When you blog for some time, you eventually reach a point when you begin to wonder whether blogging is actually getting you anywhere. Is it bringing you results? Have all the posts you’ve written been worth it? Is the strategy working out as expected? Are you getting anything back from your investment?
Those are good questions to ask. And sadly, not many bloggers ask them.
People like to be cheerleaders with inspirational rah-rah-stick-with-it-good-things-will-come-chin-up encouragement. It’s nice to boost people’s spirits, and we want to be seen as nice people. Very few openly discuss the bad side of blogging, for fear of being called a pessimist.
Staying positive is part of The Secret, after all.
Well, since I’m not a fan of that book, I have no qualms about talking downsides. When you blog, you need to:
- Spend time and invest energy writing new posts and publishing them
- Maintain your blog on a regular basis to keep it running smoothly
- Invest money into improving and upgrading your site and design so it doesn’t become outdated
- Stay consistent with the quality and usefulness of content to meet reader expectations
- Continually market and promote, either via advertising (which costs money) or presence on social media (which takes time)
- Stay inspired and creative so your posts always sound fresh and interesting
- Present your best foot forward at all times to maintain a good impression
- Change the game from time to time to maintain interest and continue to grow
You can’t skip any of the above if you want your blog to succeed. Well, you can, but you’ll soon find that your readership drops, your traffic dwindles and people don’t talk as much about your blog anymore.
Here’s a thought: What if that dropping readership, that dwindling traffic and that lack of discussion lets you invest your time in better projects, ones that help you get closer to your goals?
Hey, you get the luxury of asking yourself that question. We’re the early adopters of blogging, shaping it and changing it as we learn about its potential. Who says we’re doing it right? Maybe we’re not using it properly at all. Blogging has only been around for a few years, and people are still testing different methods to get what they want.
They’re constantly changing their game to see what works and what doesn’t.
Are you?
I think we emphasize blogging for the sake of being an expert far too much. I think too many people don’t realize, forget, or ignore the pain of blogging. It takes time, energy, skills, money, creativity and consistency to make it work.
And the truth is that most people don’t have these resources at their fingertips.
This is why you need to pick your pain and know why you’re subjecting yourself to it. This is why you need to choose which pain is best, and which is just masochistic. Think hard about whether blogging as you are now is helping you reach your goals. Ask yourself how it’s working out for you.
Is there something you should change? What could you do differently? Would spending your energy elsewhere be better?
This doesn’t mean you should give up on blogging. But do analyze your game plan and figure out whether it’s working to get where you want to be. Revaluate your blogging methods and think about whether making changes to how you blog would have better impact.
And let me know what you think! Go ahead and share your thoughts right here in the comment section. Or ask questions. The more people we get talking about blogging, the better we can shape it so that we can all profit.
