Documenting your network marketing journey is a great way to show how you have transformed using your products or how working your business has changed your life. People love stories and they love stories from real people. Starting a blog is a great way to do this, plus you can lead new contacts back to it to share your story and start gaining cold traffic.
In this post, we’ll be talking about what a blog is, why it’s beneficial to have one and some myths you might have, plus download my journal questions and process to help you start creating content.
When you hear the word blog, you may think it is one of those things where someone makes money writing about their life and who promotes products they try from Amazon. Oh, you never thought that? That’s because you’re cooler than me. That’s definitely what I thought when I used to hear the word blog and it was probably because those were the ones I followed at the time.
What is a Blog
A blog is a regularly updated page used for engagement or informational purposes.
There are so many different types of blogs – food and recipe blogs, travel blogs, mom blogs, parenting blogs, fitness blogs, and so much more. There are even blogs about blogging!
Why You Should Start a Blog
Most people blog about what they are passionate about. The reason I think you should start a blog is that you are passionate about your business, products and or services. It’s a great way for you to share your knowledge with others.
Blog Formats
When I talk to people about starting a blog, a lot of times I get back, “I’d love to do that, but I hate writing.” or “I’m not a good writer.” First off, if you say you’re not good at something it’s probably because you haven’t learned how to do it or practiced it enough. I don’t think I’m a good writer either, but I could learn how to be one. Right? Except for singing. I don’t think any coach, program, or surgery would ever make me a good singer. Just ask my family.
If you don’t like writing or don’t want to write because you don’t feel as if you’re “good” at it. That’s ok. You don’t have to write. You can have a video blog or a podcast. You can do a picture blog with small snippets or paragraphs. You can even do live video and then upload it on your blog. Choose the best format for you, otherwise, you’ll be less likely to keep up with it and as we know consistency is key.
Here are some of my favorite blogs in different formats:
- Written – Hailey Dale of Trunked Creative
Hailey is my business mentor and blogs about creating content for your business. One of my favorite posts is one she recently published called, Confessions of a Part-Time Content Empire Builder.
- Podcast – Femtrepreneur
The Femtrepreneur has a podcast with Mariah Coz and Megan Minns. They teach on how to have a profitable online course business.
- Video – Sunny Lenarduzzi
Sunny Lenarduzzi has a show called, The Sunny Show, and she teaches how to use video to grow your business. A great place to start if you are wanting to start a YouTube channel.
- Picture Blog and Vlog – Gardner Quad Squad
The Gardner Family has a lifestyle blog with pictures, plus a vlog (which is another name for video blog) where they share on their quadruplet girls. Talk about being smart and branding yourself. When this mom was pregnant with quads, she had to think of a way where they could make money to support their two going on six family. She started their blog and now have a huge following.
Here are some blog examples from network marketing professionals:
Some Benefits of Having a Blog
- People can find you online. It’s a great way to branch out to cold traffic.
- You can use your blog posts as promotions on social media in different Facebook groups to meet new people and get people on your email list. I get asked how to meet new people online and this is a great way to do it.
- A place to document your journey – i.e. your weight loss journey, skin care journey, leaving your J.O.B, spending more time with family, financial security, being able to travel more, etc.
Some Myths About Blogging
- It costs a lot of money.
It doesn’t have to. You can start and have a blog for free. You won’t be able to have as much control over the design and some capabilities like monetizing, but you can start one for free. I’ll show you how to get set up for free or for a small about of money in the next part of this series.
- No one wants to hear from me.
Um yeah, they do. If you have clients or customers you have something to share. Heck, even if you are a total newbie at what you are doing, I guarantee there is someone out there who wants to hear from you.
Let me give you a fun example. Did you know there are blogs on hamsters? Well, there is. The reason I looked up hamster blogs is that when my husband, Brad, and I first met his voicemail went something like this: Hi you’ve reached Brad. Hamster trainer extraordinaire. Do you have a fat hamster? You’ve called the right guy. I’m going to get your hamster back into tip-top shape!
That’s right. Marry up!
That memory popped into my head when writing this post and I found a blog post called, How to Train Your Hamster to do Stuff.
- I need to blog every day.
Wrong again. You just need to be consistent. You can blog once a week, twice a month or even once a month. Your content will add up no matter what. I recommend blogging once a week unless you are doing something like a 30-day challenge. Then you’ll definitely want to journal every day and turn that into a blog post at least for the time you are doing the challenge. You could also turn a whole challenge week into a weekly post. You see how that works? You decide how often you want to do it because it’s your blog.
- I don’t like long posts or videos, so why would I do it.
Then don’t. Your blog can be short, especially for those everyday ones. It’s all about giving value.
In part 2 of this series, I’ll show you how easy it is to set up a blog.
Next Steps
Do you currently have a blog or a question about starting one? Drop your link or question in the comments below.