With all the talk about earning money as a blogger, I think it’s important to determine the purpose of a blog. This isn’t one of those same “why do you blog” discussions, because most people will say they love sharing or writing and it turns in to a big kumbaya. Determining the purpose of your blog is to get to the real meat of the matter. It’s to look into your blog’s future and see where you envision it five years down the road.
Why do you really blog?
Is it because you want to build your personal brand?
Is it because you are being paid to build someone else’s brand?
Is it to bring traffic?
Is it to create awareness of a product, service, or charity?
Is it to share?
Is it to write about yourself?
Is it to sell something?
Is it to make money?
Until you determine the purpose, you won’t really be able to grow your blog one way or another. Knowing which direction to take your blog will give you goals. It will enable you to put a plan into place. For example, someone only interested in building a buzz around a brand will take a different approach to a personal blogger. Someone wishing to share tips is probably going to be less aggressive than someone only wishing to make money. Each type of blogging involves different tactics and strategies.
What is the purpose of your blog…and what is your plan of action for growing your blog?
Deb Ng is a professional blogger and founder of the Freelance Writing Jobs network. Feel free to follow her on Twitter @debng.
I blog to learn. I find that when I’m trying to explain something to someone, I learn about it myself. As for making money, the things that I’ve learned through my blog over the last several years have led me to a new and very enjoyable career.
It’s not always about the hits and the ad revenues. Sometimes it’s just a way to slowly hash things out publicly.
The purpose of my blog is a combination personal and to share with others. It’s focus is for weight loss and body image. Not just a standard diet blog. It has some affiliate stores geared toward my intended audience. I would love to build traffic with others that are struggling with the same things but want to learn and live a well rounded healthy lifestyle.