Want to know why people blog? Not sure about the benefits of blogging? You’ve come to the right place!
In the early days of blogging, blogs were mostly used as a personal diary. They were a place you could store and share your thoughts and personal experiences. Much has changed over the years!
It’s estimated that in 2020, there were 31.7 million bloggers in the United States alone. Gone are the days when a blog was primarily used as an online journal. Today, millions of people from all over the world use blogs for commercial purposes.
Before we delve deeper into the topic, blogs can be divided into two broad categories:
1. Commercial Blogs
Commercial blogs have a financial benefit for the blogger. In a blogging context, the term “commercial” doesn’t necessarily mean a business blog. A blog that’s making money or intended to make money is a commercial blog. This includes, for example, an individual’s affiliate marketing blog.
2. Non-Commercial Blogs
Non-commercial blogs have no financial benefits. For example, an online journal to record and share a vacation. There’s no direct or indirect financial benefit for the blogger. Most of these blogs use a free blogging platform, such as WordPress.com or Blogger.com.
Both commercial and non-commercial blogs have benefits, but this article will mainly focus on the benefits you can expect from building a commercial blog.
Benefits of Blogging
Here are the top 10 benefits of blogging:
1. Build Brand Awareness
Building brand awareness isn’t reserved for famous brands and large businesses. It’s just as important to small business owners.
Let’s use Chanel as an example.
Chanel is known for many luxury goods such as jewelry, watches, and fragrances. A Chanel watch costs thousands of dollars. What would that watch be worth without the Chanel name on it? Whether the answer is $10 or $100, it would be worth a fraction of the price.
That’s the power a successful brand wields!
Blogging is a great way to build brand awareness and promote your brand.
As a business owner, you build your brand by offering relevant and useful content to your target audience.
NOTE: At BrandBuilders, we have extensive knowledge, expertise, and experience in helping entrepreneurs build strong brands. Want your business to be all it can be? Then book a FREE coaching call now and let’s explore how we can help you!
2. Complement Your Social Media
Nobody can deny the power and influence of social media. Social media and blogging go together like macaroni and cheese, soap and water, pen and paper.
According to these popular blogging statistics:
- 66.0% of marketers use blogs in their social media content.
- 95.9% of bloggers promote their blog posts via social media.
- 69.0% of bloggers use social share buttons.
Promote your content on social media and use platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to drive traffic to your blog. It can take your earnings to the next level.
3. Stay Ahead of Your Competitors
Many small business owners and entrepreneurs don’t understand the benefits of blogging. There are also many blogs that are totally underutilized.
A blog can be a powerful business tool for generating more traffic and earnings. If the people or businesses you’re competing against have a blog, you’re at a serious disadvantage if you don’t have one. And if you do have one, make sure yours is better than the others in your industry!
To stay ahead of your competitors, you need to use every marketing tool at your disposal. A blog should be the mouthpiece of your business. It’s the place where people go to learn more about who you are and how you can help them.
4. Inexpensive to Start
One of the things that makes blogging so attractive is that it’s not expensive to start a blog.
Here’s a quick summary of the steps and costs involved:
1. Domain Name – Can be registered with Namecheap for $8.88, payable annually.
2. Hosting – A StartUp plan at SiteGround currently costs $83.88, if paid annually.
3. Blogging Platform – Our recommended platform WordPress.org is free to install.
4. Blog Theme – There are many good WordPress themes that are free to download.
5. Plugins – Many of the best WordPress plugins have an adequate free version.
For less than $100, you can be in business and all set for the next 12 months!
There are certain products or services you may want to add once you start blogging, but they are not compulsory.
5. Get Free Leads and Customers for Your Business
A search engine optimized blog with great content can potentially get you thousands of leads and customers, for free!
This doesn’t happen overnight, though. It will require hard work and a strong commitment on your side for your blog to be successful. It can take 6 months to 12 months before you start seeing good results. However, it’s usually worth it if you put in the time!
Want to see proof? Here’s an example of just how much free traffic is worth.
