Building a personal brand has a lot of advantages. It doesn't matter what industry you work in, you can leverage a personal brand to become an influencer, connect with other influencers in your industry, and be more marketable.

Your personal brand can turn into speaking opportunities, sponsorships and jobs if you do it well. There are a number of ways to build your brand. You can use social media or you could start a blog.

A blog is a great way to build a personal brand because you'll stand a better chance at ranking in search engines. Your articles have a better chance to be found than relying on having a social media post go viral.

Read on to learn the top tips you can use to build your personal brand.

1. Understand What a Brand Is

In order to build a strong personal brand, you need to understand what a brand is. It's not just a logo like the McDonald's Arches or Nike Swoosh.

It's a promise that you make to your readers. Coca-Cola doesn't promise sugar water. It promises happiness. Volvo doesn't promise you a car. It promises safety.

With this in mind, what is the promise you're making to your audience? What will they feel when they go to your blog. It may take a while to come up with a good answer, and it may change over time.

Right now, it is important to know what your promise is to readers because that will dictate everything else about your blog.

2. Find Your Voice

When you know your promise as your building your personal brand it becomes much easier to find your voice. For example, if you're looking to build a personal brand in the fitness industry, you may find that it's uber-competitive and very difficult to get through the noise.

Your voice is going to be your edge and set you apart from the other fitness bloggers out there. Let's say that your voice is to provide science-based information to your readers instead of promoting 21-day cleanses.

Your voice could be authoritative, yet approachable. Another way to present the material is with humor.

It's rare that a writer finds their voice right away. It takes writing a lot and practice. Some people even go as far as to create alter egos and write from that perspective.

3. Use the Right Imagery

It's important to choose the right design and layout of your blog. You want to have a clean look that's easy to navigate. It also needs to be consistent with our brand.

People process visuals faster than text, so you need a mix of captivating images and great content. They also remember content with images, too.

If you were to use images that looked pixelated or like bad stock images, it could reflect poorly on your brand.

4. Do Your Keyword Research

As you're creating your blog, you want to make sure you're reaching the right people. Take the time to find out how they search for information in your niche.

If you're a marketing consultant who wants to build a personal brand around social media marketing, do a search in Google to see what people are searching for.

Google's autocomplete feature will tell you what people are searching for. If you did a search for "How to Build a Pinterest..." Google will fill in the rest of that sentence with:

• Following
• Website
• Page
• Board

These are all things your target market are searching for and you can build content around these ideas.

5. Imperfect Action is Better Than No Action

The reason why some bloggers are more successful than others is consistency. They consistently publish content on a regular schedule. That consistency and reliability can become part of your personal brand.

Even when things get hectic and you can't write your own content, it is possible to outsource the writing to a team of experts. That will keep you on schedule and consistent in building your personal brand.

6. Have a Promotion Plan

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

OK, let's put it another way.

If you are writing a blog to build a personal brand and no one sees it, do you actually have a blog? Ponder that for a bit.

The reason why that question is important is that you have to promote your blog. If you fail to promote it, no one will read your amazing content.

There are a number of ways to promote your blog. You can use social media channels, PPC ads, Facebook ads, guest posts and more.

The key is to be consistent and pick a few things. If you try to do everything, you'll spread yourself too thin.

7. Have a Stable of Content Ideas

Most people don't start a blog because they don't know what to write. When it's so easy to come up with blog ideas, it's actually a weak excuse.

You can start by taking your list of keywords and creating a list of articles out of them.

8. Building a Personal Brand Takes Time

The last thing that you need to remember about building a personal brand is that it takes time. The odds are very small that you will be an overnight success.

One way to help you build your brand to superstardom is to take everything in 90-day chunks. Take a look at your metrics and notice what kind of improvements you've made every 90 days. That will give you the confidence you need to keep moving forward during the days when it feels like you're writing for no one.

Start Building Your Personal Brand

In today's economy, your brand can be your most valuable asset. You can use it to become an expert in your industry and find jobs quickly.

If you're ready to start building a personal brand, we can help. Contact us today to find out what we can do for you.

So you created a blog. You’ve put time and attention into its design, making it reader-friendly and easy to navigate. Now you’re ready to get your blog noticed and start generating income from home.

Where should you begin?

If you want to learn more on how to make money from home, check out this helpful guide. It will show you some ways you can bring in revenue by using your brand-new blog.

