Five Ways a Blog Could Help You Reach Your Goals (and One Way It Probably Won’t)

Since you’re reading a blog – Dumb Little Man – there’s a reasonably good chance that you’ve at least considered starting a blog of your own.

Maybe you enjoy writing, and you’d like to share your work with the world.

Maybe you’ve heard that a blog can be a way to make money – or to promote your existing business.

Here are five ways a blog could help you reach your goals in both your personal and professional life.

#1: Teaching You New Skills

Blogging involves a lot of different skills. Simply getting your blog set up will teach you a lot of techy know-how that could come in handy in all sorts of different areas of life. Writing regular posts isn’t just great for your writing skills – it’s also a way to develop self-discipline.

If you stick with a blog for several months, you’ll also find yourself learning about social media, marketing and self-promotion, business, networking and so much more.

#2: Making New Connections

The blogging world is inherently sociable, and a blog is a great way to connect with other people who have similar interests to yours (these might be fellow bloggers, or simply readers).

Through your blog, you could have new friends all over the world. If your interests are quite niche or specialised, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that there are lots of other people who share them.

#3: Building Your Professional Profile

If you’re looking to further your career, a blog could be a very valuable tool. If your blog is well-written respected by others in your industry, it might mean the difference between getting a job and being passed over.

This doesn’t just apply if you work in a techy or new media industry: authors, for instance, are often asked about their online “platform” (blog, social media following, etc) by agents and publishers.

#4: Bringing in a Side Income

Many people are attracted to blogging because it offers an opportunity to make money. If you build a blog that gets a decent amount of traffic, you can make money by running advertising on your site, or marketing products as an affiliate (you get a commission on any sales you generate).

The extra money that your blog creates, on top of your normal job, could help you create an emergency fund, save up for a holiday, or even put your kids through college.

#5: Leading You to a New Career

For some people, their blog isn’t just a way to create a side income – it’s the start of a whole new career. Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of writing for a living, but you’re currently working in retail; a blog could be the showcase you need for your work, and a marketing tool to draw in clients.

It’s certainly not impossible to make a full time living through your blog (I’ve been doing so since 2008) – and in an uncertain economic climate, working for yourself can be a more secure option than being in paid employment.

That all sounds pretty good, right? Well, there’s just one thing you need to know about how a blog (almost certainly) won’t help you reach your goals.

#6: Making You a Fortune, Overnight

A blog is not a get-rich-quick ticket (whatever some bloggers might have you believe)! Unless you’re already an experienced blogger with a successful site or two under your belt, it takes time to build an audience and to learn everything you need to know.

Your blog is unlikely to make you rich in the very near future, so if you really need money in the next couple of months, blogging probably isn’t a good answer for you.

Don’t let me put you off, though. Over a longer period of time – say five or six years – there’s no telling where a blog might take you.

Have you ever thought about blogging – or has this post put ideas in your mind? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Photo Credit: Maria Reyes-McDavis