Part I
Getting Started with the Business of Blogging
In this part . . .
Part I starts with an examination of blogging at the professional level, and explains how a blog can help promote your existing business or create a new blog-based business.
I give practical guidance on setting your objectives, identifying your audience, and analyzing your competition so you can define a unique niche for your professional blogging effort.
And because you need to know U.S. laws regarding copyright, online advertising, and privacy, I cover those topics as well and recommend best practices for use with your blog.
Chapter 1
Examining Blogging at the Professional Level
In This Chapter
Understanding what professional bloggers do
Knowing the advantages of blogging
Deciding whether a blog is right for you
Connecting your blog with business
Coming up with your professional blogging objectives
Outlining your strategy
When you do something professionally, it generally means getting paid, and professional blogging is no different. Whether you want to earn your living with your blog or simply enough to pay for the family vacation or a college education, you want to know how to make money with your professional blog. This book explains the different ways to monetize your blog so you can pick the ones that work best for you.
However, to be a successful professional blogger, you need to think about more than just the sources of revenue ā advertising, paid posts, affiliate commissions, and so on. You need to think about your professional, business objectives and then develop a plan to meet them. Thatās the big difference between a personal or hobby blog and a professional blog.
Personal bloggers have stories and experiences they want to share and may fall into making a little money along the way, but it doesnāt start out that way. Professional bloggers have a business objective for their blog, and they develop a plan to achieve it.
Can you be successful with a blog without a clear plan? Sure, but it isnāt probable. For instance, TechCrunch is a blog that began by reviewing new Internet products and companies and has since grown into a network of technology sites about content and new media; however, hundreds of abandoned blogs never get past a few readers. Even a lucky accident doesnāt stay successful without a long-term plan, especially now that the field is far more crowded.
This chapter gets you started with your professional blogging plan. I describe what professional bloggers do, go over the main reasons to start a professional blog, and give you some tips for setting your professional blogging objectives and getting started.
Knowing What Professional Bloggers Do
According to blog search engine Technoratiās annual survey of the blogosphere, the top reasons that bloggers blog are to
Speak their mind
Share their expertise and experience
Make money or do business
The principal difference between a personal, or hobby, blogger and a professional one is that the personal blogger has an interest in a subject, and the successful professional blogger has an interest, a professional objective, and a plan to achieve it. Usually, making money is part of the plan; for the most part, thatās what Iām concerned with in this book.
However, I donāt equate professional with commercial. Although making money is often a goal of the professional blogger, it isnāt the only successful outcome. For example, swaying public opinion or building a support community for a health issue or charity is a successful professional outcome.
Regardless of whether you expect your blog to be a moneymaker, a marketing tool, or a means to promote a cause, a well-planned blog can help you achieve your goals. In blog search engine Technoratiās 2009 survey, 71 percent of the bloggers surveyed said theyāre better known in their industry because of their blog, 63 percent said prospective clients have purchased products or services after reading their blog, and 56 percent believe that their blog helped their company be regarded as a thought leader (see Chapter 5 for more about what being a thought leader means).
Building Your Online Community: The Blogging Advantage
For the most part, the professional blogger writes to support or promote an organization or himself, or wants to develop a blog as a central element of an online business ā and for good reason. Prospective customers are online in ever-increasing numbers. What if you already have a Web site? Why would you need a blog to reach all those prospective customers online?
On your Web site, you talk at your visitors. On a blog, however, you speak with them. A traditional Web site is like a monologue; you speak and hope someone is listening. If you have a Web site, itās probably all about you, and thatās okay; itās your online brochure.
But your Web site isnāt a community, and thereās rarely any conversation.
A blog, on the other hand, is a conversation with your community ā the readers, customers, and prospects who are interested in what you have to say or offer. In your blog, you write about, and link to, the ideas of others as well as your own. You also create space ā or places for comments ā for your readers to participate and to speak with you.
This conversation on the blog is what engages and establishes your online community. In the process, you build deeper relationships with your readers and customers and achieve greater awareness for you, your blog, and your brand.
Simplifying Web site management with blogging software
Apart from the conversational opportunities of the blog, a blog may be preferable for a simple technical reason if you donāt already have a Web site. Blogging software is a lightweight content management system (CMS) that allows you to share content on the Web without the expertise needed to develop a full-scale Web site. Most blogging programs are much easier to use than Web development tools, which means you can manage a simple blog with relatively little tech support. As a result, youāre more likely to update th...