How to Make Money From Home Blogging

Here are just 10 ways to bring in revenue using a blog. These methods include both indirect and direct revenue generators. Here they are:

1. Sell Private Ads

You can contact companies directly to host their ads on your blog for a fee. Selling private ads can include embedding an advertiser’s links, banners, or buttons directly onto your site. Payment for this service can vary.

You can get paid a one-time fee for installing the links. You can also get paid a monthly fee if you host banner ads on a regular basis. You can also offer to write a review of the advertiser's products or services.

2. Cost Per Click/Pay Per Click

One of these ad types is cost per click (sometimes called pay per click) ads. Cost per click (CPC) ads are banners that you put inside your content or sidebar.

Whenever a reader clicks on the ad, you receive a fee. If your blog keeps users on your pages, these ads can be effective to drive high conversions. If your site can bring in a steady traffic stream, this method can be a quick way to build revenue.

3. Cost Per Impression Ads

Cost per impression (CPM) ads or "cost per 1,000 impressions" are banners that can also be placed on your website or within your content.

CPMs pay you for every 1,000 viewers who view the ad. The “M” in CPM stands for the Roman numeral for 1,000.

Just install Google AdSense on your website. Google AdSense lets you install a program onto your site so that the ads can appear.

AdSense can choose both CPC and CPM ads that are relevant to your blog’s content. Other companies who place CPC and CPM ads include Media.net, Chitika, or Infolinks.

4. Sponsored Posts

Sponsored or "boosted" posts are content that a company pays you to promote for them. Companies will ask bloggers to write posts that mention them or discuss their products. Bloggers then put these sponsored posts on their own website.

Bloggers create the post and include links or other references requested by the company. You can also choose to write about your own topic, but the company pays you for "Brought to you by" reference at the beginning or end of the post.

Sponsored posts help companies drive traffic to their own products and rank high in search engine results. Bloggers who publish sponsored posts must follow Federal Trade Commission laws and add a "sponsored post" symbol next to their entry.

5. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is another great tool to make money through blogging. If your blog refers readers to another company’s website, that company will pay you a commission for every finalized sale.

You can use affiliate marketing with ad networks. You can also establish private partnerships with companies that have their own affiliate program.

6. Sell Downloadable Products

Instead of affiliate marketing for others, you might try to sell digital products that can be downloaded from your blog for a fee. These products might include online workshops, videos, or eBooks.

Choose products that are useful and relevant to your readers. If you know their interests and what brought them to your blog in the first place, you’ll be able to create digital products that fit their needs.

7. Content Marketing

Blogs can help you expand your brand if your business sells physical products. Your website may have a traditional point of sale component to it. But it’s also a place where you can establish yourself as an expert in the field.

Blogs can provide background information on your goods or other related products that they might not find on your traditional sales website. They’re also a place to build brand recognition. Your blog then becomes the marketing tool that drives visitors back to your sales website.

Services

Offering your skills and time online is another way to make money from home. Here are some examples of how to provide services instead of products:

8. Online Training

Promote your expertise to deliver online training to generate income. If you have experience in a particular field, you can use your blog to offer course materials or MP3 lesson downloads so that students can follow along on their own schedule.

9. Writing

Blogs have become one of the most powerful brand-building tools available to companies. And some of these businesses don’t want to spend the time maintaining them. They don’t have the skills needed to optimize keywords or generate topics that rank high in search results.

Blogging keeps both writers and businesses happy. Writers can make money writing online and use their talent to showcase a company’s trends. Companies can redirect their focus to what they do best -- running a business.

10. Design

If you are good at design and graphics, you can use your blog to showcase your samples in an online portfolio.

Use your blog to display previous experience to potential clients. You can also demonstrate your expertise with posts about the history of graphic design or commentary on the latest trends.

Next Steps

Ready to make more money from home through blogging? The good news is you can start today.

Check the Federal Trade Commission guidelines for identifying sponsored blog posts. Install Google AdSense on your website to select both CPC and CPM ads that are relevant to your content.

Set up an affiliate marketing partnership with companies like Amazon Associates or PopShops.com Be sure that the products you partner with are relevant to your readers.

For more advice on how to make money from home, don’t forget to check our website. Check out this helpful post on the types of blogs that make money. A profitable blogging career could be waiting for you right around the corner.

Are you planning to put up a small business but don't know how to market your products? Do you want to start writing blogs but uncertain which platform to use?

The best place to kick off your blogging is through your own website.

But did you know that one of every two small businesses in the United States has a website?

That's a surprising number considering technology's influence on how people do transactions in this age. Another alarming number is that 80% of small businesses in America don't use content marketing.

