“Do you make money from blogging?”
I get that question a lot. (If you’ve been posting regularly to the internet, you probably get it too.) I say, “No, I don’t, but it has other value.” Often the person asking me will hear only the “no” and then get that smug look on their face that says, “thought so.”
“But then, why do you do it?”
I can get my message out to people who want to hear it. I don’t force my message on people.
- If you want to find out what I think about branding and marketing, come here and read it.
- If you want to learn how to market your business better, come here and read it.
- If you want to tap into my 20+ years of branding experience, come here and read it.
- It’s free. I’m sharing what I know.
“But you give it away. For Free? Why would you do that?!?”
Years ago, everyone advertised in the yellow pages. It was expensive, but it worked. Why? People could find you when they needed you.
Now when someone needs you, what do they do? They type it into Google, Yahoo or MSN search engines. A phrase. A city. A question. Trying to figure out the keywords and the density of the key words is both an art and a science. But having a blog about branding and marketing, and posting to it every day, helps people find me. And not only find me, find out what I know, what I think and how I am.
That’s a whole lot more powerful than a line in the yellow pages!! And a lot less expensive too!!
I used to do a lot of speeches on the subject. Usually 40 to 50 people at a luncheon. Usually about 5 were really into it, came up afterwards, wanted to talk further. Some would email me, some would call later. But there were 45 who were only okay with it. Seemed to me not as targeted. So now I limit my speeches to only about 1 a month. And I write everyday.
I believe that business experts who are writing articles on the internet and posting them in an organized fashion have the edge. And business people, marketing people, professional service providers who recognize this and learn it now (rather than 5 years from now) will be ahead of the curve. I think giving it away for free will come back to me many, many times over.
That’s why I do it.
“Now I get it?! So how can I market my business on the internet by writing and publishing articles on my area of expertise?”
Read these links:
ConverStations by Mike Sansone
Drew’s Marketing Minute by Drew McClellan
Successful Bloggers by Liz Strauss
SuccessCREEations by Chris Cree
Chris,
I am right with you about writing and publishing every day. It gives us a voice and offers us a chance to think our own thoughts.
Our blogs become a place that people can see what we’re thinking, when we can’t be there. :)
You are so right… I find that even when the “well is dry” that getting the window opened, helps my mind to focus.
How did you get started with your blog?
Chris, I love this! I get asked this question a lot by well-meaning people who think I am giving away the store. I have had more positives from blogging than from speaking or writing articles for industry pubs.
Thanks for sharing. :-)
Becky:
I don’t think you’re giving away the store, you’re doing a “sampling” program, much like the big consumer products companies who send a sample of their product out to get interested consumers to try it.
Chris
I find the rewards of “publishing articles” make me a very rich woman indeed. Riches are not necessarily dollars because dollars can’t buy many of the things which count most.
Never thought of the distinction between blogging and publishing articles, which is what I truly do.
Robyn: Yes, the idea of publishing articles is exactly what we’re doing everyday. The word blog sounds funny and sometimes gives a “teenager’s MySpace” reputation to our writing depending on who we’re talking to — I’m going to try to describe my blogging efforts as “publishing branding and marketing articles everyday on the web.”
Somehow sounds very different, doesn’t it?
Chris
Chris, Thanks. Relationships are what it’s all about and we have that here on the Internet. I like what you do here on Branding and Marketing. I learn so much every time I come.
You’ve actually challenged me to try to go forward with Word Press. I bought two books on it, but had failures with code and somehow it didn’t go. But you’re brave enough to try it and I take inspiration from you. Maybe I’ll have to shell out a few dollars, but I sense I’ll be rewarded. :-)