17. Conclusion

As a business strategy, blogging is beneficial for many different businesses. It does not matter how they differ regarding the niche, the scope of production or the number of employees. What is universal for everyone is the fact that blogging remains an effective strategy to reach online consumers. Even if your business is not online, your consumers probably are. Having explained the essence of blogging and how this strategy can be implemented to be profitable and sustainable, we will highlight what makes blogging different depending on the type of business you run. Three main groups can be formed:

Blogging to build influence

Firstly, we see blogging to build influence which is something individuals do. These individuals may or may not have their products or any strategy to monetize their influence at the beginning. What is typical is that they start small, but this in no way stops them from growing big. The budget needed to start blogging like this is rather minimal. Blogging like this is focused on an individual on one side and the audience on the other. The type of relationship is much closer than with larger blogs. Primarily, due to the limited audience. In a situation like this, a blogger has more time to pay attention to the audience, their feedback, chat with them, etc. The blogger usually knows the audience extremely well, up to the point of knowing their names, favorite hobbies, and similar details. This kind of closeness within the community is still possible, but it is not that common for blogs with a lot of followers or blogs with multiple authors. As said, starting small does not mean that there is no place for thinking big. Just focus on what you can do at the given moment and how you want your career as a blogger to grow. This will provide better insights and help you create a roadmap of the activities to follow, regardless if those are aiming to publish every day, hiring an assistant, or creating your own product. It is also important to have in mind that providing quality (both in terms of content and product) and working on building your influence are the necessary components of becoming a successful blogger and turning your blog into an online (or offline) business.

Blogging to power up your small business

Starting out a business has never seemed easier, but still, there are so many challenges, that we can see numerous businesses starting and failing just as quick. This refers to both offline and online businesses, which are competing in the market that seem saturated enough. Even without additional challenges small business owners face, such as gaining visibility, reaching and converting customers, etc. positioning on the market can be an obstacle impossible to overcome. Among many strategies businesses use to launch their brand in the online world, blogging seems to be one of the most used tactics. Being simple and quick to implement, blogging represents that special fuel a small business needs to start boosting traffic, exposure, and finally sales. Content has been a very efficient medium that connects a business and customers, and it will remain to be a commonly used resource in a business strategy. Even though a new trends might be redefining content marketing as a whole, with focusing on visual content (primarily video), and new lead generation strategies, blogging will remain a platform to disseminate the content in any format, and to make sure you make yourself reachable to your customers. This represents a great way to improve your business, because content and connection with the readers together are the most powerful ways to promote your business in the online world. The main characteristic of a successful small business is that they usually blog with more passion and they focus on the consumers. Despite the fact that they might be lacking the budget for super high quality video production or to hire professional writers, a good analysis of a buyer persona and keyword research will provide enough details to start planning blog content with more success.

Corporate blogging

Finally, the third group is so-called corporate bloggers who provide content for large companies. The one edge they have is a larger budget allowing them to invest more in content creation. Still, not every company uses blogging as their tool, nor do they do it completely right. With corporate blogging, there is a big challenge of engagement, as companies sometimes focus on content only, without trying to encourage discussion or focus on their customers. This can sometimes lead to creating content that is dull or without any practical information. To combat these potential issues, companies that have success with corporate blogging try to maintain a conversational voice, to keep listening and responding to the customers, publish regularly and share advice relevant to the target group. Not every post should be about promoting your brand or showcasing your products. Sometimes, it is helpful to create content that is simply insightful, worth reading, entertaining, and offers value.

What to learn from the world’s most popular blogs

If done right, blogging can offer a huge potential for your business to grow, which is why it is worth exploring it and keep learning about the state of blogging from those who do it best. Here are the most useful things to learn from the world’s most popular blogs:

• Be timely and relatable
• Help people find answers and solutions
• Know your audience and give them what they want/need
• Leverage the power of niche topics
• Consistency and persistence are necessary
• Explore the value of being a leader and an expert
• Publish extraordinary content

Marketing experts predict the further growth of blogging, but following these recommendations is what is going to help you make sure you grow your blog as well. Publishing an article every week or every day is unlikely to bring you the success you are hoping for. It might grow your database, but what you need to increase are your visitors, followers, and your influence. Consider blogging a part of a bigger picture, immerse yourself in the world of online marketing, and explore ways how blogging can be a strategy that supports your growth.