The bottom line is this: start writing and do it using the best platforms. The competition is tight and you must stand out.

Thankfully, there is the Content Management Systems (CMS) that cater to anyone who wishes to start his own blog site. Read on below and discover the 10 best CMS options out there:

CMS and How It Complements Writing Blogs

Before we get on with the list, let us first define what a CMS is. Technically, a CMS is a computer application. Its basic function is to help create or manage digital content. The management part involves the editing, adding, or deleting of content that you want your visitors to see on your website.

Moreover, the CMS gives you the power to administer users of your website. It gives you the ability to give different kinds of permission and restrictions to every one of them.

CMS also organizes the way you tweak your website. If you do not have the training when it comes to website coding and design, CMS can let you edit without messing up those two. It also lets you update your website quickly without much effort.

The key to success is maximizing the power of blogging by using the CMS that best suits your requirements.

Your 10 Best CMS Options

Now that you have an overview of what CMS is, let's head on to our top 10 list. Take note that the list is in no particular order.

1. WordPress.org

Easily the world's most popular CMS, WordPress has much to show to earn the billing. It has all the basics you need to start a blog site. Best of all, it presents its features in a user-friendly manner.

If customization is your thing, then WordPress can be your best friend. It allows you to install your own custom themes and plugins. This gives much room to showcase your creativity in designing your blog's aesthetics.

But before you can use WordPress, you need to find a trusted web hosting provider first.

2. Drupal

If you are looking to use your blogging skills for your business, Drupal is an excellent option for you. On top of your blog posts, Drupal also gives room for other types of online content, including web pages.

Some of its features may confuse beginners at first, so this CMS platform is more suitable to those who already have experience in managing a website.

Just like WordPress, you need to find a web host before you can use it.

3. Joomla

If you want something that is less complicated for your business than Drupal, Joomla is a good alternative. Numerous companies, including the large ones, use this CMS for its flexibility and content options.

It allows you to build your own template. It enables you to render HTML for different objects of data you need to showcase. Like the first two options we mentioned above, you need to create a domain name and find a web hosting provider.

In addition, Joomla will charge you after the first free month. Charges can range from anywhere between $20 to $100 per month, depending on the features and upgrades that you use.

4. Medium

If simplicity is your thing, you will find Medium to be very accommodating. It is one of the easiest CMS platforms to use. It does not require any coding skills or setup knowledge.

It simply lets you focus on writing blogs and articles. It also opens doors that connect you with different online communities that share the same passions and interests as you.

5. Blogger

If you are not that tech-savvy, Blogger may be the best CMS for you. It is very easy to use and navigate. All you need is your own Google account to sign up. Best of all, it's free!

Since it is a Google service, you will enjoy the same reliability and security the company offers. But don't expect much when it comes to the tools and features.

6. Ghost

Do you hate making mistakes in your posts? Ghost is a CMS that helps you clean up your mess even before you make them visible your readers. It features a live preview of your actual post while you are composing it.

This allows you to edit coding and writing errors in real-time.

It also offers a simple and easy-to-understand interface that makes it an easy favorite among bloggers.

7. Weebly

This particular platform lets businesses put up blog posts while building their websites at the same time. It comes with features that are easy to understand and use. It has drag-and-drop options that allow you to make changes without the need for coding knowledge.

Simply put, it gives you the best of both worlds.

8. Tumblr

Tumblr is another one of those blogging platforms that are easy to use. Since it mainly focuses on bloggers, it offers different options for sharing content. It does not, however, focus on traditional forms, specifically text content. Instead, highlights photos and GIFs.

9. Wix

Much like Weebly, Wix also has drag-and-drop options. On top of that, it also boasts of HTML5 capabilities. It also comes with over 500 different templates to choose from.

Best of all, you will get 1GB of bandwidth with 500MB storage upon sign-up.

10. Squarespace

Last but certainly not the least in our best blog platform list is Squarespace. Its strongest suit lies in the customization features. You don't need to have coding knowledge to customize your business' blog site.

It also showcases templates that are professionally designed, which can help improve your branding.

Let Us Help Improve Your Content, Today!

We know how time-consuming running your business is. Writing blogs on top of managing your business can overwhelm you.

Let us take care of your website's content through our topnotch writing services. Simply fill out our online contact form and we'll take it from there.

Pat Flynn woke up to $7,008.55 in his bank account the first month after launching his ebook.

He couldn’t believe it. The blog he’d built to help him study for an exam turned out to be the perfect sales funnel.

New writers often think of themselves as artists, equating success to luck.

