A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Forum – 5 Reasons to Start a Blog

In late 2008, my blog began simply as an online place for me to collect and share my thoughts, during a time when I was desperate to figure it all out. Over the past 3+ years, I can’t say I’ve answered all the questions of life, but I can say I’ve built a platform that is the basis for a thriving community and my growing coaching business. And just a week away from the launch of my new Beyond Baby Steps Forum, I was honored to present at a mastermind meeting as a blogging expert.

Funny—was that a surprise!

Odds are that you have chosen the life of an entrepreneur thinking that you’ll be able to live the life of your dreams. You are working hard, much harder than you ever thought possible, at creating a lifestyle business – one that gives you the freedom to enjoy the pleasures of life, as you chose them, AND makes you lots of money at the same time. Let’s face it, if you’re like me, you’ve been carrying around a vision or at least some part of a dream, that includes “Make Money Online” or “Make Money While I’m Sleeping”.

I believe that maintaining a blog is the hub of that miraculous lifestyle business enterprise, and here’s why:

Blogging Brands You as an Expert.

Your blog is your platform, your stage. This is THE place to tell your story and to engage the like-minded people attracted to your message. The secret here is you’ll likely reach “expert” status in the minds of your audience, even before you recognize it in your own.

How did I get to be considered a blogging expert? Three times this year other bloggers have recognized me on their lists of “Bloggers to Watch”. Funny thing is, I’d never even heard of one of the three! Yet, this blogger was comfortable acting as if she knew me because my message was clearly articulated on the pages of my blog.

And the best part is, blogs are easy to syndicate, meaning that you can get your information and opinions out to the world in mass! And when a story is picked up, it can spread very quickly. If you have an opinion to share, a product to sell, a brand to market or something else to say on the internet, and you think that people are going to want to read what it is that you have to say, then blogging is is for you.  And, blogs are loved by the media and by the search engines – including Google.

Attraction Marketing is the Only Way to Market.

If you’re expecting your computer to generate cash 24/7 then attraction marketing online is the only way to do it. Period. If you are looking for a way to create solid leads for your business, a blog is one of the best ways to market yourself online.

Running around to every networking event in town, or cold calling, or chasing dead leads is not the way to lead a lifestyle business. Instead, you want to make yourself irresistibly attractive to your ideal client. Blogging allows you to create valuable content that attracts people with your passion and your interests –  your ideal prospect. You educate them about what you are doing and how your service or product provides benefit to them long before they purchase it. You will naturally be creating solid leads for your business by writing about what you love and sharing your vision with the world. And, in the process, you get even clearer about who you serve, what you do, and why you do it, and that becomes even more attractive!

Blogging is Better than a Newsletter for Getting your Message Out and it’s Easier, too.

It doesn’t require printing or mailing, or cumbersome software to manage or design skills to publish a blog post. Just tell an interesting story or share your knowledge. Don’t worry if you’re not a professional writer – blogging is much less formal than a newsletter. Formatting and not-so-perfect grammar are forgiven in the blogging world since the writing style is often conversational. It’s personal and much more interactive, and the messaging has much longer shelf-life. Your posts stay alive on your site, and through the relevant keyword searches as long as you keep them active. Email spam traps are filtering out almost everything, and newsletters that do pass through are quickly deleted. Open rates are plummeting. Audiences are tuning out of email. Subscribers to blogs are much more engaged. No one can accuse a blogger of spamming.

Creation of Content for Multiple Purposes is Easy.

Your blog is a testing ground for content that may be repurposed later into all kinds of signature products – workbooks/ebooks/audio courses/webinars – and/or in-person workshops and training. Feedback is encouraged and supported through comments, so you’ll learn quickly what your audience wants to hear. And you’ll get to practice different messaging through your posts, too.

Blogging Builds Community.

Nothing facilitates conversation, communication, and community the way that blogging does. Blogs are interactive – encouraging comments and engaging conversation among readers and community members. As you nurture interaction, your company’s image is enhanced and your community grows. And bloggers seem to be natural collaborators. They support each other by sharing their favorite blogs with their communities and subscribers.

And here’s the best part — you don’t have to have a huge audience to be successful blogging, generating real business from your blog. The secret here is that even the smallest audience is very targeted —they all want what you have. By creating a blog that provides real value within your industry niche, and getting the word out through some simple strategies, you attract more like-minded readers, all of whom have chosen to come to hear what you have to say. One more blog subscriber is worth far more than hundreds of unengaged email opt-ins.

If you haven’t started your blog yet, and you’re growing a business with the intention of generating online income, the time to start is now. And if you’ve gotten started, or you’re stalled, and not sure what to do next, add a comment here and let us all know what’s holding you back, and I know someone will make a recommendation or two that is sure to help.

I started blogging simply out of a desire to connect to other women who were feeling like I was.  As I wrote my story of personal and professional growth, a funny thing happened on the way – my blog reaches extended beyond my wildest imagination and so did the belief in my power to create the life of my dreams.

Sounds like the law of attraction at work to me!

In the spirit of wisdom, wellness, and prosperity-

I wish you well-