If you haven’t started blogging, a good question to ask yourself is “why?” As the number of blogs continue to grow each day, blogs are being seen less as ‘online diaries’ and more as ‘professional insight.’ While there does still exist the casual blogger who writes about there daily lives and rants, more and more companies are utilizing the open communication of blogs to help build their authority in there respective fields.

The Numbers Game

In 2009, internet blog search engine, Technorati, reported that 77% of internet users read blogs. Further, 900,000 blog posts were being added every hour. With the number of internet users sure to grow, it is no wonder why companies are trying to capture that market.

As the saying goes, it just makes sense numbers wise. The ROI can be huge if done correctly. Writing a good blog doesn’t necessarily take hundreds of dollars, but rather a creative approach to branding.

Blogging is Branding

Google has one, Whole Foods has one, even Best Buy has one. No, I’m not talking about a million dollar industry, but a blog. As companies like those mentioned look for new ways to engage consumers, blogs are helping with online branding. Some branding experts go as far as to say that blogs are an essential part to your online reputation, which to extent is quite true.

If you look at the way that content spreads online, having a presence online can be extremely beneficial. Many public figures and companies for example use there blog as a sort of press release to confirm or dismiss rumors. Likewise, news companies and the public look toward these blogs as a way to learn if something is true. Again, blogs are helping companies brand themselves as well as helping them create that sense of authority in the online space.

Blogging For All The Wrong Reasons

1. You should blog because you want to engage your online community, not because you want to sell them a product.

If you write about your product 24/7, you get to a point where no one wants to read about you. The best example we can give is when you are in school and your teacher makes you read reviews of the same book everyday. Yes, they are different, but all of the same book. Eventually, you will just zone out.

2. You want to make money

While it’s true that bloggers can make money, what everyone needs to understand is that it is a very small %. If you are looking to start a blog to only make money, you should be prepared for a letdown. Blogs are meant to stimulate community, not stimulate your income.

3. You Think It’s Easy

Blogging can be easy. Don’t be mistaken, everyone has great ideas, but when you are pressured to put them down on paper, that is when it can be difficult. Just how in school, you know the answer to a question, but have difficulty writing it all out, the same can be said for blogging. Still, remember that you can always ask for help with writing blog posts by asking other bloggers.

Joseph Yi: Joseph is the Director of Marketing at Viralogy.com & works in social media & sports consulting. Read more about him athttp://JosephAYi.com

Tags: Blogging, companies, Make Money, Social Media