Blogging: Should Publishers Try It, Too?

 

A long time ago in an Internet far, far away, blogging wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Trained professionals including reporters, editors, and publishers weren’t impressed at all when the medium first appeared in the ‘90s. And for good reason; the earliest blogs offered little more than insights into the personal lives of their authors. What’s more, most bloggers hand-coded their online diaries from scratch since there was no other way to do it at the time!

But times have changed. Today, the blog has become the quintessential communications platform and champion of the online marketing world for businesses far and wide. Here are three good reasons why that is.

1. Blogging has incredible marketing potential

By its very nature, publishing involves the dissemination and sharing of information with others. It’s similar to blogging in more ways than one, which is why the two can generate significant marketing ROIs when paired together; for example, boosting content exposure beyond the margins of owned media such as personal websites.

According to a report published by the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs,86% of B2B companies and 77% of B2C companies are currently blogging. Moreover, HubSpot’s massive State of Inbound 2014 study revealed that marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to yield positive ROI. Clearly, its value proposition for publishers is worth looking into.

2. It develops relationships and keeps you in touch with your readership

Well-informed customers are happy ones. And there’s nothing loyal subscribers appreciate more than being kept in the loop by their favorite publishers. Your readers want to be there when your next title drops, and blogging about it is the perfect way to keep them informed.

Enabling comments, questions, and feedback at the end of blog posts, for example, can forge deeper connections with visitors and get the conversation going. Replying to readers’ comments builds trust while allowing you to gain valuable insight into their thoughts.

Try it out: Compile your Joomag publications into a blog and drive more traffic to it! Simply embed your publications to an online bookshelf and provide readers with a seamless reading experience.

3. It’s inexpensive and easy

There’s no shortage of blogging platforms available on the market today. Practically anyone can start a blog within minutes. And that’s exactly the point. While many of these services are free to use, some will lock premium features behind paywalls. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; sought-after features like custom domains and self-hosting are relatively cheap and invaluable brand building tools for any serious publisher. Self-hosted blogs are great for maintaining a professional look that boosts brand visibility. And having a personalized blog that does the marketing for you is certainly worth the cost of a domain.

Most blogging platforms out there are also incredibly easy to use. Do you know how to type, copy, paste, upload, drag, and drop? Great. Then you already know how to create a professional looking blog.

We all agree: blogging is awesome. But how the heck do you get started? Thankfully, it’s not nearly as complicated as it could be. Open source software such as WordPress, for example, allow publishers to customize their blogs with countless plugins, add-ons, and design tools. Though it’s not the only publishing platform on the web, it certainly is one of the best.

Once you’ve created your digital publication with Joomag, start blogging about it! Below are some excellent articles to help you get started on your journey:

• How to Start a Successful Blog in 2018

• 5 Beginning Blogging Mistakes You Can Fix

• Choosing a Blogging Niche

• 7 Ways to Boost Your Success as a Blogger