But the kind of writing we love to read has a template we can follow. Good writing should pull you in like a good friend leaning in to tell you the sordid details of their last date.

Conversational writing takes on the same rhythm and form as talking to your best friend does.

“I don’t believe in being serious about anything,” jokes Ray Bradbury, “I think life is too serious to be taken seriously.” Bradbury’s priority was connecting with his readers. His writing makes you crave the next line.

Editing Tips That Will Leave Your Readers Wanting More

So write to your readers like they're across the table having tea with you. This article will show you 10 editing tips for blog content that keeps your audience wanting more.

1. Quickly get rid of adverbs.

See how the first word in that last sentence is unnecessary? If you took it away you’re left with, “Get rid of adverbs.” The same message gets across with less

Use forceful verbs that pull the reader into the action. Instead of the football player running quickly, say the football player dashes.

2. Jargon doesn’t make you sound smart.

It makes it sound like you were too lazy to provide a simple definition. Editing writing often means throwing out big words for understandable words.

The truth is there is almost always a simpler way to convey complex ideas. Even when writing for a specific niche, if your vocabulary is going over your readers’ heads, it’s your problem, not theirs.

Even with informative writing, someone with little to no experience with the topic should be able to understand what you're trying to say.

Try having a friend that is unfamiliar with the subject matter read your writing. If they can’t follow along, break down your ideas into more digestible segments.

3. Contractions make you sound like a real person.

Never using contractions makes your writing sound unnatural. They’ll be out all night sounds more conversational than they will be out all night. Edit sentences that sound too wordy by simplifying them with contractions.

Contractions mimic the way we use language in real life. When you use them while speaking, you don’t even have to think about it. That’s why it’s important to take Bradbury’s advice and write drafts without taking your writing too seriously. There is always room for editing after.

4. Put your readers in a position to act.

That doesn’t mean telling your readers what to do, but giving them the option to do something. Subscribe now, buy my ebook, listen to my podcast. These are all calls to action. Copy edit this into all of your articles.

Direct calls to action prompt your readers to take the next step in engaging with your content. Instead of leaving after reading your post, they now have the option to check out your paid content or subscribe to your email list.

Email lists are key to converting readers into paying customers.

5. Don’t let editing stop you from writing.

If you’re struggling to get enough content for your blog because you’re worried about making it all perfect, cut back on your editing time. Over-editing can make your writing feel overthought and boring.

Being too hard on yourself during the editing process can make even the most talented writers feel like they have writer’s block. Write your drafts fast and worry about mistakes and improvements after.

6. Use illustrations of the data you’re talking about.

Charts and graphs give numbers and statistics a face. This is most important for factual writing. Droning on about percentages and quantities can put a reader to sleep.

By putting your findings into a chart, you can focus your writing on engaging the reader. Instead of listing a bunch of statistics, you can explain their significance to the topic at hand.

7. Are you using keywords?

Keywords are words and phrases that signal to search engines that you have relevant content. If you were writing an article on sea lions, incorporate phrases like, “what do sea lions eat, can sea lions breathe underwater, how long do sea lions sleep?”

Search engines change their methods all the time but keywords are still their native language.

If you’re not targeting the words and phrases your customers are looking for, they’re going to land on a competitor’s blog that is.

8. Make an editing checklist.

Write down the necessities all your blog posts should include, like grammar, spelling, and keyword use. This way you’ll never miss an important aspect of making your blog posts stand out to readers.

Here’s my editing checklist template you can personalize:

• Did I meet my word count requirement?
• Are statistics linked to their source?
• Did I maintain present tense throughout?
• Does the content of the article live up to the headline?

9. Use headlines that grab your readers’ attention.

Without a good headline, your article may not get read at all. A sentence editor like the Emotional Value Headline Analyzer can help you tweak your headline to make it more compelling.

10. Very and really don’t add much to your writing.

Kind of like adverbs, these two words don’t add to your description. They dilute the important message you have for your readers with excess words.

Too many unnecessary flabby words can bore readers before they’re done reading your post. The goal of every line should be to get your reader to the next line. Too many words slow you down like a cheetah that’s had too many Cheetos.

Writing a Successful Blog Is Easier Than You Think

Pat found that when you provide people with the information they’re looking for you can establish yourself as an expert.

You’re writing should be second to the value of the information you’re providing. But clear, easy to read writing makes you sound more knowledgeable. It will make your coverage of the topic stand out amongst your competitors. These editing tips will help you get there.

For more help on how to turn your blog into your full-time living, read this article now.

