A Blog Is A Relationship
Setting up a blog can be easy and (close to!) free, with the use of WordPress and the many pre-formatted, customizable templates available directly from within your WordPress installation. In my coaching, I teach clients how to set up a blog using WordPress and walk them through the customization process that best suits their brand and goals. I also supply them with affordable hosting and maintenance packages in an effort to allow them to spend their the time focused on their craft and not tending to all of the many technical needs and aspects of their site.
While the recorded definition of “blog” may remain focused on its written aspect, the reality is today’s blogs are so much more than simply the “written journal web log” they started out as in 1994 with Justin Hall’s posting of his personal journal links.net (which still exists to this day!). Today’s blogs include all types of media such as video, audio, vibrant and rich photography, digital products and other downloadable content, polls and surveys, interactive features, and so much more. Really, the possibilities are endless.
This incredible morphing and evolving sees everything from personal journeys to businesses taking advantage of the features and benefits that blogging affords. According to Web tribunal, out of the 1.9 billion websites that exist, more than 600 million of them are blogs with bloggers publishing over 6 million posts daily.
Why do you think this is?
Blogs, by their very nature, foster a relationship with your audience.
Blogs are an incredible tool for connecting with your target audience and building relationships that result in loyal followers, customers, and clients.
Blogs give you the opportunity to communicate with your audience on a regular and continuous basis. And unlike traditional print or static methods of content publishing, blogs provide a comments section, affording the ability and opportunity for two-way communication with your audience and between audience members.
Your audience becomes invested in you in ways more traditional forms of publishing just don’t automatically provide. This opens the doors to endless opportunities and gives your audience a sense of belonging and a place in your journey and even some small part in your success.
By their very nature, blogs are always promoting. Unlike other (static style) websites, blogs are always changing and evolving, thus attracting search engines crawlers to update your rankings on a more regular and up-to-date basis.
Today blogs are considered a strong and reliable source of information. With the production of good, solid content your site will continue to rise in the search engine rankings, attracting a growing amount of organic traffic along the way.
Social media is a part of everyday life now for practically everyone. And, with the share features and capabilities available for your blog, every post, every page, and even snippets of your content — can easily be shared by viewers on multiple forms of social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Twitter. Your audience does this advertising for you and their friends and followers become your followers, subscribers, and customers.
As evident now more than ever, bloggers can be considered experts and authorities on their topics of choice regardless of level (or lack!) of qualifications. Instead of qualifications, bloggers are being judged solely on the strength of their content. This means anyone can share what they’re passionate about and potentially grow, with the use of their blog, to be considered an expert and authority in their industry or niche.
Blogs allow you to share your passion and skill with the world and offer you the potential to make money doing something you love every day.
A blog is a relationship. It ultimately connects its readers and viewers with you.
A visitor comes to your site because your topic interests them. They hang around because, through your writing and other forms of content, they identify with you in some way. This is a great advantage over other types of websites. Through a continuing dialogue of content, you can build both desire and trust. Desire to have what you are promoting and trust in you as the expert. Do this consistently and you can create an attractive income with your site.
You build trust by producing value-rich, quality content that reflects your passion on a consistent basis. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be tied down with creating lots of content; you just have to produce quality content. Content that delivers value to your audience is critical. With strong, value-driven content, you can post to your blog as little as once a week and still potentially have revenue.
Remember, a blog is conversation with your reader, so let your style and your passion come through in your writing.
As you grow, so will the comments on your blog. The ability to comment on content in a website lets your audience feel connected with you. A part of things. It carries on the conversation you started, helping your blog get noticed and grow. Further, it connects your audience to one another, shaping your blog into a community.
To Sum It Up
Focus on producing quality content of value that resonates with your audience. Acknowledge, and focus on serving, your audience and your blog truly will be a relationship worth building on.
