Are you thinking about starting a blog? Then you need to consider these things before starting a blog.
First things first, what is a blog?
A blog is an online place where you share information and your thoughts regarding a particular topic. A blog can be anything: a website, a social media page on Instagram, A Facebook group, or a profile on LinkedIn. A blog does not necessarily have to include a monetary or financial investment, but you do need to spend a fair share of your time growing it.
Now that we have clarified what a blog is, you need to know why it is important to make one.
The need for a personal brand is increasing day by day. To stand out, to show your thoughts, and to practise your skills are just a few reasons why people create blogs. A blog can act as a side income, a portfolio to show your clients how to get leads for your business, a way to establish yourself as an authority, a case study for your jobs, and so on.
Creating a blog is easy, but maintaining it is hard. You need to put your best foot forward, be consistent, provide value, solve issues your ideal reader faces, and more.
Ask yourself these questions before thinking about making a blog, which will save you a lot of time down the road.
Why are you creating?
The first and simplest question you need to ask is, Why are you creating a blog? What is the reason or purpose for putting your time and energy behind it? Are your reasons good enough to work on this project?
What will you post?
Next, you need to think about what kind of content you want to put out there.
Will it be:
Long-form articles
Short and Crisp blogs
Interesting infographics
Video Content
Listicles
Social Media Posts
Anything else?
How will you get your content ideas?
After deciding what kinds of posts you want to share, you need to come up with a list of topics on which you will share your expertise. Even if you think you have enough content, you do not. Sooner than you think, that content bank will run out because, while your ideas might be great and interesting, not all ideas can be converted into shareable content.
How many times will you post?
If it is a website, then how many articles are there in a week? And if it is social media, how many times will you post? Only Weekdays and no weekends; Every alternate day; thrice a week; Daily? You must make your schedule around this and see what will fit and what does not.
What resources are you going to use?
You cannot be online without using any mobile application, website, or tool that helps you with your day. Make a list of the tools that you can think of that will help you in your blogging journey. Then check whether they have a free version or a paid, premium, or pro version. Will the free version be enough?
My recommendation: Stick to free tools in the beginning. There are lots of options available for all the tools you can think of. Try them out, and then decide if you need an upgrade.
Is it a Temporary Phase or a Permanent one?
Now think about whether this is just a phase or if you are serious about it. Do you want to work on it as a side hustle or take on a full-time role in it? If you are going full-time, then what about your finances? Do you have the budget to allocate a paid resource? Starting a blog means donning many hats, like content creation, graphic design, promotion, selling, maintaining a work-life balance, and more.
Then ask if you have enough to sustain yourself for six months. Because six months is the minimum you will need to establish your blog and business before you start to see some reach, some people achieve it sooner, but then that all depends on your strategy and work style.
What platforms will you work on? Is your audience on that platform?
There are a lot of different platforms for different industries and sectors. YouTube is for video creators, Pinterest is for blogging reach and traffic, and Instagram and Facebook are visual platforms. Think and do research about where your ideal customers (people you want to target) hang out and focus on that. Be active on 2–3 platforms at the most.
There is more to starting a blog, but this is the beginning. Take some time out and start writing or thinking about all the things that are in the article, and only after that should you take the step of starting a blog.
If you just start without any research or strategy, then that is just spending extra time on things you should not be doing because once you start, your sole focus should be on growing and establishing yourself as an authority.
I hope this helps.
Till then
Ta-Da!
PIN IT!