Are you a blogger?

If you aren't, there's still a good chance you've considered it. With the current levels of social media oversaturation, you may feel like your blog would be lost in the shuffle.

After all, 79% of Americans are on Facebook today. With the advent of internet sharing (and occasional oversharing), you may wonder what it is that makes successful blogs such a big hit.

We're here to decode the science of successful blogs and help you create one with the potential to skyrocket your brand. Read on to learn more about from these wildly successful blogs and what tips you can steal from them.

1. Top Tech Blog: Mashable

Mashable's model is a bit of a news hybrid. Mashable offers social media, tech, and pop culture content in a sleek and current format.

People who follow the Mashable blog trust the platform for near real-time updates on the tech and internet news items they care about most. While maintaining their pop culture street cred, they don't compromise on content.

You can expect great interviews and exclusive content in an easy read, easy to process format. This is incredibly important for blogging.

Successful bloggers have mastered the art of succinct pieces. Minimizing fluff is important to maintaining audience attention.

Don't ramble on and keep your blog pieces well spaced. Large paragraphs and blogs with an inadequate level of visual content can get lost in the shuffle.

Take their model to heart and make sure you use lots of photo and video content to break up the text in your blog.

2. Successful Blogs: Influencer Edition

Another popular subsection of the blogging world includes... influencers.

Influencers are social media stars that have built a large following from scratch. While some bloggers are guilty of inflating their social media following with fake likes and followers, page views and unique website visitors reveal all.

Most true influencers are not to be confused with regular celebrities.

While celebrities have gained their massive following from other career achievements, influencers are famous for what they post.

So what makes someone follow an influencer blog? Content.

Influencers have mastered the art of defining their niche and adding value. What does this mean? It means that followers gain something from them whenever they visit their page.

One of the biggest sins in the social media world is attempting to make your blog or brand too broad. It's nearly impossible to compete for everyone's attention at once. Instead, pick a market where reaching influencer status is achievable.

Makeup blogs, for example, are a good example of a niche.

Specialty niche subsections (think alternative, girly, rockabilly, urban) are an even more achievable niche subsection. Knowing exactly who you're marketing to and keeping this demographic in mind when writing is crucial for your blog's success.

3. Entrepreneurial Bloggers: Gary Vee

Gary Vaynerchuk is a great example for anyone looking to create an entrepreneurial blog.

Gary doesn't have a lot of the qualities that you'd normally associate with an influencer, but his influencer status still eclipses most individuals who blog. So how does he do it?

Gary capitalizes on 'adding value' and using the niche model. He's not telling companies how to save money with tax loopholes or use outsourcing to improve their bottom line.

Gary uses his expertise in the field of social media marketing to reach his niche. He preaches the wonders of e-comm, the importance of documenting your life, and how everyone has the potential to create a successful business online.

People trust him because of his own successes and because he gives away much of this information for free. Why do they keep coming back to Gary?

Because Gary is consistent.

Uploading content on a consistent basis makes your audience return again and again to your page to see what you're up to and what you're ready to offer them next. So be like Gary, make consistent uploads and create great content.

4. Celebrity News Blogs: Perez Hilton

Perez Hilton may be a household name but he may not be the most loved person in the world of celebrities. Perez Hilton's successful online blog capitalizes on trending content.

This means he's posting the latest photos of that star that just got out of rehab or that red-carpet wardrobe malfunction some starlet hopes the camera missed. This trending model helps bring new people to his platform on a consistent basis.

Hilton's followers know that if something is gossip-worthy, chances are Perez will have posted the information they're looking for. While this method may not win him any celebrity friends, it's certainly won him an audience.

5. Celeb Bloggers: Stars with Blogs

Celebrity bloggers are capitalizing on what's next.

Sure, they're already famous, but in the interest of staying current and making a little extra money, they're decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon.

What can you learn from this that will help you propel your blog? It's important to stay current. Go where the audience is.

Driving traffic to your website is the most efficient way to maintain your online presence. Why? Because platforms change. Vine and MySpace are two examples of platforms that lost their audience.

Celebrity bloggers know that their audience is moving increasingly toward the internet. They can both maintain their current level of stardom and redirect them to whatever their favored social media platform is as well.

As long as the traffic is coming to you, you can always tell them where else they can find you. You don't have to worry about losing the following you worked hard to build just because your preferred platform has gone out of style.

The Next Step: Starting Your Own Successful Blog

Are you looking for more great tips on how you can grow your influence online? Well, we blog too! Check out our website for more about how you can get started writing online.

