Blogging has become a huge thing in the last 7 years – wordometers.info counts how many blog posts are published per day and today the number is currently at 2.15million and counting (it’s only 11am as I write this!).
Blogs have been rated as the 5th most trusted source for accurate online information and
companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website (source: impactbnd.com). Sounds like a recipe for success, right?
So, what is a blog? It’s certainly a jargon term that millennials who grew up with the internet are familiar with, but for anyone else the term may need a little more clarification.
A blog is an online website where a person or business can publish regular diary-like entries about a certain topic. These are often around 2000 words or less and may include images. All entries are stored on the website in an archive so you can read the most recent post or search through for different subtopics or specific posts. The website remains the same so you can read it whenever you want.
The purpose of a blog is a little harder to describe as everyone tends to use them in different ways; the primary objective is to let readers get to know you the author but this may be for a variety of reasons; I have chosen three:
To express themselves as an individual – in this way the blog is most like an online diary, except you have people reading it! This could be on a topic specific to a hobby you have such as floristry, baking, vintage cars or craft beer or it could simply be a personal memoir – the choice is yours!
To get to know the people behind a company – the idea of companies large and small blogging has grown massively in the last 7 years as consumers want to know more about the companies they buy from; are they a good company? do they think inventively and embrace change? are their staff treated well? Blogging is a way for people to see the human side to a brand.
To build a freelance business – this is a particularly popular reason for blogging and the one which has arguably had the most success. In this way people can write about a passion, hobby or interest and by gaining followers can turn that knowledge and following into a freelance business. The most relevant success story from blogging is Zoella also known as Zoe Sugg who began writing a beauty blog and alongside it began making YouTube videos about beauty and lifestyle. She now earns lots of money from her YouTube channel, has her own range of beauty products on sale in Superdrug and Boots and is also a published fiction writer.
There are many other reasons why people choose to start along the road of blogging. Personally, this blog for me is a way to show to potential clients that I know what I’m talking about when it comes to online marketing. That means that clients will get an inkling into my writing style, my knowledge and if I gain a following with this blog they will see that it is trusted and respected by others. However, this blog has two objectives; whilst I want clients to be able to see the quality of my work I also want this blog to be useful to anyone who uses the internet and needs guidance, step by step help and information about online marketing, social media and generally using the internet on a day to day basis.
So, for me a blog is integral to my business – if I am selling myself as an expert in online marketing and social media then it would be ludicrous for me not to be writing a blog.
Okay – so we’ve looked at what a blog is and we’ve looked at why you would need or want one . . . have I whetted your appetite to begin? Good! Next we need to look at how you go about actually setting up a blog and also knowing which platform to use according to your online proficiency.
For the purpose of keeping these posts succinct and informative, part 2 about setting up a blog will be coming soon on a separate post.
Thanks for reading
Charlotte
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