by Kenneth Ang

Created on: February 18, 2010

The benefits of blogging for freelance writers

Making it as a freelance writer is not easy. With so much competition in the market, you will have to stand out in order to be noticed and hired. You will have to show the market that you are different than your peers. In other words, you'll have to brand yourself.

As Tom Peters said, "Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc." - http://www.fastcompany.com/node/28905/print

Advertising probably first comes to mind, but can be very costly. Its effectiveness can also be very limited unless you have deep pockets, which many freelance writers probably do not, especially when they are starting out.

Which is why many businesses turn to blogging. So, how can blogging benefit freelance writers?

1. Blogging is a low-cost alternative to having an online presence. It is a very inexpensive way to get your business known on the Internet.

You can set up a free blog at Blogger.com, Wordpress.com and many other free sites.

2. You don't have to know anything about web design to start and maintain a blog. Neither do you need to hire a web developer or designer to update your site regularly. You can do it yourself.

3. Your blog allows you to showcase your knowledge and expertise with a wide audience. You can use a blog just as you would a website to post samples of your work and testimonials from satisfied customers.

4. It is also your resume. As you regularly update your blog, you will have a resume that is always current. And you no longer have to send a printed resume to prospective customers every time you update it. You can just send the URL of your blog.

5. Besides being able to review your resume on your blog, prospective customers will also get to know you better through your posts. Your posts, over time, will reflect your true personality, how you think, your views on important issues, etc.

This can give you the edge over your fellow freelance writers who only submit written resumes. All things being equal, most employers would prefer to work with someone they feel comfortable with. A formal resume will not be able to reflect whom you really are, as effectively as your blog will.

6. With time being of essence to any business, being able to save time going through the interview process is definitely a plus point for you. Customers may bypass the interview stage and offer you a job based on the opinion they form after perusing your blog.

7. Having a well-crafted blog minimizes the need for any hard sell. Unlike a normal resume, which you will have to persuade your prospects to read, your blog is there, 24/7, for people to read at their own convenience.

8. Blogs usually have a better chance of ranking high in search engine results as search engines love sites with regularly updated content. With a bit of knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, you can get your blog ranked well, thus increasing your visibility.

Start blogging today!

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