We post lots of great tips and tricks that can help you broaden your audience and make money off what you have to offer. So, go forward and create!

It seems like everywhere you turn on the internet there's a blog for someone. Whether it's a food blog, fashion blog, finances blog, or sports blog there's something out there to spark your interest and get a little read time in.

With tens of millions of bloggers in the United States alone, one has to wonder: why do people blog in the first place?

Today, we're going to dive into all of the reasons people fall in love with blogging. Hopefully, you'll get inspired, grab some ideas, and hit the ground running with your own blog for your own reasons.

Why Do People Blog? Personal Entertainment

First up, let's talk about entertainment. Sometimes, blogs are meant to entertain yourself or others, and it usually comes down to personal blogs about life.

Let's take a look at what some of these look like.

Blog For Self-Expression

Social media still pervades our everyday life and shows no sign of slowing down. So, what do you do when you log on Facebook, Twitter, etc.? You probably share your feelings, what happened to you that day, or something you learned or found.

Sharing and self-expression are great ways to have fun while you write loads of posts in your personal blog.

The great thing about blogs, too, is that the sky is the limit. There are really no rules about what you need to write about.

Are you passionate about movies? Start a film blog?

Does everyone tend to come to you for automotive advice? Start a mechanic self-help blog!

Maybe you discovered a new hobby, such as woodworking, or you want to share your longtime passion for political activism. Regardless, starting a blog is a great way for you to share yourself with a large audience all at once.

Blog to Meet Others

Speaking of self-expression, when you're passionate about something it is attractive to others. This means that you're going to draw in a large audience beyond your own personal real-life bubble.

Whether through comments, shares, personal contacts, etc., it's always a great idea to meet others through your blogging. Meeting other people who are in your field or passionate about the same things will help you grow an audience, gain more knowledge, and maybe get new business.

Blog to Help Others

While not necessarily entertainment, helping others through your personal blog can be a very gratifying experience.

If you are somewhat of an expert in your field or on a specific subject, then it might be a great idea to use your blog to help others. Think about it; you had to start somewhere as a beginner, too, and you likely looked for advice and help from others.

Be that source of knowledge for another beginner and you will build trust, gain an audience, and you might even find a way to monetize your help.

Why Do People Blog? Personal Gain

It's also important to touch on personal gain.

While it's important to start a personal blog for entertainment and fun you also may want to consider how it can benefit you in other ways. The passion should always be there, regardless of what subject you're writing on, but there are always ways you can help grow yourself or your business.

Blog to Make Money

We've sort of already touched on this, but there are a lot of ways to make money through your blog.

Most people start blogs simply because it's something they are passionate about and want to share their experience and love. Somewhere along the way, you can learn to do it better and more efficiently and a good blog has many ways of making money, such as:

• Selling products
• Selling services
• Affiliate marketing
• Paid advertisements
• etc.

A passion blog may not be able to make money right away, but that's why it's so important to build yours from the ground up.

Market Your Business

Whether you're part of a business selling a product or providing a service, you need people to find you. If you're not already an established brand, how will people know what you can even offer them?

There are many ways to market a business, but starting a blog is a great way to do that with the online community. People are searching for a lot of things, but a blog properly optimized for search engines will be more likely to appear at the top.

Having a blog that is genuinely helpful is a good way to earn more business because people are searching for actual information. They may not be actively seeking out your business...right away, that is.

So, yes, a blog will certainly help you market your business but you need to be careful how you go about it.

A haphazard blog will produce more frustration than trusted clients or customers. Your blogs should be informative (i.e., you need to be an authority), well written, and useful.

Your personal blog should also be published on a somewhat regular schedule and be varied in its content, which will keep people coming back for more.

Get a Jump Start on Your Own Blog

Blogs have been around since the mid-1990s and they're still popular today. You probably stumble across other people's blogs every single day, but what is all the fuss about? Why do people blog in the first place?

There are many reasons why someone might want to start blogging, but often it comes down to personal entertainment or personal gain (sometimes both!).

If you need help starting your blog or want to share some of your blogging ideas, feel free to contact us right away! We'd love to hear what your ideas are.

Millions of blog posts get published online every day. Those millions of posts come from hundreds of thousands of bloggers that write content either as a hobby or as a means of making serious money.

Wherever you fall in the hobby/professional blogger spectrum, it's important that you're aware of the basic legalities that govern blogging. Doing so can help you craft better content that is less likely to get you sued.

