*This is a collaborative post written as part of Innovation Company's study on what bloggers see for the future of blogging*
Everything changes.
Like anything, with time comes newer and better versions of what came before. This can be applied to many things whether it be cars, mobile phones, televisions, you name it, as the years progress there will always be an advancement.
Who remembers the old VHS cassettes? I once owned a huge collection of all my favourite nineties movies on VHS but then out came DVDs. Of course this meant I then had to repurchase my entire collection. Blu-Ray was next although to be fair, I didn't buy into this particular trend as my purse strings would not have thanked me. And now with the digital world as prevalent as ever, a movie can be downloaded with a simple click of a button.
I hate to say this but I already feel as if the blogosphere is changing. Audiences are fast growing up and are outgrowing the blogs they once read. Bloggers are also growing up and are trying new things. Brands themselves appear to be taking note and are after collaborations with micro-bloggers and Instagrammers instead.
Of course for bloggers who have already made a name for themselves, the collaborations will surely keep rolling in for a good while yet. But what about for the rest of us?
What does the future hold?
I do think that blogging has already hit it's peak. It's fast becoming an over saturated market with so many jumping onto the bandwagon. And who can blame people? Blogging is great! But blogging also isn't different anymore. It's become dare I say, the norm. And like with anything, we all eventually get bored of the norm and go out looking for something newer and exciting. Come five years time, will brands really be paying bloggers to advertise or create content when our audiences have already latched onto the latest fad? Or will brands choose to work instead with virtual reality or the newest, latest craze?
This shouldn't deter or be a huge concern for anyone who blogs purely for their own enjoyment. However, for those of us who are trying to forge a career out of this life, or who already rely on it for an income, I think it's hugely important that we stay ahead of the game.
Is blogging a sustainable industry?
If you want a long term career out of anything then your chosen field has to be sustainable. Look at dentistry and medicine, people will always need doctors and dentists so a career in either field is pretty much guaranteed to be long term. But blogging is obviously not like that. It isn't and never will be a safe long term bet. I do think particular bloggers are already aware of this and as such are using their blog success to tap into other avenues. I read daily of bloggers who are dipping their toes into various other niches. Launching and offering different services. From ebooks, online courses, web design, marketing and social media management to freelance writing, illustration, jewellery design and photography... The list goes on.
Louise Pentland of Sprinkle Of Glitter quit vlogging when she decided she needed to do something more 'adult' with her career. She is now an author and has had huge success with her live shows. Zoe Sugg aka Zoella has ventured down so many different avenues that I've actually lost track. Jemma of Dorkface illustrates and has an online Etsy store.
Get innovative or risk being left behind!
If you want to forge for yourself a more dependable, long term career and to be able to support yourself financially, then you need to be prepared to get innovative and add more strings to your bow. Whether you choose to try your hand at freelance writing or maybe even launch a full on business, you'll be opening up more possibilities should blogging ever fall by the wayside. With an uncertain future for the blogosphere, placing your eggs in more than one basket is the only sensible thing to do.
What about you guys? Do you think blogging has a long term future? Are you already using your blog to launch a career in another area?
*This post is all just my opinion. Let's hope I'm proven wrong! :)
I think you raise some valid points! And you are right, we've got no clue how long the blogging hype will last for and when people will move onto the next thing. I think blogging is something no one should start in the vain hopes it'll become their career - it should just be a hobby as there's no guarantee it'll blow up and become a way to make a living.
ReplyDeleteHolly x http://www.thechroniclesofholly.com/ / https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/chronicles-holly-13610625
You definitely have a very good point; blogging is becoming over-saturated. There's a lot more competition now for collaborations and opportunities, although luckily there are more of these opportunities to go around. I would never rely on blogging as a full-time career, I'd have to be doing other projects on the side; be it social media management or something else. It's too risky, in my opinion! x www.aimeeraindropwrites.co.uk x
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