To blog or not to blog, that is the question
Bonjour les amis!
Haha I’m learning French and all that, thanks to Emily in Paris :D Anyway, how is everyone doing? We’ve entered November already, can you believe it? It’s been an extra long year, but somehow it still feels like it’s gone by so quickly! So crazy right? And like a lot of people in the world, I’ve challenged and questioned a lot of things this year.
I’ve questioned my ‘needs and wants’ like never before, I’ve questioned my parenting, I’ve even questioned my adulting, and I’ve questioned other people’s adulting too.. It’s been an eye - opener, this 2020!
And on that note, I’ve also questioned having a blog. Should I continue to blog? Is anyone reading? Is it still relevant? What does the future of blogging look like? It’s like having an existential crisis (but for my blog). And all this is loosely based on my own online behavior, and what I’ve personally experienced and seen online.
Hootsuite and We Are Social's Digital in 2020 report
The past few months have seen a massive growth of video content, interesting formats, interactive posts and highly engaging story-telling that most brands and businesses have embraced! It’s hard to imagine any business/brand not having a social media strategy in this day and age - because that’s where most people are!
From my own behavior, I can see that the way I consume content online has changed quite a bit. I have to say that my attention span has definitely reduced. Sometimes even watching a 30 sec Instagram reel feels like too much, “this could have easily been done in a 15 sec reel, no?”, I’ve said to myself, many times LOL :D
I find myself on multiple screens a lot of the time - so I may be watching TV and simultaneously be on my phone, in which case it’s not possible to focus fully on reading a full fledged blog post, but it’s less taxing to my brain to watch people’s Stories or Reels.
Of course, a lot depends on the content itself and there are a few blogs that I follow and read religiously, and I would be very sad if those people stopped blogging! But generally speaking, what I’ve noticed is that most things that you would find in a traditional text based blog are now being made into video format or podcasts, and my personal view is that they don’t always have the same impact. I mean, I truly believe that if you’re good at a particular format and that comes naturally to you, then that will give you the best result. Of course it is absolutely important to try your hand at everything if you want to, but sometimes it’s good to play to your strengths for maximum impact. What do you think? Please comment below!
So, 10-15 minute makeup tutorials have become 30 sec reels, and months and months of home renovations and transformations have become super slick 15 second reels with crazy transitions - to some funky music of course! It is fun and engaging for sure! And don’t get me wrong, there’s an incredible amount of skill and talent needed for creating this type of content and it can be very time consuming as well! I’m not at all undermining the effort put in, instead I applaud the creativity and pure genius of these content creators. But then I think to myself - I spent half a day writing a blog post on my kitchen reno, with lovely photos and details. Is anyone going to read it? Was it worth it? As a blogger, I obviously want my content to reach more people, to start a conversation, to be a part of a wider community etc. etc. so it is important to me, that people read what I write.
So I decided to really think about this and get my answers once and for all, instead of questioning myself every time before writing a blog post! I also did a little poll on my Stories, just to get a general idea (of course, this is not really statistically significant etc. but it’s nice to get a little sense of what people think)
I was a bit disheartened to see this result, however not too surprised. I did some of my own research on the side (I’m a researcher after all) and after thinking long and hard, I concluded that I am going to continue to blog after all! Yayy! Here’s why:
The number one and most important reason why I will continue to blog - I like to blog! :) Simple. I remembered why I started doing this in the first place. I wanted a space of my own where I could express myself, practice my writing, be creative and share my experiences and some useful lifestyle tips! I secretly want to write a book one day, and I thought blogging would be a perfect place to start!
Having a blog means that I have a greater chance of my content being found, thanks to Google and other search engines of course. Believe it or not, I still get views for some really old posts that I had written years ago! And that’s not something that’s possible on Instagram, where your post gets lost in millions of hashtags and billions of other posts. Where a ‘non-influencer’ hardly gets any visibility unless of course you promote your post or actively spend hours and hours daily engaging, reaching out, forming partnerships, collaborating (it is hard work!), or maybe resort to some shady tactics - none of which I’m prepared to do at this point! Honestly, it’s a jungle out there and let’s face it - organic reach is minimal.
There is a real need for blogs - I did a bit of research, read a few reports on social media and blogging in 2020; and while it may seem like people are turning to video content or different formats these days, there is still a real need for user generated content and people do rely heavily on blogs for authentic, trustworthy information. Of course, what’s different is that people now prefer to just skim through blogs. They may not read each and every word, but they will glance through the blog to get what they need out of it.
I’ve worked in the online/digital space for roughly 10 years and my first marketing job in the UK was of an SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) Analyst. I absolutely know the importance of organic reach, content marketing and how important blogs are for SEO. Things may have changed over time, algorithms keep evolving, new tech is launched daily, but my experience says that blogs are and will remain a key part of the marketing strategy of a business - of course if improving website visibility and organic reach is the goal. Content marketing is here to stay.
I know that when I write a blog post, I spend hours on it. I do my research, I make sure I link or quote sources, I get hold of any relevant stats and details - basically I make sure it’s quality content (if I may say so myself). And there’s always a need for good quality content. Blogging or content creating is a lot of work, and there are definitely ways to make the most of your time and effort. There are a few things that I’ll do differently going forward, because as always, it is important to keep user behaviour in mind and adapt, because that’s the only way to stay relevant in this ever changing online world.
So here’s what I’ve decided to do with my blog going forward:
Focus on good quality content - quality over quantity for sure!
Create more ‘skim-able’ content - work on the formatting, and make sure the reader can get the key points quickly by glancing through the post; but at the same time include enough detail and make it worthwhile for those who read every word!
Be more regular with posting - I know I can do better!
Include good quality images and video content wherever applicable
Give people a reason to return, and promote on other social media channels (I’m terrible at promoting myself, so I can definitely work on that!)
Just do what makes me happy! - This is the number one reason to be honest, I enjoy blogging and I can only hope that people enjoy reading! It takes years and years to establish a blog and get into a rhythm, and some people get there sooner than others, but it needs a lot of commitment and self motivation.
So, I hope you enjoyed this post! I certainly have a better understanding of where I stand and what I want to do. So if you’re on the fence, or don’t know if it’s still worth blogging in 2020, I can say with confidence that from what I’ve read and learnt, blogging and blogs are definitely here to stay! So if it’s something you like to do, then don’t stop! Good luck! xx