Just read this article about why you should blog… Indeed, why would anyone want to start blogging? I had my doubts in the beginning as well.. So why should you blog? Here’s my take on it.
Choose your topic
People blog for different reasons of course. If you would like to take up blogging, think about what you would like to achieve with it. What do you want to be know for? Who is your target audience? What do you feel passionate about? If you have chosen your topic you can start your own blog or enter yourself as a contributor for a platform such as Business2Community. Voilà a blogger is born!
A platform for your ideas
A blog is a great platform to share your ideas with the world. The success of social networks like Facebook is largely to thank to blogging. If you have a particular opinion about something, you want to express it. Blogs are easily accessible publishing platforms. Anyone with basic internet knowledge can start a blog. There are a lot of easy providers where you can start a blog for example, via WordPress or Blogger.
Immediate Feedback
So you have written and published your first blog post. Now it becomes interesting. People will read your blog and hopefully leave a comment. Your arguments, facts and opinions are supported or challenged. The great value of a blog is that you get immediate feedback on what you write.
Be found and build confidence
A blog for personal branding is a beautiful instrument. By writing about things you know a lot about it increases the fact that you will establish an ‘Expert profile’. For this reason many freelance marketing professionals start a blog. Blogging is the perfect tool for you to profile yourself and to be found. I would also recommend that you have a well filled LinkedIn profile and a Twitter account to share your blogs with the world. Make also sure that you promote your blog on Facebook (post on Facebook), Twitter (tweet), LinkedIn (Status update). And don’t forget the obvious: your email signature and adding the WordPress app to your LinkedIn profile.
Networking
We live in a networking economy. It’s not just about what you do, but who you know. LinkedIn is a good example of this. It not only gives you the opportunity to maintain your network, it also defines the relationships of your relationships. With the right connections you can achieve more and you can deliver value to your network. Blogging can be a way to expand your personal network.
Blogging is fun
At least, if you like writing. If not, don’t start a blog. Blogging is just not for everyone. Fun in blogging is for many bloggers an important motive. Maintaining a (private) blog requires commitment to regularly publish. And don’t worry about the fact that you think that nobody is interested in what you write about. You’d be surprised! Think of something your passionate about and the blogs posts will automatically come! Just write and have fun.
What makes a good blog? Some tips!
Be brief, it is a blog not a thesis. Tell a Story if you have one. Stories are meant to be shared. Social media is most powerful when it is used for storytelling. It can massively increase the reach of your message when done right. Make sure you use links in your story and that it is easy to scan. Ow yes, and don’t forget to use snappy titles!
I got into blogging just to get my views out there. Like the post, I found it off the wordpress main website.
Great post! Thanks for mentioning Business 2 Community – so happy to have you sharing your blog with our community!