Our team at iWriter understands that not every blogger can hire an attorney to consult on their blog. So, to help you understand some basic legal blogging tips for beginners, we're going to share with you a list of low hanging things that are worth knowing...

1. Privacy Statements are Required for Bloggers Collecting Information

Does your blog collect information from its visitors?

Things like emails for mailing lists, logins for user accounts, or payment information for sales all qualify.

If you collect information from the people that visit your blog, you're going to want to have a robust privacy statement published somewhere on your site.

Privacy policies let users know how you leverage their information. While most people don't ever read them, you'll occasionally bump into a litigious person that'll take you to court for not having one.

A strong privacy policy can make or break your blog so be sure to invest in yours.

2. You Need to Include Your Address on Your Emails

Have you ever wondered why mailing providers like MailChimp ask for your address when you're signing up? It's because they're legally required to publish it on the bottom of your emails.

Sending emails without your address or with a fake address can get you fined, per email.

Save yourself some serious money and make sure your mailing address (or PO Box) is always on the bottom of communications you send to readers.

3. Email Opt-Outs Need to Be Respected

In an effort to cut down on email spam, laws exist in the United States and Europe that require marketers to respect email out outs.

That means, if someone asks to get off of your mailing list, you need to leave them alone.

Most mailing service providers will provide opt-out buttons automatically for you that are in compliance with laws. Just be sure to not manually re-add customers to your email list who have asked to be left alone.

4. Some Giveaways Require you to Send a 1099 Tax Form

Many bloggers host giveaways as a means of drumming up email opt-ins and to grow their blog's audience. Few, however, know that gifts are sometimes taxable.

If the gift you give away on your blog gets valued at over $600.00, you'll need to send the recipient a 1099 tax form at the end of the year so they can report it to the IRS.

5. You Don't Need to Include a Copyright Symbol on Your Work

Have you ever seen bloggers include the © symbol at the end of their posts? Many do this because they think that without a copyright symbol, people can steal their work.

Fortunately, copyrights are inherent meaning that you own the copyright on your work the moment your work is published. You'll still need to prove that your work is original if ever you need to fight a digital pirate but having a © present isn't going to make or break your case.

6. All Monetary Relationships With Brands Need to Get Disclosed

If a brand pays you to pump up their products on your site, you can't pretend that you love their products without disclosing that you're getting compensated.

Doing so could violate US and European commercial transparency laws.

7. Money Generated From Your Blog is Taxable... Usually

Bloggers are business owners and the IRS loves taxing business owners. As a blogging tips for beginners rule of thumb, if you've made more than $400.00 from your blog during the year, you'll have to report that income to the IRS.

Failure to do so could result in an audit.

8. Restructure As an LLC If You Want Asset Protection

If you remember one blogging tip for beginners suggestion in this post, let it be this... The moment you launch your blog, you're considered a sole-proprietor. As a sole-proprietor, if you're sued by someone, they can come after not only the money your blog has made, but everything you own.

To separate yourself as a person from your business, consider structuring your blog as an LLC.

Blogs with LLC protection can only lose assets (in most cases) owned by the blog. That means that your car, home, retirement fund, etc. will be safe.

9. Read Photo Licenses Carefully to Avoid Headaches

If you use stock imagery you pull off of the internet for your blog posts, make sure you understand those photo's licenses.

Only a handful of photos online are "labeled for reuse". Those that are may require that you offer a certain degree of attribution in order to legally use them.

If you violate a photo's license you may get asked to cease and desist by its owner.

10. Include a Disclaimer on Your Blog

Unless you want to stand behind everything you say on your blog in the eyes of the law, it's important that somewhere on your blog you include relevant disclaimers.

For example, while the information being presented to you in this article is being offered to you in good faith, we're not attorneys. As such, all legal advice should get sourced directly from a qualified lawyer prior to making any final decisions regarding your blog.

With a disclaimer like that in place, you can protect yourself from malicious people that are looking to make money off of your oversights.

Wrapping Up Legal Blogging Tips for Beginners

We hope that our legal blogging tips for beginners provided you with insight that you found valuable!

As it turns out though, legal advice isn't our forté here at iWriter - Writing is!

If you need help creating a steady stream of high-quality, SEO friendly blog posts for your business or hobby blog, we've got you covered!

Learn more about our services and pricing and start taking your blog to the next level with iWriter today!

Is your head spinning trying to think of ways to create content? To appropriately use your keywords for SEO success?

You're not alone. It's a lot to handle, especially if you're a small operation. But don't panic. There are ways to use your keywords as well as deliver content to your customers that match your brand.