Let’s assume you’re in the travel niche and want to promote travel bags as an Amazon affiliate. You will earn you a commission each time someone you referred to Amazon makes a purchase.
According to Ubersuggest, the keyword “travel bags” gets about 27,100 searches a month. If you want to advertise on Google, the average cost per click on the first page is $1.28.
Research by Backlinko indicates the #1 result in Google’s organic search results gets 31.70% of the clicks. Based on this, the #1 page ranking for travel bags should get about 8,590 clicks per month.
It would cost you $10,995 per month to get 8,590 clicks at an average cost per click of $1.28.
A keyword study by Ahrefs concluded that the average #1 ranking page will also rank in the top 10 for nearly 1,000 other relevant keywords.
Based on this, the #1 ranking page for travel bags may actually get a lot more than 8,590 clicks per month!
What if the #1 position is too difficult to achieve?
According to Backlinko, the #10 position on the first page gets about 3.09% of the clicks. The last site ranking on the first page of Google for travel bags should get about 837 clicks per month.
It would cost you $1,071 per month to get 837 clicks at an average cost per click of $1.28.
Paid traffic may get you faster results than free organic traffic, but it comes at a huge cost.
Ultimately, whether you want free organic traffic or are prepared to pay for traffic, having a blog works well for both.
TIP: Start building an email list as soon as you can.
Most people who find and read a blog post you wrote will never return to your blog. You need to capture those leads before they leave so you can contact them again in the future. Having a database of leads or prospects is an invaluable business asset.
Email subscribers are contacts you own and that you can reach out to at will. Just remember that people don’t like to be spammed. The emails you send to your list should not only be promotional emails. Provide value and build up a relationship with your target audience.
The service provider we recommend is ActiveCampaign.
ActiveCampaign is not a free service, but they are worth every cent they charge. It’s very easy to integrate them with your blog and they offer excellent support.
6. Low Barriers to Entry
Nearly anyone can start a blog. You don’t need any credentials or qualifications before you can become a blogger.
The barriers to entry are very low. There are some niches such as YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) that should be approached with caution. This doesn’t mean you can’t start a financial or health blog. It only means there are regulations to protect consumers.
For example, you can’t sell a concoction you fabricated in your kitchen as a cure for Covid-19 or any disease. It can land you in serious trouble with the FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration). You may also pick up problems with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) if they feel you’re breaking the law.
The only real barrier to entry is that it can be a steep learning curve to build a successful blog.
Some of the most important topics you need to know include:
– Keyword research
– Market & competitor research
– Search engine optimization
– Creating good blog content
– Content marketing
– Copywriting
– Monetization strategies
– How to get quality backlinks
A word of advice
Outsource whatever you can. See yourself as the owner of a new startup. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Focus on strategic matters. Don’t waste time on tasks that someone else can handle much faster and more efficiently than you can.
NOTE: At BrandBuilders, we specialize in helping entrepreneurs get up and running in the shortest possible time. Contact us or book a free coaching call now and let’s explore how we can help you to succeed.
7. You Can Do It Part-Time
One of the big benefits of blogging is the flexibility it offers you. You can spend as much or as little time on it as you wish. Whether you choose to work in the early morning hours or late at night doesn’t matter.
There aren’t many businesses that offer you this amount of flexibility! In addition, many businesses just couldn’t be run on a part-time basis.
Online marketing is an ideal part-time business that you can scale into a full-time income. Most people start out part-time, but are eventually able to turn blogging into a career.
The key thing to remember is that you get out what you put in. Don’t expect miracles if you’re only able to spend a couple of hours every week on your business.
8. A Blog Works For You 24/7
A blog is like a convenience store that’s open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Except, it’s much better!
Unlike a convenience store:
- You don’t need to employ people.
- You can make money in your sleep.
- You don’t have to pay rent.
- You don’t have to carry inventory.
- You’re not limited to customers in your local area.
Blogging is truly one of the best ways to earn passive income at scale.
9. Blog From Anywhere in the World
Blogging in business isn’t limited to a physical location. You can work on your blog from anywhere in the world that has a stable power supply and internet connection.
