What is blogging's biggest effect on my business? A recent business survey made me critically rethink blogging's #1 biggest effect.
It's not more paid speeches, not the two book contracts, not more traffic, etc. - although those ARE effects I've seen.
It's the the enormous increase in networking -- and of course associated opportunities.
Maybe this should have been obvious to me. Of all the people I interviewed, many spoke about the networking opportunities.
- Bob Cargill listed it as one of his concrete reasons for blogging -- and it seems to have helped him big time in his brief search for a great job.
- Phil Gerbyshak describes blogging as "a natural relationship builder," and Phil believes strongly in the power of relationships.
- Robert Rosenthal blogs for better business relationship quality. There are some toxic clients and bad practices in his field, and he blogs about them, effectively driving away bad and attracting good clients.
- Christopher Salazar, a blogging intern when we spoke, was told to "network" but never how. Blogging made networking easy.
They do call it social media for a good reason! As the saying goes, "it's not what you know, it's who knows you" or something similar.
Bloggers know a lot of people, and a lot of people know them. In business, that's a BIG plus.
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Guest Blogger, Ted Demopoulos, blogs at The Ted Rap and is author of What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting.
