Get Blogging! Leverage a Blog for Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Get Blogging! Leverage a Blog for Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve heard how great blogging is for your personal brand and establishing yourself as an expert. But did it motivate you to actually start your own blog? Did you start writing posts after you heard this advice? Although many people realize the benefits of blogging â€" because they read blogs daily or admire famous bloggers â€" it’s hard to take that first step, because it’s another time commitment you may feel like you can’t keep up with. The benefits of blogging The initial setup of your blog may be time consuming, but the posts thereafter don’t have to be. The great thing about blogging is that it’s flexible you can write whenever is best for you, publish the post when you want, and determine how often you want to write. You also choose what to write about, which can vary from recent industry news to your opinion on recent happenings to advice for your readers. The most critical aspect of creating a new blog is deciding on a specific topic or niche to focus on. You’ll want to look at other blogs in your industry (use Technorati or Alltop) and figure out how you can differentiate your blog from their concentration. Perfect your topic and frequency Once you’ve perfected your topic, you’ll want to decide on a posting frequency and try to stick with it. How many days per week will you publish a new post? If you have multiple audiences, will you dedicate a certain day of the week to each? Most importantly, set realistic goals. A great way to keep up with your initial plan is to create an editorial calendar with topic ideas and headlines. Even if you don’t end up writing about the exact topic, you will at least have a start or an idea in mind as a jumping-off point. You’ll be exposed to so many more readers and influential professionals if you leverage your blog and incorporate it into your personal brand. Blogging increases your online presence and visibility in a different way than social media. But, more importantly, it provides a platform for your followers (and others who stumble upon your blog) to start a dialogue with you and your community about your posts. Eventually, you will be able to build relationships with bloggers and readers alike. Do you have a blog? What’s the most challenging part of maintaining it? If you don’t have one, will you start? Author: Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder president of Come Recommended, a career and workplace education and consulting firm specializing in young professionals. She is also the author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), national entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com. Follow her on Twitter at @heatherhuhman.