A decade ago, blogs were considered or rather seen as a medium to express and share one’s feelings, thoughts, opinions, ideas, experiences…A lot like a personal diary!
And then, a revolution supervened!
Bloggers could monetize their blogs and ideas by connecting with readers across the globe and gaining influence.
As per internet live stats, hundreds of new blogs are published every second. The bloggers today are treated like celebrities; the award functions are being hosted for them, they star in movies, interviews, newsrooms, radio podcasts, etc.
Do You Know?
The global internet traffic is expected to hit 2 zettabytes by the end of this year (2019). There are more than 1.7B total websites and approximately 380 websites are added every minute. But only 200M websites are fully active and are serving 4B active internet users across the world.
(Source: https://www.internetlivestats.com/ )
But, the scenarios are changing and one of the most frequently asked questions is “Is Blogging Still Worth it?” I have been asked this question in almost all of my workshops and seminars, over and again. People are bemused regarding the longevity of traditional blogging in this era of Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat where Influencers fancy calling themselves Bloggers.
The allegiance of blogs as a worthy marketing strategy is questioned?
But, the truth is counter-intuitive and we have to face it.
It’s natural that a blogger dedicates approximately 3.5 hours to create a post and the entire effort is swayed by the touts using other faster marketing strategies.
The answer to this question, “Is Blogging Still Worth it?”, has two sides and solely depends upon your goal.
Your Goal?
Suppose, you are soon launching a sale (say 6 months or so) on your website or offline business, then relying only on blogging would be a blip and will not generate much traffic. For faster results, you will have to opt for other marketing strategies.
For generating leads and traffic in a short time, you need more than just blogging.
I often hear people say that they have been blogging regularly but fail to generate a good ROI. My only question to them is that,” Are you working on promoting your blog well?”
I hope that answers the query.
The audience will not magically find you until you have a very unique and uncommon niche.
The majority of bloggers today have a common goal i.e. to make money online. So, if you are blogging and not promoting your blog, then don’t blame yourself for getting the shortest straw.
Playing Long
Establishing your brand and name takes time. I have been blogging on this website from the past four years. And don’t be astonished if I say 70% of my traffic comes from Google searches (purely organic searches) and not social media, emails or link sharing.
One cannot build such traffic overnight or in a couple of months. It takes a good amount of time, effort, dedication and pro-SEO techniques to convert the visitors into leads.
So, Here’s is What You Can Do
Creating just text-based content and cranking them in tons won’t work in today’s scenario. Here are some simple tips which will not only help you thrive in this ever-expanding digital world but will also make your blog stay updated and stand above the rest.
1. Stop lionizing Text-Based Content
When you blog, make a note that half of the users come from the mobile platform and these people are least interested in text-based content.
Start creating video-based and audio-based content. Even infographics are a great option. Publish these videos or podcasts on your blog as well as other channels.
2. Post Your Content Everywhere
Suppose you have created a blog or a video. Post that on every social media such as Facebook, Medium, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. Your content should sit everywhere. Your aim should be to reach every netizen sitting in any corner of the world.
Read Also: 5 Things Everyone Knows About Blogging But You Don’t
3. Keep Updating You Old Posts
Yes, That’s true. Do you know, every time when Google releases an update the rankings get affected?
It’s not that once you have ranked well and have started gaining leads, you should ignore your old posts. Keep updating content frequently so as to maintain your ranking on Google and other Search Engines.
Publish regularly and with a good content length. As per backlinko, the top SERPs on the first page have 1800 words on an average.
Switch to this fresh new perspective of blogging Now!
Blogging is Just a Part of the Big Picture
The time demands you to focus more on the content strategy and not just blogging. Always remember, “Content” plays the deciding role in all your marketing strategies.
Text-Based blogging alone will make you miss out on countless opportunities on ROI of your choice.
Blending text with other marketing and promotional strategies such as video content, audio content, etc are likely to cast a much better ROI spell both for long and short terms.
Do you think this blog post is worth sharing? If yes, please hit the share button NOW! For updates on my upcoming workshops on Blogging and Digital Marketing, you may follow my Instagram feed @saniagupta_official.