The pitfalls of a network marketing blog impact even the best bloggers. In this post, I will explain the 3 big challenges in using a blog to build your network marketing business so you can understand and overcome them.
Don’t get me wrong, my network marketing blog is my bread and butter. But, even after years of blogging, there is still a learning curve, still an ongoing challenge to be more effective. This post is based on my experience after many years of starting (and re-starting) and maintaining my own network marketing blog.
I say re-starting, because about 2 years ago I “retired” from the network marketing industry, totally burned out. I shut down my blog and closed my autoresponder account because I wouldn’t need them any more. At least that’s what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn’t stay away and a couple years later, I was back in network marketing. One of the first things I did was start blogging again. But I was starting from almost a dead stop. And that’s what really reminded me how challenging it can be to build and maintain an effective network marketing blog.
3 pitfalls of a network marketing blog – no matter what your experience level
1. The learning curve of a blog
If you are new to blogging, there is a lot to learn. While none of these are super difficult to learn, they are all tasks you must be able to do to be an effective blogger.
Selecting the right domain name and purchasing it
Buying hosting and setting up WordPress
Installing a theme and customizing it
Determining the page structure of the blog itself
Sourcing or creating graphics
Picking blog topics that are relevant to your target audience
Selecting optimal keywords through keyword research
Incorporating lead capture and an autoresponder
And all of this is before you start writing your first post!
Then there are additional things to learn such as:
SEO Search Engine Optimization
Promoting your blog
Monetizing your blog
Monitoring analytics
Email list management
Even if you are an experienced blogger, the learning curve is ongoing. Especially for SEO which is continually evolving.
2. Blogging takes lot of time and consistent effort
If you are really serious about blogging, and see your network marketing blog being a key part of your success, you will need to commit several hours per week. I tell team members starting a blog to count on spending at least 5 hours per week in the beginning, to do it right. Preferably more.
The biggest time consumers are keyword research, content creation, autoresponder management, and SEO. It seems to help both you and SEO results if you can post on a somewhat regular schedule. For new bloggers, one post a week is a good place to start.
I maintain swipe files of blog ideas and keyword research to help keep on schedule. I also try to keep I or 2 completed posts on hand, ready to publish, at all times.
3. One of the biggest pitfalls of a network marketing blog is how long it takes to get results
This may be the biggest pitfall of all. Do not start a network marketing blog unless you are in it for the long haul. According to an article on Forbes, many SEO firms will tell you it takes 4 to 6 months to start seeing results from a new blog. Digital marketing guru, Neil Patel, who I follow closely, suggests it’s more like 6 to 12 months. Fortunately, if you do things correctly, your results will continue to grow.
This time lag is because Google (by far the most used search engine) takes a while to rank web pages. If you are counting on search traffic from SEO, be prepared to drive traffic to your blog using other strategies in the meantime.
Having said all of that, my blog is still my favorite marketing tool. It is the main way I brand and promote ME. Combined with my autoresponder, my blog is the primary method I use to build and maintain relationships. It is where the bulk of my prospects come from. It’s how I build my business.
This may be the ideal time for you to start a blog as network marketing is booming. I just want you to be aware of the pitfalls of a network marketing blog.
To your success,
Joe Barclay