Most people live in urban areas because that’s where the jobs are. But a full-time blogger isn’t restricted to living and working in an urban area.
Living the Dream is a good example of the freedom a blog can offer you.
Jeremy is a full-time travel blogger. Together with his wife Angie, they’ve visited 74 countries on 5 continents during the last 12 years.
The blog made $4,720 in August 2020. It’s down from a year earlier due to Covid-19, but it’s still a respectable amount.
His income sources in August 2020 were:
Sponsored Article: $1,000
CPM Ads: $3,520
Affiliate Marketing: $200
10. Make Money Online
Blogging for marketing purposes is a great way to earn money online.
The definition of marketing, according to the American Marketing Association, is:
“Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communication, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
Blogging in marketing should deliver value to people visiting your blog, and support the growth of your business.
With blogging, you deliver value through the content you publish in your blog posts. Without good content your blog won’t rank well in search engines and people will quickly click away.
Content marketing, as defined by Content Marketing Institute, is:
“A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience – and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
To make money online, you first need to give before you can take.
You build trust by publishing high quality blog content for your visitors or potential customers. Make sure your focus is on new content that’s original, helpful, and not just regurgitated stuff.
NOTE: If you don’t enjoy writing, don’t have the time or skills, talk to us! We’re able to supply you with premium quality SEO optimized content.
One of the biggest benefits of a blog is there are so many ways you can monetize it. Here are some of the best ways to get the most out of blogging:
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is our #1 monetization method.
Here’s a brief summary of how it works:
1. Find a niche where people are prepared to pay for solutions.
There are thousands of profitable niches to choose from.
For detailed information on how to pick the right niche for your blog, feel free to have a look at the following helpful articles:
– Niche Ideas: How to Pick the Perfect Niche for Your Blog
– How to Choose a Niche for Affiliate Marketing: Our Step-By-Step Guide for Success
Here are some articles we’ve published on some profitable niches you can look at for inspiration:
– How to Start an Outdoor Blog: The Ultimate Guide
– How to Start a Pet Blog Step-by-Step
– 7 Steps on How to Start a Profitable Health and Wellness Blog
NOTE: If you’re stuck, here’s a list of 1,452 niche ideas you can download for free!
2. Publish high quality, comprehensive content that will help your target audience.
Blogging is a great way to share your expertise and knowledge. You need to be seen as an authority in your niche if you want people to follow your recommendations.
The content you publish should be optimized for search engines if you want to rank well in the search results and get free organic traffic.
3. Apply to affiliate programs and networks.
Once your blog has some good content and is starting to get traffic, it’s time to join some affiliate programs.
Amazon is our #1 recommended affiliate program.
Amazon has one of the largest affiliate marketing programs in the world. Amazon Associates features millions of products in its massive marketplace and pays up to 10% commissions.
NOTE: At BrandBuilders, we specialize in pre-made affiliate sites and custom affiliate websites that are perfect for Amazon. Our Amazon affiliate websites have a 96% success rate!
Here’s a success story from one of our clients:
– Success Story: Amazon Affiliate Site
For information on other affiliate programs, here are some helpful articles:
– 5 Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners
– 36 Best Affiliate Programs for Making Money With Your Site
4. Monetize your blog posts with relevant affiliate offers.
It doesn’t help if your blog post is about X and the affiliate program you’re promoting is about Y. Make sure the products or services you promote are relevant to the blog posts they appear on.
A blog post that’s monetized with irrelevant affiliate programs doesn’t create a good user experience. You won’t get a lot of clicks on your affiliate links, and Google may penalize your site.
5. Add fresh content on a regular basis and find more suitable affiliate programs.
Building an affiliate marketing blog isn’t a once-off event. You need to keep building your business by adding new content. The better you understand your target audience, the better you’ll be able to help them.
Ecommerce
Ecommerce refers to the buying and selling of goods or services online. It’s a massive industry! One of the most popular ecommerce models is dropshipping physical products.
