The term “blog” has become a bit of a buzzword in online marketing, with marketers across all industries regularly debating whether blogs are doomed to irrelevance in the near future.
At first glance, that argument makes sense, right? After all, in today’s world, there are amazing ways to reach potential customers directly through sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Also, with social media channels growing at such a faster rate and visual content being so appealing, it’s obvious to wonder if people still read blogs.
However, there are also arguments that say that blogging has never been more relevant than it is right now. It is not just an option to reach your target audience but is the best way to connect with them on a much deeper level.
Have a closer look to understand - are blogs still a thing in 2022? But first, let’s understand the basics of blogging.
What is Blogging?
Blogging is a form of content marketing and an incredibly powerful tool to build your personal brand, grow your business, and create an online presence. It is the act of posting updates online about any particular topic, be it fashion, beauty, travel, lifestyle, personal growth, parenting, food, and more.
Now, you might be wondering what makes blogging so popular.
Well, it’s inexpensive, highly relevant, and super easy to set up!
You can use tools like Writesonic’s AI Article and Blog Writer to create high-quality blog posts in no time.
And, tools like WordPress to host your blog, which is a website that allows you to publish content on the internet.
Note: Blogging combined with killer content marketing strategies can be a great way to grow your business.
Though blogging is a great way to promote your business, build your brand, and attract new customers, it can also be time-consuming, tedious, and sometimes even frustrating. So, if you’re considering taking the plunge into blogging, it’s important to understand the pros and cons before making the leap.
Pros of blogging:
- A great way to fine-tune your writing skills.
- Helps you to build your personal brand and grow your business.
- Provides an opportunity to create content that offers additional income.
- A well-optimized and high-quality blog can attract more visitors and boost the conversion rate.
- Increases opportunity for guest blogging, which can impact the traffic and revenue from the blog.
Cons of blogging:
- Demands a lot of time, effort, and consistency.
- Difficult to track the ROI from blogging.
- Flexibility is dangerous if you’re not self-motivated.
- Growing your blogging isn’t an overnight process!
Is blogging dead?
The introduction of social media and various other mobile applications like WhatsApp and A2P SMS has transformed the blogging landscape.
Undoubtedly, people are consuming digital content in different ways than they were ten years ago. But, this does not mean that blogging is dead!
Instead, blogs now serve as more of a complement to these platforms and offer readers something different!
Here’s why blogging is still relevant in the era of social media:
- Blogs provide a level of depth and authenticity that social media can't. It provides an opportunity for bloggers to be more authentic in their posts and connect with their readers on a deeper level.
- Social media accounts can be deleted or abandoned at any time, whereas blogs live on forever.
- Blogs provide more space for original content than one photo from Instagram or tweet from Twitter does. This means you can use more words to relay your message in detail than you could with limited characters.
- Blogs are a great way to push your business goals and promote your products and services. You may definitely not want to spend money on expensive ads when you have a powerful tool like blogging at your fingertips!
Still doubtful? Check out these blogging statistics:
- Around 77% of internet users read blog posts regularly.
- Approximately 70 million new blog posts are published on WordPress each month.
- 61% of Americans spend three times more time reading a blog post content than an email.
These statistics clearly show that if your business is not blogging, you’re missing out on the lucrative opportunities that can actually autopilot your business. So, let’s see how blogging is important for your business.
How does blogging help to grow your business?
From direct mail to telemarketing, there are millions of ways when it comes to growing your business. And, in this digital world, where competition is fiercer than ever, it’s no secret that businesses thrive when they have a strong online presence.
And this is where blogging comes into the picture. It is the most effective way when it comes to marketing your business online. Here’s how:
- Grow your email list.
- Build brand awareness.
- Improves online reputation.
- Increase social media reach.
- Generate leads and boost conversion.
- Drives traffic to the website and improves SEO ranking.
- Reach a wider audience and build healthy relationships with them.
Remember, your blog is an online reflection of your business. Make sure to create a great impression on your potential customers!
How to start a blog: A mini guide for beginners
Starting a blog may sound exciting, but a lot goes into making it successful. If you’re just starting out, here’s a guide that can help you feel confident:
Decide a platform for your blog
The first step is to choose a platform where you want to host your blog. There are plenty of blogging platforms, of which the two most common ones are WordPress and Squarespace. Both have their own pros and cons, so understand the difference before making a decision.
Select a domain name
After deciding on the platform, the next step is to buy the domain name.
A domain name is the first thing that people see when they come across your blog. This means that it plays a crucial role in determining whether or not someone continues reading your content or decides to click away from your site.
Choose the topic
Do proper research and use a blog topic generator to make sure the topic you select is viable for a blog. Here are a few questions that you need to ask yourself before you decide on a topic:
- Is your topic something that people are searching for?
- Does your topic lend itself to engaging and long-form content?
- Can you write an in-depth blog post on the topic and also make it interesting?
Build a content calendar
You can’t simply post a blog post, disappear for a month, and still expect it to grow. Your blog demands consistency!
So, create a weekly/monthly content calendar and list all the topics that you want to cover on your blog. Next, when deciding on a publishing schedule, it’s important to take your personal availability into account.
Use an AI writing tool
Writing is a time-consuming process! Plus, when you are just starting out, you need to publish more high-quality content to build an online presence. AI content writing tools can help you to speed up your content creation process. You can try Writesonic’s AI Article Writer to generate high-quality blog posts.
Plan your marketing strategy
Just creating and publishing blog posts won’t matter if they don't reach the right audience. Create a proper marketing plan as to how and where you want to promote your blog posts.
You can use social media to get the word out about your blog, interact with your readers and make sure that they know when new content is available on your site. Plus, you can also try guest posting on other blogs in your industry to earn links back to your site and generate more traffic.
Tips to grow your blog
Here are some ways in which you can become a better blogger, as well as some tips on how you can write a post that will help you grow your blog.
Know your audience
The first step to writing blog posts that will reach more people is knowing who your audience is. Understand who they are, what attracts them, what they are interested in, and more.
Once you have this information, it will be easier for you to create content that will resonate with them - which will increase your chances of reaching more people.
There's a lot of research involved with knowing your audience. Of course, it takes time, but it's worth it!
Create quality content and be consistent
The next thing you need to do is make sure that your blog posts are well-written and informative. You need to invest time and effort in your blog and make it worth the reading!
To speed up the blog writing process, you can try using Writesonic’s AI Article Writer and post consistently. If you post at least two times a week, your blog will have a better chance of success.
Keep it interesting
One of the most important things when writing blog posts is to keep them interesting. Your readers are likely getting tired of reading the same old blog post topics, so you need to make some changes.
Make changes in your content by adding new ideas and unique perspectives that will take your blog post from being boring to being informative, engaging, and memorable.
Use blogging tools and do proper formatting
Check out a few blogging tools that can help you to improve your writing and increase traffic. This will not just help you to save time but also speed up the process.
Apart from content, how you format your blog post matters a lot. You need to create a perfect blog format that can not just impress humans but also search engines.
Before you go!
The bottom line is: Blogging is not dead; it's still alive and kicking. And, yes! Blogs are still a thing in 2024.
The most important reason to continue is that it can help grow your business and is an excellent way to make money online.To automate your blog post writing process, try Writesonic's Article Writer for free!