Do I really need a blog? This is a question I hear A LOT from fellow TPT sellers who may just be starting out in their entrepreneurial journey. The answer is simple – yes! That is, if you are serious about taking your business to the next level, then you absolutely do. In this episode of Teacherpreneur Talk, I’ll share reasons you need a blog for your online teaching business. I’ll also discuss how blogging has helped me turn my side hustle into a full-time income and how you can get started with your own website and blog…
3 Reasons You NEED a Blog
Without further ado, let’s dive into 3 reasons you NEED a blog for your business.
1. A Blog Helps You Build a Community
The first reason why having a blog is important is that it helps you build an audience or community of like-minded individuals. Unlike social media platforms, most of the visitors to your website will be your ideal customer avatar. For example, most of my visitors are kindergarten teachers looking for inspiration and ideas. With a consistent writing and blog post strategy, your viewers will know exactly what to find on your website as they know they can trust you as an expert in your field.
2. Increased Traffic, Product Visibility, and Sales
Customers do not search solely on TPT or Etsy. Many will do a Google search to find what they are looking for instead. With a well-written SEO-optimized blog post, your blog post about a product may very well rank on the first page of Google. This provides a new way for your products to be seen. Increased traffic and product visibility will lead to more sales!
3. Monetize Your Blog with Affiliate Income, Ads, and Collaborations
Another benefit of having a blog is that you can begin to monetize it and earn money in several ways. Whereas once TPT was my only stream of online income, blogging has helped me create and bring in multiple streams of revenue each month.
You can apply to be an affiliate for several companies including Amazon. When you insert your affiliate link into a blog post, you receive a commission if the click-through results in a sale for that company. This is a great way to begin earning passive income for years to come.
Once you begin getting more traffic on your blog, you may also earn money through ad placements and collaborations with brands.
Learn more about this in my post 10 Ways to Make Money Online for Teachers.
How to Get Started Blogging
I originally started out in my blogging journey using Blogger. Then my friend and I went to the TPT Flock Meetup in New York in 2019, and one thing they really emphasized was switching to Word Press. While I consider myself to be pretty techy, Word Press was a whole new ballgame for me. I began searching for website designers and that’s how I connected with Alexis from Laugh Eat Learn.
Alexis is amazing at what she does! She designed my original website for me in 2019. Since then, she has helped me with everything from branding, monthly maintenance, and even setting up my own Kindergarten Korner Shop Site. Recently we decided to give my website a makeover, and she went above and beyond my expectations. Definitely check her out if you are serious about starting your own website and blog!
The Benefits of Blogging in My Own Business
Blogging has helped me expand my business more than I ever imagined. What started out as my teacher side-hustle has slowly turned into a full-time income for our family thanks to this little corner of the internet. I have found my people in my own online community. I have created multiple streams of passive income through affiliate marketing and ads. Blogging has also opened up new doors and given me amazing opportunities to work with my dream brands in the education space. My only regret is not starting sooner!
If you’ve been on the fence about whether or not to take the blogging plunge, I hope this post has given you some inspiration to go for it! Let me know what questions you have in the comments below…
Visit the Blog for more Teacherpreneur Talk on how to help build and scale your own teacher business.
Casey Stewart is a kindergarten teacher and founder of Kindergarten Korner. She has 17 years of experience teaching in kindergarten, first, and second grade. She created http://www.kindergartenkorner.com to inspire fellow educators and help guide parents and homeschooling families on their journey throughout the magical kindergarten experience. Casey also has three kids of her own at home. Learn more about her HERE.