Here’s a very brief description of how dropshipping works:
1. Find a supplier that can ship to your customers.
2. Build a site using a good ecommerce platform.
3. Promote the products in your store.
4. Receive orders and payments from your customers.
5. Place orders on your supplier who will ship to your customers.
By having your own ecommerce store, you decide how much you want to charge. For example, add a 30% markup to your cost price. The big advantage is you don’t have to carry any inventory and the supplier will dropship your orders.
Most reputable suppliers are trustworthy. They won’t try to steal your customers. Most of the time, your customers won’t even know you’re not the manufacturer.
The best ecommerce platform is Shopify.
How does blogging fit into all of this?
With most ecommerce platforms you can publish blog posts on the platform. However, they are typically not as SEO friendly as a blogging platform like WordPress.org.
By having a blog you can drive traffic to your own ecommerce store. Your blog and store can be on separate domains although it’s a good idea to use a subdomain for your store.
For example:
The primary domain for your blog is myblog.com.
The subdomain for your store can be store.myblog.com.
NOTE: Setting up an ecommerce store from scratch can be very frustrating. If you’re looking for a better solution, take a look at our turnkey dropship websites. Every site is 100% unique and ready to start making you money on day one.
Google Ads
One of the easiest ways to monetize your blog is Google AdSense.
By adding one piece of code to your site Google will automatically show ads based on your site’s layout and content.
The advantage of Google AdSense, besides its simplicity, is you don’t really need to be a good copywriter.
For example, with affiliate marketing you’re gently nudging your visitors to click on your affiliate links. Very often the content of a blog post is written around the affiliate programs you’re promoting. Being a good copywriter and wordsmith can help a lot.
With Google AdSense you can write more freely. Unlike affiliate marketing, you’re not allowed to encourage your visitors to click on Google Ads. They run in the background and for all practical purposes they aren’t even there.
The main disadvantage of Google Ads is you need to get a lot of traffic to earn a decent income. Much more than with affiliate marketing. Having said that, ads in certain niches such as insurance can be very lucrative (if that’s your niche). On the downside, you’ll have a lot of competition from huge authority sites.
Making money from AdSense is certainly doable though. Here’s a case study we published on our blog that shows it can be worthwhile:
– How I’ve Made Over $480k on Google AdSense in 5 Years
Google AdSense is not your only option. Once you get a lot of traffic you can apply to other ad management companies like Mediavine. Your blog would need to get at latest 50,000 sessions per month in order for Mediavine to approve your application.
For more information on Mediavine vs Adsense, have a look at the following article:
– Mediavine vs Adsense: The Right Ad Network for Your Website
Online Courses
One of the many benefits of blogging is that there are so many different ways a blogger can make money online. You can also combine various monetization methods to have multiple income streams.
Let’s look at one last way blogging can help make you money: selling online courses.
Teachable is one of the largest online course platforms.
According to Teachable, their average instructor earns $5,426 with each online course.
How does blogging fit into all of this?
Earlier in this article, we looked at ecommerce and Shopify. I mentioned that ecommerce platforms like Shopify are not as SEO-friendly as a blogging platform like WordPress.
The same applies to online course platforms. They are great for building courses, hosting them, and processing payments. However, you still need to drive traffic to your course.
The ideal solution, as is the case with Shopify, is to host your course on a subdomain. For example, if your blog url is myblog.com your course url can be course.myblog.com. It’s easy to link your course with your subdomain.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve looked at the top 10 benefits of blogging and we’ve barely scratched the surface. Some other potential benefits could include:
- Blogging allows you to express yourself and share what you’re passionate about.
- Through blogging, you can preserve your legacy, similar to being a published author.
- Blogging can be a tool to differentiate yourself and your business from competitors.
- Blogging can be used to build a professional network to get you more exposure.
The biggest benefits of blogging all have to do with how it can add value to you and your business.
For many people, it’s to make extra money online or to start their own business on the side. If you’re one of those people, we would love to work with you and help you!
Book a FREE no-strings-attached coaching call with one of our experts right now to find out how we can help you experience the benefits of blogging for yourself!
