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Blogging: Optional Luxury or Necessity

Guest post by: Kerri Salls

Article Overview: Technorati's State of the Blogosphere series chronicles the rise and evolution of the Blogosphere as we know it. Since 2004 there's been an explosive growth and application of this new approach to publishing.

Blogging: Optional Luxury or Necessity

Technorati's State of the Blogosphere series chronicles the rise and evolution of the Blogosphere as we know it. Since 2004 there's been an explosive growth and application of this new approach to publishing. Technorati's State of the Blogosphere event recently provided some startling statistics and demographics about how important blogging is for the self-employed - not just for hobbyists or large corporations. I want to share with you some of the statistics that have sold me on recommitting to writing a regular blog.

• Overall, bloggers are a highly educated and affluent group. Nearly half of all bloggers surveyed (2900) have earned a graduate degree, and the majority have a household income of $75,000 per year or higher.
• Two-thirds are male
• 60% are 18-44
  • The majority are more affluent and educated than the general population
  • 75% have college degrees/40% have graduate degrees
  • One in three has an annual household income of $75K+
  • One in four has an annual household income of $100K+
• Professional and self-employed bloggers are more affluent
• More than half are married /More than half are parents [and they find time to blog regularly]

When the 2900 bloggers at the Technorati conference were polled, they also provided insight into the impact blogging has on their business:

• 9% self-employed - and acknowledged that blogging was a key factor in their business
• Spending more time on their blog now than previously
• Reasons self-employed and professional bloggers blog:
  • 71% have greater visibility because of their blog
  • 63% say clients buy because of their blog
  • 56% say their company (i.e. the solo owner) is now seen as a thought leader
  • 40% say they are asked to speak at conferences directly because of their blog

All because of their blog!

According to Denise Wakeman,blogging for business is critical, it must be a key element in your marketing toolbox; the hub of your online activity. Why? Because:

• It creates massive visibility
• It allows you to diversify and be ubiquitous
• It helps you reach a new audience and reverse the client chase
• You get to engage with readers and help them become clients
• You get feedback
• It helps you hone your unique voice
• It's a money saving tool
• It's where you create your distinction, your personality, your all the elements to develop know likeàexpertise & trust amongst your readers
• You get to share valuable content to make readers' lives better.
• You get to foster interaction and guide public conversation to private conversation

The real message here is that it is no longer optional. It's no longer a luxury. A blog is now a necessity.

Keeping a blog takes work. It takes discipline. But I have the motive for you (and me) that I didn't have before. That is the HUGE ROI. The ROI of blogging can now be tracked to provide a 3:1 return! That kind of return on investment is huge when you realize that creating and publishing a blog is not expensive, it's simply sweat equity, which solopreneurs sign up for anyway.

The Solopreneur Blueprinta 90 day program of step-by-step assignments to start, setup, and launch your own solo business/practice. If you truly are a solo achiever, be it as a consultant, solopreneur, startup, entrepreneur, sole proprietor of a professional services firm, or just want to be, you need to check this out.

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Article Tags: blog, blogging, blogging for business is critical, blogging necessity, marketing, promoting



Related Forum Posts
Blogging for Entrepreneurs - If you run a small company, you may find that the world of blogging for Entrepreneurs is a world that you want to be a part of. Blogging is a great way to get the word out to consumers about your product or service, and it can even be useful for inspiring employee loyalty and helping you keep your workers at peak morale. If you are looking for a way to take your business to the next level, consider what starting a blog might be able to do for you. Blogging for entrepreneurs has a lot in common with all other types of blogging, but it has its own unique pitfalls and strengths. The key to having a successful blog as a business owner is keeping your goals clear and concrete at every step of your blogging adventure. It can be all to easy to get sidetracked, especially if you are just learning about the exciting possibilities of blogging technology, but if you want your blog to succeed you need to stay focused. Write up a plan for how often you will update, how you will promote your blog and retain readers, whether you will feature photographs or video, and other aspects of your blog, and then stick to it with the same kind of determination that you used when you built your company.
Re: Best Internet Marketing Strategy - Hi David, I agree about the Blogosphere. You have a smaller group that Blog, but do so on the premise that they think they should, but have never really considered the purpose of their Blog. Then I think there are a few SEO or Internet Marketing types that see Blogging as just another link building strategy. But the largest group of Bloggers, tend to be people who enjoy writing and discussing their topics of interest. Blogging is good for link building, but the true Blogger is a breed apart from the rest. They want to dialog, to debate, to have feedback and they are very willing to link to other worthwhile conversations that are relevant to their topic. I agree with you. These group of Bloggers obviously are passionate about their writing and together, they create huge conversation trails interactive and travel from Blog to Blog. But the evidence is clear with this group that loves what they write about. With comments enabled on a Blog and having a Blog tuned to a specific purpose you already have the evidence of original Social Media.
Use of Blogging For Promotion - Blogging might not be the easiest promotion and advertising method however it certainly is one of the cheapest methods. All you need is a hosting package and a domain. Actually you could do it through Blogger and it would be free of charge.
Site promotion and Blogging - Blogging might not be the easiest promotion and advertising method however it certainly is one of the cheapest methods. All you need is a hosting package and a domain. Actually you could do it through Blogger and it would be free of charge
Re: What are the ways to start a business with a small capital? - Blogging stands to be the cheapest way to start. I really agreed with the previous posts. Then you have to really analyse the market you are targeting by this you will be able to spend less in promoting your products. Cheers!


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