A business contact of mine asked me recently about my thoughts on the value of blogs for generating revenue and the opportunity that may exist for writers to generate content for blogs.
Personally, I think the whole field of blogging is still a work-in-progress for many. I use my own blog primarily to experiment, learn, and test ideas for clients.
Blogging Best Practices
Some key things I’ve learned:
- It’s tough coming up with ideas to blog about on a regular basis, but keeping content current and refreshed is critical.
- It’s tough developing conversations with people online—many are hesitant to express their views in such a public forum.
- You get a lot of spam, and that spam is becoming more and more creative. Lately, I feel as though I may be deleting items that could be legitimate posts just because I can’t tell for sure. (Like the myriad of posts I get telling me what a wonderful, awesome, fabulous, site I have and how brilliant I am. While I have to admit to an initial ego-boost, reality quickly sets in, along with the realization that many of these messages are posted by bots.
I’ve also given presentations and written a number of articles on blogging and monetizing web content. I’ve learned a lot from those I’ve interviewed and who have shared their insights.
Bloggers Share Their Tips
- Many bloggers—and there are literally thousands of them, some more successful than others—started blogging to express their passions. Some of these eventually found that, as they generated a following, others were interested in advertising on their sites. This is how many have made significant $s. The key, they say, is having a very narrow niche, solid content, and then building traffic to your site so you have something to “sell.”
- There is also an increase in the demand for writers to write material for blogs. A lot of people think “writing is easy,” so there’s a lot of junk out there. The more serious bloggers, and those who are concerned about brand impact, are starting to hire others to create and maintain content for them. Demand has been particularly high during the pandemic for digital content as many businesses have had to adjust their business models.
- Organizations—and celebrities—are also beginning to hire professional “tweeters” who are hired by companies to monitor their sites and respond to posters—basically a “high-tech” customer service type position.
There’s a lot of competition out there, and a massive number of content sources that consumers have to choose from. Standing out requires a focus on content that represents value to your audience, posting high quality and credible content regularly, and avoiding overly self-promotional posts.
Best of luck in your blogging endeavors; it’s definitely a tactic that can become a key driver of your overall marketing efforts.
About Us
Strategic Communications, LLC, works with B2B clients to help them achieve their goals through effective content marketing and management with both internal and external audiences. We work with clients to plan, create and publish high-quality, unique content. Whether on- or offline, or both, we’ll help you achieve desired results.
(Strategic Communications is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise through the Wisconsin Department of Administration.)
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Tags: blogging, blogging best practices, blogging ideas, content marketing, ghostwriting, making blogs pay, writing for blogs