In my previous journal entry, I outlined the three biggest benefits of starting a blog.

Or in my case (and perhaps for you as well) re-starting a blog on a new website.

I’m admittedly not the poster child for blogging consistency.

It’s one of those things I know I should do (SEO benefits are real when done right). And it’s one of those things I know I can enjoy doing (if I don’t treat it as a chore – one of the reasons I now brand this blog as my graceful journal).

My Blog Confession

I have fallen off the blog wagon multiple times over the past five websites.

My primary reasons for breaking the blog habit were primarily two-fold:

I didn’t schedule writing time into my weekly calendar.
I over thought the whole process (I’m a recovering perfectionist ;).

Note to self and to you, my friend:

Don’t repeat my mistakes.

We’re talking about a blog (short for web log) here. It’s not a dissertation.

Nobody really cares about some grammatical type-o.

People care about what you have to say if it helps them. They want to know about your journey.

That’s what matters.

Top Reason for Starting a Blog

That being said, the top reason for starting a blog (and maintaining a blog) truly from a business perspective is something less altruistic than the benefits outlined in my previous journal entry.

You see, my mission with this new website called Graceful Resources is to help you gracefully profit online from your passion in life. I’m here to make the technology side of things your graceful enabler.

I want you to be profitable.

And the world needs for you to be profitable.

You have something special to share with the world, but if you can’t come out ahead financially, your dream will die.

Without money, you can’t cover your website operating costs – and the costs do add up.

(If you’d like a summary of the resources I use and recommend, my free tech guide covers it.)

Without money, you can’t grow.

Without money, you can’t serve others.

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And the most essential and proven strategy to make money online gracefully and professionally is simply this…

Grow your email list.

Why Your Email List Matters

Without an email list, you can’t build relationships with your audience.

Without an email list, you can’t notify your audience of new posts.

Without an email list, you can’t share information with them about your new online course, ebook, etc.

Without an email list, you can’t segment your audience based on their interest (I use ConvertKit for this aspect – here’s why).

Without an email list, you can’t be profitable.

Every Blog Post Should Grow Your Email List

If your next blog post or journal entry doesn’t grow your list, write a better post next time.

No worries. This is a learning process and we’re on this journey together.

And make it real easy for people to join your mailing list from your posts. The pop up forms I use on this site built on the Rainmaker Platform all run through OptinMonster software.

To see a pop up example click here, and if interested, here’s a review I wrote on OptinMonster.

Blog posts work for you. Just don’t fall over the blogging wagon like I did.

The world needs to hear your voice.

And you need to be profitable.

Hope this helps,
Brent

FREE QUICK REFERENCE TECH GUIDE (click here): Discover the Graceful Resources I use and recommend for websites, including the reasons why, plus the mistakes to avoid when starting out in digital commerce.

Please let me know if you have any questions via my contact form or in direct response to my free Graceful Journal email mailing list.

I’m here to take away the pain of figuring out how to use new web technologies so you can gracefully profit online from your passion in life.

I’m big fan of blogging.

I think it is the most authentic form of advertisement for online entrepreneurs like you and me (and it’s ok to turn off the counts on those social share buttons if you are just starting out).

A blog post allows you to showcase your authority on a topic through words, images, and videos.

And when you optimize it correctly for search engines (I use and recommend the Rainmaker Platform for this capability as well), your posts become organically connected to the questions people all over the world are googling about.

Important Distinction from Online Advertisements through Facebook and Google

When you reach an audience through paid “sponsored” ads, you still haven’t demonstrated your authority on the problem people are trying to solve.

What you have demonstrated is your ability to write and target a good advertisement (or you have demonstrated your budget to pay someone to do it for you).

I’m not knocking advertisements. They can be valuable part of your business plan and if you can track a positive return on investment (ROI) of your advertisement spend, keep doing it.

But blogging still wins.

3 Benefits of Blogging

Blogging is Free

Ok, it is not truly free from an opportunity cost perspective. You still have to put in the thoughtful work to create the posts or to aggregate posts from other writers who share your passion. You also need to optimize it for search engines (I will offer tips in that area on this blog). But when you blog, you are not handing over cash to Facebook or Google.
Blogging is Authentic

When you blog, you share your voice with the world. When you blog, you let the world into your journal. When you blog, you become a real person with real interests, struggles, and solutions. When you blog, you go the extra mile in service to others. When you blog, you become authentic.
Blogging Gives You Content to Re-Use

Each time you blog, you are creating content that can be used for multiple purposes. You can use the content as an opportunity to share something new with your existing audience. You can use the content as part of an ebook or course for sale on your website (don’t worry – all successful online entrepreneurs do it). You can also use the content for a speech or webinar (also a popular tactic).

Benefits of Blogging

There are certainly more than three benefits of blogging, but hopefully these three benefits will inspire you to get in the habit of blogging. There are enough advertisements. The world needs to hear your authentic voice.