For youngsters finishing college one of the areas you need to explore is blogging and below we feature some of the reasons.
- Show Your Expertise
We have a lot of talent in Zimbabwe or the world at large that has gone untapped or showcased. We also have a lot of people going up their academic ladders even to PHD levels but most of these people still aren’t sharing with the world what they know best. The only thing they have to show is just a gown and a certificate hung up on a wall. I still find some other experts and educated guys who have spent so much time trying to submit their articles in the private media, but most of the times they get rejected or are told to revise their work. Then I ask myself if it is really worth it if I can build my platform then capitalize on it. This does not apply to the educated ones only but also to anyone who is an expert in a certain field, or passionate about a certain area that you want to share the expertise with the world. The internet gives you unlimited opportunity to get your message right there into the world.
Maybe you so much interested in a certain area, be it cars, fashion, fitness, health, money, blogging, politics, technology etc. then what are you waiting for? Go for it now and start blogging about it. In fact blogging has been made very easy today you can get access to various Youtube tutorials or even blog posts or even ask some blogging experts to take you through the journey.
- Bulid Your Network
There is a common adage that says, ‘Your network is your net worth’ and believe you me we living in a world where who you know matters most. Through blogging I have managed to connect with some great men and women from all over the world. I have connected with some great international musicians and creative from all Africa and beyond and did some projects and interviews together. One of them we met last year when he came for the Zim Hip Hop Summit 2018, that was way after we had talked before over the phone and had done some works together online. Some of them I’m still to meet them and everyday my network is expanding. I occasionally get emails from international bloggers and content creators asking to have their articles featured on one of my other blogs
So let’s say you blog about finance, then it means you get to network with other finance bloggers and also your audience of which most of the times they would be people in your niche. To expand your network you can also read, share and comment on other blogs in your industry. The greatest hack to build a great network is to give without expecting anything in return, in fact to give more than you receive. Remember people are just attracted to people who give them something, so things like free e-books, great blog posts and even free giveaways will act like a magnet and expand your network.
- Distinguish Yourself & Build Your Brand
As a blogger, you generally have an added advantage over non-bloggers mainly because sometimes you appear to know more stuff than none bloggers. Most bloggers also are influencers in their own niches and people tend to follow their advice, analyses, reports, trends etc and many a time they even quoted by other bloggers. For business, there is a general inclination towards those that blog than those that don’t. Consumers view those that blog as more knowledgeable than those that don’t, so what are you waiting for? If there is one thing that can distinguish you from another person, that is the amount and quality of information you know and the easiest way to let the world know that you know something is definitely through blogging. This is mainly because blogging is very cheap and comes with immense opportunities. I want you to know that blogging is not an over-night success game and if you really looking for microwave success then please I beg you, ‘Don’t try it please’. If you’re going to blog about a subject, you need to KNOW YOUR STUFF.
This means you sometimes have to go out of your lane, researching and gathering content plus the immense effort and time required to put up a quality post. I remember my first times blogging, spending sleepless nights trying to put up one single post but that was worth it. I managed to develop myself, work under pressure, manage my time, articulate my thoughts and message. Remember practice makes perfect and I’m still working on my 10 000 hours. Again a look at some great brands like Jeff Bullas who specializes in Content and Digital Marketing,
Joel Brown of Addicted 2 Success that specializes in Motivational content, Janet Machuka specializes in Digital Marketing, Fitness Bae specializing in Fitness. All these guys have built great brands that extend beyond their personalities and they are capitalizing and monetizing on that.
- Increase Your Market & Reach
According to Hubspot, “53% of marketers say blogging is their top content marketing priority.”53% is a huge number, and the question could be, are you part of that large group, if not then what are you waiting for? The underlying reason is basically that they have seen its immense benefits and I don’t want you to miss these too. When you generate good content, search .come to your blog and pages and this means more leads which you can then covert to customers. Also when the content is good, people tend to share it reaching more and more unimaginable numbers. 94% of people share blog content because they think it might be useful to other people. (Source: nymarketing.com) To enjoy these matrices, you have to optimize on quality content. A blog being an online presence is there on the web 24/7 meaning someone is broadcasting your message all the time. Even when you asleep or on holiday people can still go view your site and read your posts, like and share them or even participate in some Call to Actions (CTA) thereby harvesting prospects and increasing your database.Companies that published 16 or more blog posts per month got 4.5X the leads than companies that published 4 or lessmonthly posts. (Source: Hubspot)
- Make money
Now I come to the area that I’m often asked by most people, ‘Zvinemari here?’ and I always calmly respond, “Try it”. Believe you me, this thing is a multi-billion dollar one, but as highlighted before it is not an over-night success and always the game, the world always rewards the best. There are many ways of making money online from sponsored posts, selling adverts, affiliate links, speaking engagements, selling books and courses etc. I will have to dedicate a whole blog post or series of posts dedicated to how you can make money online especially through blogging. Another quick way to make money through blogging for your business is to include your products and put up an e-commerce platform on your blog and website pages. If it is a services industry, you can also include some of your services on separate pages and also include booking or contact pages to let prospects get in touch and place orders.
By Tinashe Bonde and article originally published on blog www.coachtinashe.co.zw
