A lot of people confuse “influencer” with the LinkedIn definition, which means you’ve reached a certain level on a specific social media platform that gives you authority. While LinkedIn has many great standards in place that you can mimic in your own journey, the reality is that anyone in any industry can become an influencer. Using a blog as a platform is a great tool to establish authority, garnering you respect amongst your peers and positioning your company so that it’s highly desirable for job seekers. However, what you blog is key.
Blogging isn’t easy, whether it’s for monetization or simply to build your audience. It doesn’t matter if you’re tackling the importance of knowledge transfer or the pros and cons of telecommuting. If you’re a CEO, founder, executive or other higher up, you already have a lot on your plate. Adding a blog to the mix can be detrimental if you don’t have the right resources and time management to make it happen. Here’s how to tell if you’re ready.
You’re brimming with information
If you often find yourself seeking outlets to share your knowledge, or perhaps you already have a thriving social media presence, that’s a sign that a blog might be a great platform for you. Quick, how many potential blog topics can you name? If you’re not scrambling for answers because they’re already at the helm, you might be sitting on a goldmine of information. Start jotting down blog ideas to build your database. It might seem like you have a lot of ideas now, but those can run out quickly.
However, just because you have a lot of information to share doesn’t mean you have the skills to communicate them effectively. You don’t have to be a brilliant writer to be a blogger (although it doesn’t hurt), but you do need to be good at some type of communication. There are photo- and infographic-rich blogs, video blogs, and even “curating” blogs where you simply share information you get from elsewhere (with the proper citations of course). Be honest with what communication you’re best at and build your blog around it.
How will blogging benefit you?
What are your goals for starting a blog? It might be to become an industry leader, to engage and network with peers and colleagues, or perhaps because you really do just want to share the knowledge you’ve gathered. Knowing what your genuine intentions are can help you set feasible goals. No matter what, understand that building a following will likely take months, and a good blogger doesn’t get discouraged when the comments are few and far between.
Ultimately, a blog should benefit your audience. You benefitting from it is merely a positive side effect.
Originally posted on September 9, 2014 @ 4:11 pm
