In this week’s episode of the Above The Fold Podcast, we talk about the state of blogging and two ways in which to create on-demand content that will help to make your blog a shining beacon in 2020 and beyond.
Here’s the transcript to this week’s show.
What’s going on guys? Fabrizio Van Marciano here from Magnet4Blogging dot net, welcome to Episode 7 of the Above The Fold Podcast Show for bloggers, marketers, and solopreneurs. And for whoever cares to listen for that matter.
This show is about me sharing with you all kinds of tips and tricks for improving your blog, creating passive income, doing marketing and promotion, growing your audience, and a whole lot more.
So, here’s what we’re going to be discussing in this episode –
The state of blogging in 2020 and how to stand out in this seemingly ever-expanding and noisy crowd.
You might think that it’s kind of becoming harder to get noticed these days with so many other bloggers to compete with, and not to mention the thousands of new blogs being created every week.
But if you really think about it, you can still make a small dent in the universe with your own blog, right?
There are things you can do right now that a lot of other bloggers that have been in the game for many years, in fact, that aren’t even doing today, and I’ll talk more about what those things are in this episode.
Music plays – source: SoundStripe (Affiliate link)
Hey, guys welcome to another episode of above the fold. First of all, thank you for being here and tuning in. So, let’s first talk about the state of blogging right now, as of 2020!
I realize that everyone else will have their own views about the state of blogging. I’ve seen those headlines, by the way, with – “Is Blogging Finally Dead?” And whatnot, and for the most part, I’m happy to read that a lot of folks realize that blogging is far from dead. It is very much alive, it is, however, evolving.
Blogging, as a trend, has only very slightly declined over the last five years, I’m just checking google trends here. But not significantly enough to start worrying at all.
There are still around 70 million new blog posts being published each month, that’s on WordPress alone. But what I do find interesting is that the average length of a blog post is around 1,100 words long.
OK, so bloggers are writing more lengthy and content, but when you consider that the average reader spends just 37 seconds reading a blog post, you begin to think, well what is the point of it all?
These are just some of the statistics I’m reading online, and if you’re interested in checking some of these out for yourself, I will link to the blog post in the show notes. (Source: https://www.ryrob.com/blogging-statistics/)
But in all honesty, blogging is far from dead. It’s still thriving but it is also changing. It is still a powerful and effective form of digital content marketing. Not only that, but it’s also very cost-effective. Content marketing is in fact 62% cheaper than traditional marketing.
But if you manage a blog as a business, I honestly believe you can continue growing it successfully for many years, just as long as you have your goals set out, and know exactly what you want to achieve from blogging.
More importantly, as long as you are putting in 110% into creating the type of content that creates engagement and increases your credibility. Every single post you put out on your blog has to be superb in every way.
Now, let me talk a little bit about how to stay ahead of the game with your blog. In other words – How to stand out. Because there are a number of things you can do right now to make your blog a shining beacon in 2020 and beyond.
I want to talk about two ways in which you can create on-demand content that will help to propel your blog –
Let’s start with video. I’m not sure if you already know this, but only 19% of bloggers include a video in their article? (Source: https://growthbadger.com/blog-stats/).
So that’s one area you can immediately start to dominate in. The thing is, yeah, very few people will care to read an entire blog post these days but include a video and you can potentially increase the time spent on your blog posts by a whopping 100% (Source: https://www.wsiworld.com/blog/why-and-how-you-should-use-videos-to-increase-engagement-with-your-blog-posts)
So, you know what you’ve got to do, right? If you have a blog that you really want to grow, you’ve got to get out of your little blogging bubble and start creating and including videos in your posts.
If you’re new to using videos and vlogging to grow your blog, I have a great tutorial post over on my blog that I’ll link to in the show notes.
Recommended Post: How To Use Vlogging To Promote Your Blog
So, what about podcasts? Are you podcasting right now?
I’ve only just begun to realize the power of podcasting myself, which is why I’m investing more time and energy into creating these episodes. According to an article on Convince & Convert, podcast listeners have grown by 37 and a half percent in the last three years.
You can include podcasts in your articles much the same way you can include videos – And there’s plenty of software and technology to help you do just that.
So, if you haven’t considered starting a podcast then now is perhaps the best time to start. Again, I will have some links in the show notes to various podcasting tools and resources, if you’re serious about starting your podcast.
So, just doing those two things I talked about earlier, using videos and podcasts can definitely help your blog stand out and even attract a whole new audience.
That’s the other thing, you’ll be creating new audiences on YouTube, iTunes, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, and so many other mediums and platforms – There’s just no end to it.
It’s a no-brainer folks, if you’re a blogger and you want to move forward with the changing times and stand out, and propel your blog to grow – you’ve got to include videos and podcasts in your marketing strategy.
And not only for the marketing aspect, but the way in which we consume content is changing. Technology is changing at such a rapid pace.
You know, we’re not just reading blog posts anymore, we’re watching more videos, we’re turning into more audio content, and doing all of this whilst on the move. There’s never been a greater need for on-demand content as there is today.
OK, so that’s all I have for you in this episode of Above The Fold. I hope you’ve found it useful and if you enjoyed listening, please consider leaving me a review over on iTunes and even subscribing to future episodes, where ever you’re listening to this.
If you want to get more blogging and online business tips, check out my blog at www.magnet4blogging.net. You can also find me on YouTube and Instagram, @vanmarciano. I’ll speak to you soon in the next episode. But until then, take care and peace.
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