What a blog is and the benefits of blogging

Blogging originally started as a form of online diary. Due to the friendliness and usability of blogs, they were rapidly picked up as a tool by would be journalists to comment on the state of society, politics, sports and so on. Marketers quickly saw the benefit of adding blogs to their business model and the blog has become one of the easiest and most commonly used marketing and communication tools available.

Blogs are so popular, that many corporations have full time bloggers that earn six figures working from their homes, or their cars, or their favorite coffee shops.

So what exactly is a blog?

Blog is short for weblog which is a sequential; usually reverse chronological, series of postings. A post can be anything from a short paragraph meant to inspire to a 1000+ word essay on the topic of your choice. Blogs don’t have to be strictly in copy form. Many new technologies have been developed to make audio and video blogging an easy addition to your blog.

Benefits of Blogging.

Consistent communication. A blog gives you, a business owner, consistent communication with your audience of customers and prospects. Blogging typically requires frequent updating, which often means a minimum of a new post every week or two. Many blog owners post daily. This consistent communication with your audience keeps you in the forefront. Additionally, with the technology that now enables readers to subscribe to your blog, your new posts are automatically emailed to them.

Credibility. Each blog post enables you to share your knowledge with readers. If your information is valuable and beneficial you earn more credibility.

Exposure. In addition to your current marketing mix which may include articles, advertising, direct mail, e-zines, networking and so on, a blog increases your exposure and thereby increases your brand awareness. New people will learn about your business through your blog and the people who are already familiar with you will become more familiar with your business.

Profits. Blogging offers you as a business owner the potential to monetize your blog through advertising, product affiliation, and even your own product promotions.

SEO. Blogging is yet another valuable tool that enables you to add valuable content to your website. Content that is tracked and recorded by the search engines and used to increase your ranking.


It should be noted that while there are many benefits to adding a blog to your business, a blog can be a business all by itself. For more information on how to make money with your blog read http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/blogging-rss/money.html and visit lesson #6 in this getting started tutorial.

Next, we’ll look at the different types of blogs and how you can make yours work for you.

 === > Lesson #2 Understanding and Determining Your Blog's Purpose