In this four part series, we’re going to talk about why you should start your own blog, especially if you’re in network marketing or direct sales. The reasons might surprise you. Having a blog isn’t to look fancy, have great pictures of yourself, amazing graphics, or something you do once “you’ve made it.”

If you plan on marketing online – promoting your products, promoting your opportunity, connecting with prospects using social media, or starting an email list – a blog is essential.

Why You Should Start Your Own Blog – Part One

A Blog Is Your Online Real Estate – A Place that You Own

The #1 reason why you should start your own blog is to have a space with your content, that you own, online. I own this blog. No one can take it away or take down the content I post. It’s there forever unless I decide to make changes. I own it.

What does owning your own blog mean?

When I say, “I own my blog,” it means I own the domain name, https://karibaxter.com, and I pay for the website (blog) to be on the internet. If you use a free blogging platform, like Blogger, you don’t own the blog – Blogger does. A domain name costs $10/year and hosting ranges from $2-5/month. Owning your own blog is affordable. Setting it up is simple, too, so don’t worry about that yet. I can teach you the logistics of setting up a blog, or you can hire someone. For now, I want you to understand why you should start your own blog.

You Do Not Own the Content You Post on Social Media

When you post on Facebook, Facebook – not you – owns that post. They can choose who sees it, when they see it, and they can remove it. If you post videos on YouTube and they don’t like them, they will remove them and close your account. Pinterest can go out of business tomorrow and take your pins with them. Nothing is permanent or guaranteed in social media. All the content on social media is owned by the platform, like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google, Etsy, etc.

If you create your own blog post and share it on Facebook, Facebook can remove the shared post from Facebook, but the post still exists on your blog. You can still share it with your audience from a different platform.

You Don’t Own Your Company Provided Website

Guess what else you DON’T own? The website your company makes you pay for every month. It’s not yours. You might be able to add a picture and a bio, but you can’t change the font, the format, the layout, or the content. If your company decides to get rid of the website platform, it would be gone. If you have links in social media posts pointing to the website, they wouldn’t work anymore. When you start your own blog, you own the website, the blog, that space on the internet. You control the font, format, content, pictures, links, offers, opt in box, and anything you decide to create.

Network Marketing Companies Don’t Last Forever

Network marketing and direct sales companies go out of business all the time. Or they have legal issues, setbacks, or controversy in the media. If you own a blog, branded around YOU, you have options. You can keep sharing content, talking to customers, and generating leads. Being able to pivot is key in business. You can switch companies or promote other products. It becomes a little bump in the road instead of an income-crushing blow to your business. Again, it means having control over your business and not leaving it in someone else’s hands. It’s smart business.

You Don’t Own “Free” Blogging Platforms

When you build your own blog, with your domain name and hosting, you own it, unlike “free” blogging platforms, like Blogger, Weebly, or a company provided blog. Just like social media, these platforms can go out of business or decide they don’t like your business. Your hard work can be erased in an instant. If Weebly decides they don’t like network marketing companies, they will go through all their websites and shut down anything that resembles network marketing content. You don’t get to save anything. There isn’t a back up. It’s gone and they don’t care about you. They only care about their company. This has happened to friends of mine and it can be devastating if it’s your entire business.

The biggest reason to start your own blog is to have a solid foundation for your business and your online marketing based on your decisions, not someone else’s. When you own your blog, you operate from a position of control. Your business is protected from huge social media companies, like Facebook and YouTube, and their opinions. You will have a solid online foundation that won’t be subject to your network marketing company going out of business or changing their marketing plan. You don’t rely on outside platforms to host your content.

As if these aren’t enough reasons to start your own blog, there’s more! The next blog post will be part two of this series.

If you received value from this post, please share it! Thank you!

Kari Baxter

P.S. If you’re interested in working with me, message me here.