Reason #4 – Social Proof

People copy of the actions of others. I do it. You do it. We all do it. Then after copying said action, we justify it by saying that everyone else is “doing it”. This is known as social proof. This why street performers ask people to come closer so as to draw a crowd. As more people are drawn in, the crowd grows larger and larger. Ever stand in a long line outside a nightclub, only to discover that it was empty once inside?  Ever put your own money in your own tip jar? These are all examples of social proof.

When you have people who can vouch for your product or service, and share your content, your social proof grows, and with the power of the internet, it may grow exponentially. People will know more about you or your business before they ever speak to you. Some will already be sold on your service, all you have to do is show up.

Did you know that over 70% of Americans say they look at product reviews before making a purchase? Yup. Did you know that nearly 63% of consumers indicate they are more likely to purchase from a site if it has product ratings and reviews? Good content will eventually be shared especially if you 1) use social share buttons on your post, and 2) frequently ask for your readers to comment on the post and/or share it. Don’t be too proud to ask people to spread the word about your content or for them to comment either. The more you ask, the more likely they are to participate. Blogs are an excellent platform for social proof.

Reason #5 – Speaking Opportunities

Much as like guest blog posting or being a guest on a podcast, public speaking opportunities will present themselves the more consistent your content is and the larger your audience gets.  Initially, these speaking opportunities will be pro bono-you’re speaking for free. Do enough free speaking, and you will eventually turn it into fee speaking, should that be something you’d like to pursue in the future.

Reason #6 – Guest Blogger

As you get better at writing blog posts and then sharing your content, you will get recognized. Maybe not immediately. Maybe not after 6 months. Maybe not even after a year or 2 years. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that because no one is looking at your content that you should quit. This is where we lose most people. They give during the “no feedback” zone. You are planting seeds of greatness and like a farmer who plants the seeds, you have to wait for the harvest to come in. A farmer doesn’t plant and nurture seeds only to stop tending them because they didn’t sprout after one day. Neither should you.

You will be approached by other sites to either guest write for them, be interviewed by them, or even be on a podcast with them. The more authority you have in your field as demonstrated by the content you share, the more likely you’ll be discovered.

Pro Tip : If you want to speed up the process, use an outbound strategy where you are reaching out to bloggers, podcasters, and other sites in your field to see if they’d be open to you interviewing them or writing content for them. Let me prepare you, there will be a lot of emails unanswered and a lot of “No Thank You’s,” but I believe that every business needs an outbound marketing strategy in addition to passive strategies. Sometimes you can’t just wait for good things to happen to you-you have to go out and reach for them.

Reason #7 – Publishing A Book is Easier

Don’t twist my words. I didn’t say publishing a book is easy. I said it was easier. Mark Cuban’s book “How To Win At The Sport of Business – If I Can Do It You Can Do It” is a compilation of Mark’s blog posts from his site, Blog Maverick. Don’t think people would buy a book of short stories? Think, Chicken Soup For The Soul. Again, after 3-5 years of diligent blogging, you’d have quite the collection of content that you could easily self publish as an e-book and sell on Amazon!

Additionally, once you’ve gotten used to writing blog entries for a few weeks, then months, then years, you’ll discover how proficient you will have become at writing, making the probability and possibility of you writing a book a reality. You can do it! We all can!

Reason #8 – Evergreen Content

There is some content that will stand the test of time for one of two reasons: it is either 1) educating or it is 2) entertaining. The best blog posts do both.

Some educational content will stand the test of time, while others, might not last more than 6 months.

Depending on what you share, there is a good chance that some of it will be of value for years to come. Not everything in life changes at the speed of tech.

Likewise, great content that entertains will never go out of style, and don’t confuse entertainment with comedy. Comedy is just one element that entertains. Think Perez Hilton. His posts are designed to entertain and satisfy a readers thirst for celebrity gossip. What topic can you blog about that others would deem entertaining? Food? Travel? Interior Design? Cars? Truth is, the possibilities are endless.

Reason #9 – Your Legacy

I have often wondered what my contribution to this world was going to be. My children will always be my greatest contribution, but outside of them, what else am I leaving? Think of your journal, diary, blog, whatever as your contribution to the world. Whats that? No one will care? Ever heard of Anne Frank or her diary? Now mind you, you nor I, will probably ever have to face the challenges she and her family did, but that doesn’t make your experience or your content any less valuable. The key is getting it out there.

Reason #10 – Therapeutic & Rewarding

Yes. You read right. Blogging is therapeutic. There is something to be said about leaving your worries in writing behind, EVEN if you decide to not share the post and there is something very very reqarding about sharing your victories. Either way, you win. Think of blogging as an opportunity to get something off your chest and an opportunity to brag. It’s like the perfect husband 🙂

Photos are great, and videos are better, both however may not always depict how you truly feel or what you are thinking or going through, especially if you are filmed or photographed around other people. When you write, journal, blog, whatever you want to call it, it’s just you and your thoughts and there is certain sense of peace that can be attained when you are just alone with your thoughts.