There are two types of business bloggers… those who are posting to their blog with the intent on establishing credibility with potential clients and colleagues and those who are hoping to "break into" the top 50,000 weblogs who, according to University of Texas, Dallas in a study sponsored by Chitika , earn in excess of $500 Million a year! (Click here to read why Dave Taylor thinks that number is actually low!)
BLOGGING AS YOUR BUSINESS.
The "blogging as your business model" tool seems to be the newfound darling of the "get rich quick from home while you do nothing but cash the checks" crowd. While blogging is old news, it’s recently been vaulted into the spotlight and embraced by those who want to earn huge checks with a minimal investment of time and energy. Unfortunately, blogging offers neither.
The "top" blogs are usually the work of more than one person. Micheal Arrington’s Tech Crunch (which earns a reported $200K per month) maintains that blog using a staff of 10. That’s right, it takes TEN people to maintain the Tech Crunch blogging enterprise.
Which is something most people don’t realize: It (usually) takes a village to create a mega-blog! Blogging is time consuming. Not only do you have to write, but you have to research as well. Maintaining the level and pace of the mega blogs usually requires more than a single individual can provide.
I’ve seen more than one "farewell" blog post where the author decides that it’s JUST too much to keep up the pace on the road to the Technorati hot 100.
BLOGGING AS A BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TOOL:
There are, bless their hearts, business owners who recognize that blogging is a GREAT business communication tool. These business bloggers who are using their blog to communicate with their customers. They are posting regularly because they understand the importance of communication with their potential customers. Those whose strong suit isn’t writing are using other means of communication to communicate and they’re using their blog as a tool to deliver these alternative means of communication. Whether it’s via the written word, audio or video, these business owners understand that communication is the key to building business relationships.
Not only do these brave souls find that they are connecting with potential clients through their blog, but they’re also recognizing the "path" they need to take in building their business.
I have one client who discovered her "niche’ through blogging. When she began the process, she "thought" she was a career coach. However, when she signed up for a blog and tried to get blogging on the subject of career coaching, she struggled to the point where she couldn’t create an ABOUT US page.
I began working with her one on one and it turns out her real passion is not career coaching, but instead providing SUPPORT FOR DIVORCED WOMAN OVER 50! Now THAT is a niche market, one which she is a PIONEER! It’s SO exciting to watch her business "bloom". The blog has not only provided her with the direction for her business, it’s also an INCREDIBLY effective tool to reach women over 50 who are trying to find a new life after divorce.
These business bloggers recognize that there is a signficant investment required to achieve success. Blogging does not require a significant investment of CASH but it does require a significant investment of time and energy. However, the payoff is not in the form of "passive" income but rather in increased business opportunities in the form of
- new clients/customers
- new collaborators
- speaking engagements
- prestige amongst peers
Oops… there is a third category and that is blogging amongst the "employed". Yes, even those who are "traditionally" employed (a.k.a. have a "real" job with vacations and benefits) are finding value in blogging. Some savvy career builders are using their blog as a virtual resume to highlight their strengths and accomplishments. In addition, their blog is serving to help them make connections, land speaking gigs and establishing themselves as a thought leader amongst their peers.
Whatever your business blogging goal, blogs are the wave of the future for business communications.