care of animals. Little did I realize how many of my readers have similar interests. That is, until I hosted a fundraiser using Thunderclap and GoFundMe and blogged about it.
As a result, I was invited to speak at BlogPaws. From there, I have presented at WIPIN and IBPSA conferences. Each of these opportunities has created more opportunities.
The blog definitely gives me incredible visibility and yours can do the same for you.
Monetization opportunities
There are many ways you can make money with your blog. You can sell products directly from your blog. You can offer affiliate products from Amazon, JVZoo, ClickBank, or directly from a vendor.
A great way to position an affiliate product is to review something you use and like. For example, I’ve been using Instant Teleseminars for years. It’s an excellent platform for teleseminars and webinars.
The downside for some is pricing. Although there are plenty of free services, the functionality of Instant Teleseminars compared to the free services is far superior.
Boom! I just gave you an actual example of how to do a short review for an affiliate product. Of course, the link I provided you IS my affiliate link and should you choose to get Instant Teleseminars, I will benefit financially.
Traffic conversion
There are a number of actions that can be considered traffic conversion. The most obvious is when someone opts in for something you give them in return such as an eReport, a webinar seat, an audio file, a complimentary consulting session or a group training to name just a few opportunities to convert visitors into subscribers on your list.
A word of caution; avoid giving away something that requires a lot of your time such as consulting sessions. Rather than making it open to anyone, you can require visitors complete an application that allows you to determine if the person is a great fit for time on the phone with you.
Other types of conversions would be setting an appointment for professional services such as carpet cleaning, initial dental checkup, dog boarding, dog grooming or any service you offer.
For extremely high end services, selling directly from your blog may not be the best choice. A great choice is to encourage visitors into what is referred to as an engagement series. This is exactly as it sounds; engagement with your visitors with high value information.
Driving traffic to your social media networks
I love using my blog to encourage visitors to join my private Facebook group. It’s all very fine that people read my blog posts, but there’s no guarantee they will return. By offering them the opportunity to be a part of my private Facebook group, I have more opportunity to build engagement and value for them.
Writing a book
Yup! Blogging is a powerhouse way to write a book.
“Most bloggers, on the other hand, write a ton of books—probably three or four books per year on average, but most of them don’t ever realize they’ve done so,” Nina Amir reveals.
“Later—sometimes much later—they realize they’re sitting on a ton of content that could be turned into a book.
“Many make the mistake of not bothering to consciously write a book. They just blog.
“Here’s a better way: Plan out the content for a book, then write the book in post-sized bits every day and publish the posts—the book—on your blog.”
To get the most out of your blogging efforts, create a vision for what you would like to happen as a result of having a blog.
Is it for visibility? Monetization? To be viewed as an authority? To build a subscriber list? To write a book?
Whatever your reasons, plan out your course, stay focused and stick with it.
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