What is blogging really all about?

Blogging, I honestly didn’t understand it and least of all did I understand how writing a blog could increase my business. “Who has time to blog?” I thought and most importantly, “who has time to read a blog?”

 

I’m forever reminded by social media gurus that the attention span of our customers is ever shrinking. Just like the movie, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” its as if the attention spans of the most intelligent individuals are shrinking to a size that mimics a hungry 2 year old.

I had deduced that bloggers must be the beneficiaries of large inheritances because blogging is not monetized.

You can’t directly buy products from a blog you can only read about products. Oh sure the blogger gets free products to review, but I’m pretty sure you can’t pay your phone bill with Lancome’s latest shade of foundation. I know this because I’ve tried.

What is the benefit of blogging to your business? How does it increase sales? What does it do for your branding? How do people even know about your blog? Who will take the time to read about your blog?

I stumbled upon Pro Blog Academy, just in time to be one of a few people granted pre-launch privileges to purchase the program. PBA was created by a man named Ray. Ray lost his shirt and his house in the FL Real Estate crash about 3 years ago. He began an on-line business in his fierce efforts to climb up from the rock bottom he was lying face down on.

Within 3 years’ time Ray generated over $3 million for his on-line business and he did it all through blogging. Today Ray has one of the most successful blogs in the world. His blog is ranked 5,435 in the US and around 18,000 globally. You might think those are still a long way off from #1, (I thought that) but really when you think about the millions and millions of blogs and webpages that exist on the internet – I decided those were pretty darn good statistics. Ray also hits top google rankings consistently.

I wanted to know what Ray knew. How’d he do it? What’s the secret? And how in the world did he make $3 million for his business with a blog? Did he and his wife have $3 million of beauty products stashed in their cabinets and was the phone company finally taking payments in the form of  best reviewed eye-shadows and lip gloss?

There are blogging secrets. Blogging secrets… that Ray shared with me.

Social media gurus and new age marketing consultants are constantly telling me that my customers’ attention spans are shrinking to the size of a hungry two year old. How does one attract these time starved, attention span shrinking people to ones blog and keep them there?

The answer is pretty similar to the same answer of how to handle that hungry two year old. You solve the problem. In the case of the two year old, you give them food. In the case of your customers’ you give them the answers to their most pressing problems.

Value added content is what drives people to your blog and links within your blog posts are what keep them there. People want solutions to their problems and they want instant answers. If you can provide one stop solution shopping, you will have a successful blog.

But how do you attract new people to your blog? How do those people become customers? What will blogging do for your brand? We’ll answer those questions in our next up coming blogs.

See you tomorrow.