Posted by Gary M | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 31-01-2011
How would you classify your blog, if you have one? Experts say that the blog should be the central hub of your online effort. They also say that a majority of people either don’t treat it seriously or give up after the first few posts because they don’t see a “return on investment”. Is that really what a blog should be about…ROI???
For the last two years I admit that my blog has been a sideshow. Although I believe it’s a necessary part of my overall personal branding strategy, I’ve never really seen it as the main event of my online efforts until now. Maybe I’m just a bit slow because it’s taken 2 years to comprehend that every blog is a direct reflection of the author’s character. That each blog has its own DNA, just like its author. That each blog post delivers its own message based on the author’s interpretation of the world as they see it. And that each blog post allows and encourages other like-minded thinkers to connect with its author regardless of geography.
With that said, I’m not going to make my blog (nor do I believe anyone else should make theirs) the central focus of their online SALES effort. Although many people do this, I refuse to ask for business inside a blog post. Does it seem right to invite people into your brain, then throw them a buying proposition? I don’t think so. Instead, the blog should be seen as a personal branding tool with clear, concise messages relative to the character of the author that are delivered consistently and with content that deserves the attention of like-minded thinkers in the virtual world, no matter where they are.
Many people have tried blogging and gave up because they weren’t immediately gratified. They wrote five posts and no one commented, so they quit. They tried to ride the “one-trick pony” and jumped off before it even reached a gallop. Others, like myself, have been treating their blogs as a sideshow with the same thinking as the pony-riders except with a bit more persistence. Still no results, but hey, it feels like the right thing to do. Then there are the “main events” in the world. The people behind these blogs don’t necessarily put their entire days into them, but they have realized faster than most the personal branding power of this medium…and they are reaping the rewards.
Where do you fit in this virtual circus?