Benefits of Blogging

Last Monday I wrote about why I blog and it was fun writing about it. Questions like that have led to a series I'll be running here: Blogs at work 4u. Boring series name, but it gets the point across.

I did leave out one of the reasons I find myself blogging now--to teach little things I learn and to help other bloggers. This series, Blogs at Work 4u is along those lines and will showing up on a weekly basis for a bit. Why weekly instead of days in a row? So it doesn't over run my blog. ;-)

I'm also a guest at the Faithwriters blog today with Treasure Hunting Mararthon about using the time before publication well.

So, first, some basics...

What exactly is a blog? By definition it’s an online journal. A web log. But we all know that a blog is so much more than that.
Blogs can be for everything
from marketing to ministry
and everything in between.
What blogging can accomplishes for you
  • Writing experience—by keeping fresh content on your blog, you’ll be logging in experience. All the thinking, plotting and planning cannot take the place of hands on experience. You’ll find what works and what doesn’t work, and often, knowing what doesn’t work is as important as knowing what does. You can also play with your voice and find one that is truly you, then develop it.
  • Click here for more post on making your blog work for you.
  • Builds platform—if you’re a writer, this platform is very important. Agents and editors look for writers with a platform already in place. It could give you a leg up on the competition and could put you a head above the others.
  • Shows consistency and style—agents and editors want to know if you’re able to keep the pace or if you’re sprinter attempting a marathon. Having an active blog demonstrates to them your staying power and your style.
  • Gets your name out there for search engines—you want people to be able to type your name into a search engine and find you easily. That way if they hear about you through word of mouth or if they read an article you wrote, they can find you online. This creates...
  • Name recognition—you may not ever become Mrs. Fields, but the longer you write and blog, the more your sphere of influence grows.
  • Gives you a site to link to—if you’re writing articles for either print or online publication you need to have a site to direct people to. Most publications will give you a byline and a link. Don’t waste that opportunity but make the most of it, which gives you a...
  • Point of contact—capitalize on it and develop relationships with your readers so they keep coming back.
  • Outlet for ideas and thoughts—it’s a great place to try out ideas to see if they’re feasible or if they’re better off in the recesses of your mind.
  • Marketing tool to build loyalty and connection—readers can get to know authors by following their blog, whether they ever say hello in a comment or not. This connection creates loyalty, and loyalty increases sales.
  • Create or discover your brand—this is one of those things that takes time to discover and blogging is a fantastic way to find it. By studying what you post on your blog, the posts that get the best comments (not necessarily the most comments!) and the posts that you loved writing and that really lit your fire, you can fine tune your brand and find the perfect fit.

Blogs can be used for many things. Their scope is far beyond just an online journal. If you’re entering the world of writing, a blog is a natural step. It’s also a smart step.
A blog is a tool.
The better you know how to use that tool,
the more effective it will be and
the better your results will be.

So tell me, do you have a specific reason for blogging?

3 comments:

  1. Great stuff to think about! I blog cuz I love it - and to encourage. Those are my MAIN reasons, anyway.

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  2. Your point about discovering & creating your brand helped me. I struggle with this one and hope that in time it will become clearer for me. Thanks! I'm really looking forward to seeing you soon...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Outlets for thoughts and ideas is one of the main reasons I blog. It helps me to get them out of my brain and into concrete words on "paper". Sharing them with others bring all kinds of great insights....I enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete

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