So America’s newest profession is blogging, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Mark Penn.
If that’s the case, it’s a profession that’s also rapidly coming to the rest of the world.
Blogging has come along way since it started out as online journaling. Nowadays you’ll find it in numerous permutations covering just about everything from leggings to Apple Macs. And it’s not just an online form of reporting. Blogs are also a great way of talking with your target audience. That’s why corporations are getting onboard.
Business Blogging – a channel for every business
As far as businesses go blogging has become a new channel which reaches out to customers and potential customers alike. Hell, as little as ten years ago small businesses couldn’t compete in the same media channels as Big Fat Company Inc and Co because TV ads, newspaper ads, and so on, priced themselves out of the reach of small businesses.
Nowadays it’s all about the Net anyway so anyone with a WordPress blog installation (conveniently open source and free!), a bit of hosting, some copywriting tips and a great e-book on search engine optimization can get going and vie for the top spots in Google.
The bottom line seems to be that if you work hard, do your homework and stick at it long enough you can actually compete and be heard.
So no wonder blogging has becoming a profession.
Who are the professional bloggers?
People with a talent for kick-ass copy and holding an audience are going to get approached to write for businesses that’s for sure. But professional bloggers are also PR people who’ve developed online writing skills, journalists who’ve chosen to build a new career now the papers are failing and copywriters developing new outlets for their work now that traditional print media is on the decline.
It seems hack-writers in all shapes and sizes are beginning to be attracted to the blogosphere –as long as there’s money to be made.
Does my company need a professional blogger?
Maybe you do! If you’ve got a communications department or a marketing department, those folks should be exploring social media and getting involved in online conversations about your brand and the needs and requirements of your audience.
If you’re a small business, though, you could do it yourself. Yup, no matter what you do professional blogging could become part of your daily routine. After all, all businesses need to market themselves. And blogging is so clearly tied up in with online promotion.
You don’t even have to be a brilliant writer
Since blogging came along people have got less hung up on grammar and word choice. The ability to communicate effectively and in a friendly tone of voice has become more important. That’s why some of my favourite bloggers aren’t necessarily the best wordsmiths out there. Instead, it’s what they write about, the openness and frankness in which they engage that attracts me and keeps me coming back for me.
Still, if you don’t fancy it there’s always plenty of people out there willing to blog, or so it seems. As Mark Penn notes: 452,000 bloggers in the US alone have blogging as their primary source of income.
Image: Flickr CC
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