My own blog journey started back in 2008 right after I lost my 9 to 5, and right I became seriously interested in the BUSINESS of photography. First I started a blog about my job loss and family and the journey that I was on as I started my business. This leads me to blog my work and sessions that I had done. I had more fun finding images and designing the blog than actually writing and posting. I fell in love with the blog universe instantly. The inspiration and knowledge I gained were immeasurable. But I struggled with building my own blog though and keeping up with writing while I was in school and caring for my kids and little by little I gave up.
Then things in my life changed as I grew into my art, I found a profound love for photography. After a while, I realized NOW I have something in my heart to share. I´ve found my passion and ideas came to me easily. I suddenly knew what to blog about.
At that time I´d already gained a wonderful network of bloggers from area, so I decided to redirect my photography blog and focus on Business,
Needless to say as a budding entrepreneur it was hard to take me seriously many days and often I felt like my worked sucked and even more, I honestly felt my photography sucked too! But I have improved over time (though n. Nevertheless, I managed to build a successful blog, which today have many readers. I still have to pinch my arm sometimes to understand that it has come to this fare 🙂
In other words, my blog has been a big part of the success I have today and I´ll go so far as to say; I would not be where I am today without it.
So, If you are serious about turning your hobby into a business, you should seriously consider blogging!
Here are the top reasons why you should have a blog
- Blogs are free (unless you invest in a self-hosted WordPress blog) Free blogs are available at WordPress.com, Typepad.com, Tumblr.com, and Blogger.com.
- You can build them quickly, all by yourself.
- Blogs put you in daily or weekly contact with a potential client. People buy from those they know. Your blog will help them to get to know you.
- Search engines love blogs. Google really likes the first 100 words of any page. If you can write good content related to the needs of your target reader, your blog will earn you a higher rank on Google than your website (which mainly consist of images).
- Blogs can accomplish anything a static website can. You can incorporate videos, slideshows, e-books and even a shop.
- Blogs offer RSS – really simple syndication. People can subscribe (for free) to your blog and be automatically updated every time you create a new post. To your blog, you can also add Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin’, etc… This will bring you even more readers.
- Blogs can be changed and updated without any special skill. I learned to do this in a few hours when I started with WordPress. It does not require a web admin to update the content.
- Blogs inspire people. Many blogs are written to share inspiration, links, knowledge, pictures, and passion for specific subjects. People love to be inspired and you as a creative, passionate person has a lot to share. There are stuff and hobbies you know more about than anyone else!
- Blogs can establish you as an expert in your field. Blogs are wonderful tools to help you establish yourselves as an expert in your field. Blogging can show people what you know and expand your online presence.
- Blogs connect you to like-minded people and help you build a great network. Personally, I´ve found many wonderful friends through blogging and for this I´m very grateful.
- And last but not least, blogging will help you to stay active and knowledgeable in your field. Since successful blogging is partially dependent on frequent posting, you will have to stay updated with everything that is new and hot.
