First, let’s understand what the hell is a Blog?

A blog can be actually a very productive tool. But before you you decide to do a blog lets define what a blog is first so you can be clear on your goals.

Originally a Blog was used as an online digital version of a journal. Journaling is something people have been doing for decades.

Now to understand a blog itself in its most basic purpose we need to first just understand what a journal is.

Simply A journal is a written form of note-taking, information gathering, writing down ideas and memories.
Originally Supplemented by photos or diagrams placed in a Journal Book (as you can’t actually stick videos into a book can you.)

So if it’s a journal or notes on your personal memories you would write down key interesting memories or activities that you are or have done.

You write, record it, so you can go back, revisit it in your journal, and by doing so you are somewhat reliving that period of your life.
Do the same thing if you had an idea or thought that you wish to recollect later.

If your journaling is for the purpose of notes for a course, subject matter, or skills you are learning. You would write it down, with notes, bullet points, images, diagrams so you remember the information better.

You can now revisit those notes if and when you need to refresh your memory. Such as you would do in a College or University course.

WHY START A BLOG?

8 Reasons why you should Start a Blog

  1. As mentioned above, a blog will be helpful to you as a reference resource for you to refer to when you want to remember something or to follow a step by step guide.
  2. It will be your legacy to pass on to others and your kids to show them what you did and teach them in a structured way instead of you trying to remember all you learn and verbally teach.
  3. It could help you to become an authority in your field or niche which automatically gives you credibility and trust with your audience.
  4. It could even help you get a job as you can show your abilities and passion even if you don’t want to start a business.
  5. Excellent for Google and other search engines so people can find you or your business organically.
  6. Excellent for marketing and growing your business and developing a personal brand as it will help simplify social media content generation which helps reduce procrastination, and related stress!
  7. Network, grow your friend circle of like-minded people
  8. Best of all, it’s fun! Reason to get up and live a life and document it as you live it and learn.

Marketing: Repurpose content for Social Media and marketing

Social Media Content

There are many Social media platforms out there. From Instagram, Facebook, YouTube (it is a social platform), LinkedIn, Twitter and so many more.

Coming up with valuable, shareable content for each is simply time-consuming and at times overwhelming.

Having a Blog as your central point and beginning of all content journey, you will be able to re-purpose the content on various social media platforms, instead of trying to come up with ideas to post for each platform.

You can take images, quotes, videos clips and so on that you would create for your amazing blog post. Use the same content and share parts of it on various platforms.

This is what I call a content flow, which includes automation and content calendar scheduling to make creating content easy and scalable.

A Blog Can Make Creating Videos easy

Online video is the most consumed medium on the internet. YouTube is the second most searched engine after Google itself (both owned by Google).

Thinking of what to do in a video is time-consuming and hard. There are so many people on YouTube and similar platforms that its saturated.

This is why a blog as your central Hub, your business HQ is so important.

The strategy to come up with Blog ideas and Titles (link to blog post), helps you know exactly what to write about that’s in demand.

That same topic you write can have a video attached to it, explaining the content you have written about.

WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT

How does Journaling relate to blogging?

Let’s make it simple!

At the core, Blogging is a digital version of note-taking and journaling for your personal self-first.

So it’s written in an informal or a conversational way so you can easily refer back to it, and revisit that information or memory.

The 2 large advantage and difference between a digital journal i.e. the Blog and a physical book and pen-based journal is:

  1. You can access the information you have written from anywhere in the world when you need it.
  2. The information can also be shared with other people who may be interested in activities you have done, or the educational information that you have learned that they can benefit from. So you write articles in that form.

So to start your journey into blogging;

  1. keep it simple, keep it informal, and write for yourself first.
  2. Document things you are learning as you learn like note-taking.
  3. And/or Document your key activities you have done for memories that others can also take motivation and inspiration from.

So your Blog can take these 2 forms predominantly. That is the core essence of what a blog is.

  1. Personal Blog
  2. Featured Niche Blogs, More niche version of a blog can be a featured Blog.

What do I mean?

  1. A personal blog is quite self-explanatory. As mentioned, it’s is your personal space on the inter-webs to share your own various experiences and lifestyle.
  2. A Featured niche blog, means, rather than writing for your own memories and knowledge reference for things you are learning. The blog is more focused on a specific goal, topic or brand concept.

A featured Blog(s) is where you only write and share information related to the theme of the blog. So it’s not personal as such, it’s discussing a very specific interest you have, such as a hobby, or a product linked to what you like.

These featured blogs do not really include personal content unless it’s directly linked to the topic and theme the blog covers. To keep it cohesive for the audience who came for that particular interest.
So the blogs are made and maintained to build and support a community of likeminded people interested in that particular area or topic, and not because they are only interested in you.

But you maybe thinking “but Avz, I have many interests and I have stuff I want to remember also like journal, what do I do?”

Well, this part bothered me for a long time. And the answer is more simple than you think.

You simply make 2 or more separate Blogs…! 🤯

  1. One blog is personal, like a digital journal where you can share information with your followers and friends of what you are doing, or have learned.
  2. The other blog(s) are FEATURED blogs, as discussed above, which are more in-depth information of activities or hobbies you are specifically interested in, or business you are running that has a core theme.

Starting to make sense, isn’t it?

The key thing to note is, your personal blog can always link to other blogs, social media channels of your other interests to give more value to those who are following you as an individual.
But the Featured Blog would not really outwardly be linking to your personal site, as it would be non-cohesive to your Featured Blogs/brand message.

So those who are interested in you as a person will gravitate towards your own personal lifestyle blog. Those who are interested in the particular niche topic or business concept you are focused on will go to the Featured topic-specific blog.

Both blog types can be monetized but in different ways.

Later stages:

Once you become popular and experienced than on an advanced level, you can leverage each blog, segment the audience and direct specific audiences to the other blogs which are more specific to give them even more value.

Example.
1) Personal blog, You have an article on your business or fashion.
These are topics you as an individual enjoy and are learning. So you write it down and share it with your friends, and audiences that have come to like you.

2) But you also run a purely women’s fashion or business blog site which you want to keep professional.

In which case you would write informal fun conversational small snippet of a topic on your personal blog site (can be short form), and then you link-out at the bottom of the article to your other blog site where you go much more into detail about that topic for any of those readers specifically interested in that topic.

3) Repurpose content you made for the blog and share it on your Social Media sites, and also drive the audience from your social media site back to your blog to give even more added value

Hope now your mind is opened to a sea of ideas. 🤯
Just stop thinking and start creating.

If you would like to learn more about how to Blog or setup a blog Download the free Checklist