It's called content creation and this article will look at two popular types, blog vs vlog. Don't know the difference or want to know which is better for you?

Read on.

What is Blogging and Why Do It?

When you write a blog, it has two main purposes. The one that you know about as a business owner is SEO-related, most likely. If you have any experience with Google AdWords, you know that there are certain keywords your site needs to be targeting.

But Google will ding you if they think you're overusing those keywords on your regular site just to get traffic. Have you ever looked at something on eBay or Wish where the title is a nonsensical grouping of keywords?

Something like Womens Blouse Shirt Girls Top White Color Basic Tee? That's not a good usage of keywords. Especially if you describe every top that way.

So instead of doing what we call keyword "stuffing", people write blogs. Blogs give us a more natural way to use keywords and provide value to customers.

Google LOVES when sites provide value to customers. For example, if you sold women's blouses, you could write a post titled "How to find the perfect fitting Women's Blouse".

Now you can use the keyword Women's Blouse without stuffing it into your product description. And you'll get traffic from people who didn't necessarily know about your site before.

That's the beauty of blogging.

Bonus Reason: Content Creation

When you write blogs, you automatically have something you can post about on Facebook. You won't have to spend hours thinking of the perfect post and finding the right graphics.

You can simply format the blog image for whatever platform and post about your new blog. Plenty of businesses use these as regular posts on their Facebook pages or other mediums.

You can even place ads or a click funnel on your blog page and set up some PPC marketing to help you get some organic traffic.

What Is Vlogging and Why Do It?

Now that you know about blogging, let's talk about its more advanced cousin, vlogging. Vlog is an abbreviation for a video blog.

It started out as more of an online diary trend before the content creators got a hold of it. In the early 2000s, teens and celebrities alike used video to show their followers (even if they didn't have many) a day in the life.

Or how they were really feeling about a subject. Have you ever heard about the video from 2007, "Leave Britney Alone"? That's a vlog - though it's widely made fun of and mocked

Modern Vlogging

Some content creators and YouTube stars have a Vlog channel separate from their normal video channel. Even though when they create content videos, they're really creating vlogs.

The distinction is personal. They may see vlogging as a more casual concept than creating a video optimized for likes and views.

But it doesn't have to be separate. More and more businesses are using vlogs to better explain concepts and products. Imagine your 56-year-old father getting a voice assistant for the first time.

He'd be confused, right? Well, there are plenty of video tutorials (vlogs) that walk people through how to set Alexa up and what she can do.

Those videos make the company that posted it money, by allowing manufacturers to play an add before the video starts. That's called YouTube monetization.

Why Vlogs?

There are a different set of reasons someone blogs vs vlogs. Both use keywords, though vloggers have to get more creative with them.

Vlogs are useful for SEO too, video is a big trend right now. However - vlogs are better for storytelling than blogs are.

Imagine how boring it would be reading about the details of a legal case. You'd have to read through the establishments of the case details and character descriptions before you even start learning about the case.

With a vlog, you can form the details into a cohesive story. Add graphics and even have the real person or attorney come on the video. It's a lot easier to pay attention to someone telling you a story than it is to read through something with legal jargon.

This is especially important if your business targets younger customers. Our attention spans are becoming shorter and shorter. If you can't hook them in the first paragraph of your blog, you're out of luck.

It's easier to hook someone with a video because it has two kinds of sensory stimulation.

Blog vs Vlog

Blogs are more controlled and precise than vlogs. Vlogs technically don't have any rules (but there are guidelines you should follow for SEO purposes).

However it really comes down to your brand, audience, and the type of post you're creating.

Older people are used to reading stories, so if your target audience is older, blogs are probably better.

You also have to keep your brand in mind. If you're a college writing center, for example - you should write blogs. Show off what you're good at.

Finally, if you're going to use blogs, you need a good writer. They need to balance being relatable with being knowledgable. This is a delicate line to walk, which is why most people hire professional content writers.

That's what they do.

Vlogs have different requirements. You need more equipment to film a blog than you do to write an article. You need lighting, a script (and a writer) along with someone who is confident on camera.

Which is Right for You?

In the end, most people use a mix of a blog vs vlog content strategy. Some subjects, like stories, lend themselves better to a video.

While others like instructions lend themselves to the written word.

When you're deciding what kind of post you want to create, think about which medium makes more sense. As long as you keep the content, your brand, and your audience in mind, you'll make the right choice.

Know what you want but don't feel like you can walk the delicate line it takes to write it? Find excellent content writers here.