Branding Yourself

It is becoming more and more common for people to make blogging their full-time job and label themselves, “professional bloggers”. This never used to be possible since there were so many requirements to get your work published and into the print form. However, thanks entirely to blogs, anyone can publish their work and even get paid for it.

The influence blogs have played in our society is so profound even businesses are blogging. As I read in Rettberg’s chapter, “Blogging Brands,” blogging has become a new method of marketing for businesses worldwide.

Rettberg says, “businesses use blogs in their marketing, as a way of improving customer relations and establishing a popular presence on the Web, or as a way of getting attention” (127).

Rettberg’s chapter references a well-known manifesto, The Cluetrain Manifesto, which discusses the importance of businesses developing a connection with their customers. At the time, the blogosphere was not around, however, their theory still applies to blogging.

The manifesto, “demanded that big business and big media answer back, in the same human voice that the audiences and customers were using” (Rettberg, 129). This circles back to the importance of blogs having a conversational tone, so they can not only be trusted but also gain a loyal following.

Not only do blogs help businesses gain more revenue, but there are also ways for bloggers themselves to bring in a sufficient amount of money. Here are a few ways bloggers are getting paid in this day and age:

– advertisements on their blog page

– income from referrals to a specific brand/product

– micropatronage, or small donations from loyal readers

– sponsored posts and pay-to-posts

An additional way for a blogger to make money, which we discussed in class, was through a book deal. Some bloggers become so famous for their writing they can be signed a book deal. Going back, yet again, to my favorite blog, Cupcakes and Cashmere, Emily Schuman is a perfect example of this.

On the home page of Emily’s blog you can see an ad for her own book, where you can link to three different websites to buy her book.

Who knows, maybe one day one of us will get a book deal 🙂