The Future Of Blogging – SOTB 2009 Day 5

What is the future of blogging? We’ll if you are in business or politics, chances are the paths are fully drawn and filled with gold. While blogging is pretty much across all industries these days, the two areas where people see the most success, and thus are more likely to continue are for business and politics.

Once you start blogging, your more apt to use other social tools to help you build your business and your traffic levels. According to the State of the Blogosphere 2009 Day 5 report, as of this past May only 14 percent of the general population used Twitter. But for the bloggers that took part in the SOTB survey, 73 percent use Twitter. (For corporates and self employeds, it was 83 percent and 88 percent respectively.)

sotb day 5

Using Twitter puts your hand on the pulse of society. Not only is it a great traffic booster, allowing you to bring in traffic to your blog instantly, its also a great way to keep touch with what people are thinking. You can find out instantly everything from current events to resources and business tips.  Once you start using it, its easy to begin relying on it as a way to keep up with the circulating buzz.

So how can you use Twitter if you blog?

Think of it as a resource for content. Follow the leaders in your industry, and people that offer advice and tips that relate to your target market, and of course people that may eventually do business with you. You can click through and find a ton of information that relates directly to your prospects and clients, and pass it along. Become a resource. Become an expert. The more you’re willing to share, the greater chance you have of becoming an authority – and picking up prospects and clients.

Can You Really Make Money At Blogging? SOTB 2009 Day 4

Blogging. It sounds like a secret club, or at least something you mess around with on the weekends. It could never provide full time income, right? Especially as a small business owner – it simply provides a few leads, but never income.

According to the State of the Blogosphere 2009 report, with 72 percent of respondents stating they blog as a hobby, that tends to be true.

But once you discover you can make money blogging, and you put a little effort into it, the sky is the limit. According to the survey, 54 percent of part timers, 32 percent of self employeds, and 14 percent of corporates have monitized their blogs in some manner. And among those bloggers that generate ad revenue from advertisers, the average numbers look pretty good:

can you make money at blogging

And that’s just the start. Because your blog makes you an authority – a respected individual in your field or niche, the money can come from many different sources.

  • Speaking at expos and industry events
  • Book deals
  • Services
  • Coaching/consulting

But it all starts with becoming the expert by blogging. Again. And again. Don’t quit until you achieve success.

State Of The Blogosphere – Do Your Clients Actually Read Blogs?

Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2009, day 1,  was released today, providing valuable insight on who bloggers are today. state of the blogosphere 2009

This report not only provides valuable insight on who is blogging, but for me, it also provides valuable insight on who is reading blogs. If this is the caliber of people creating them, you can be sure the same types of people are reading them on a daily basis.

Some things that immediately jump out is:

  • 48 percent of bloggers are from the U.S.
  • Though blogging is pretty evenly distributed across the U.S., the 5 top states are California, New York, Florida, Texas and Washington.
  • On average, bloggers have three or four blogs they actively write for
  • 75 percent have college degrees
  • 40 percent have graduate degrees
  • One in three has a household income of $75K+
  • One in four has a household income of $100K+
  • More than 50 percent are married
  • More than 50 percent are parents

Do your customers fit this profile? Would you like more customers from this profile?

Blogging is something that pretty much every business owner has heard of, yet few know how to apply it to their business. But if you do, the rewards can be tremendous.