Does passion pay the bills?
It’s been a long time since you went out with this one friend of yours, so when she asked if you wanted to hit this concert she was going to, you went ahead and said ok. You didn’t really know a whole lot about the group and you didn’t really like their genre of music at all, but hey, what are friends for. While you’re at this concert, one of the songs is performed with particular gusto, and you actually find yourself taken aback a bit and really enjoying it, or at least you feel pleasantly surprised.
As you’re heading out the doors, you pass by the merchandise table. Here’s the question.
Do you buy the CD?
Passion Builds Engagement, But Does It Build Your Business?
I have been thinking about the posts that Mack Collier and Lisa Petrilli wrote this week about passionate blogging. I have been thinking about many, many other posts about blogging with passion too – how you can tell when someone is phoning it in.
If you want to have a successful blog and a great blog community, passion is necessary. If you don’t really care about what you’re writing, it will be readily apparent. Your best effort won’t be spent on something you don’t really care about. Your readers will get bored, and they’ll figure that if you don’t care, they probably don’t need to.
If you are a passionate blogger, you will bring people back again and again, because passion is contagious. When you see someone really revved up, it gets your own jets going, right? It’s like the movie The Soloist. Robert Downey Jr’s character didn’t really care about the cello, but his life was transformed by the passion Jamie Fox’s character had for the cello and for all music. You love seeing someone throwing their heart and soul into something.
When you are passionate, it’s easy to talk to people about your beliefs and your objectives. You could talk to a wall about those things if you wanted to. With a message to bring and a desire to spread that message, engaging is a natural progression.
Does this guarantee that your business will grow?
A growing blog does not equate to a growing business
A lot of people think that if they can get their blog to be “big,” business will naturally follow. This is not a step-by-step progression though. Getting a lot of traffic to your blog means that potentially, your chances for getting more prospects to be aware of you will increase.
You need to connect the dots. If your business is Social Media consultation, writing passionately about how beautiful nature is will not (most likely) bring you more customers. You might get tons of comments and tons of retweets, but those might be from nature lovers or from people who just enjoyed your post. People who need help with their Social Media marketing will not necessarily say, “Ah, this person blogs passionately, and therefore I will entrust them with thousands of dollars.
Can a blogger without passion grow his or her business?
This begs the question: If a blogger is reaching the right group of people and is writing the exact kind of posts that group wants, even if the blogger is sort of dry and to the point, will that blogger’s business grow? Do you need passion in your blog posts to grow your business, or do you just need the right content written in the right way to the right people?
Will the lack of passion reduce the amount of engagement, thus reducing the number of people who come back to the blog on a regular basis?
I don’t have an answer
This is really a rhetorical question. I can’t say definitively that one or the other scenario is 100% true. I’m hoping you will jump in and tell me what side of the fence you’re on. Do you need passion to grow your business? Is it something else? Can a business flourish if a blogger is consistent but kind of dull?
What do you think?
This is post #52 in The Engagement Series. If you’re worried about missing a post, please hit the subscribe button!
Image by Marinka van Holten. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/Mrinkk
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I’m sure how to start my comment here!
Fact is, there are just as many bloggers writing dry, to-the-point posts and others whose writing brims with the enthusiasm of a super charged cappuccino.
And yet, in my review of both blogs, one definitely has an advantage over the other.
My takeaway…audience composition is conditioned to the message (i.e. needs driven).
Seth Godin writes passionately in an authoritative tone, and while his posts have tons of loyal readers, there may only be a very small percentage who will act on his message at the time of publishing because of the reading style of most readers (i.e. novelty, infotainment types).
The person who stumbles upon his work on a subject matter important to the reader will ultimately be a high value convert as a business opportunity for him who may only read into his posts a solution based approach that may not have any passion that can be read into it.
Passion may go into each post he writes but I detect he’s savvy enough to know the real value of that post because of the kind of business he generates.
Now, here’s why I said that may not be a fair question on twitter…most posts written by Seth Godin won’t answer or address any of the needs of the majority of his readers at the moment their read on release … it’s the second reader he’s after (if he’s growing a business based on his expertise) that will see the value of his post.
And for me, that’s why I blog, to offer something important FIRST passionately with the intent of reaching the second reader….and so far, so good.
Hmm, I’m going to have to think about that for awhile, Michael. It sounds like what you’re saying is that you really do need passion, perhaps not as a means to build business but as a means to draw people who might become clients or customers later on. I think that makes sense. However, in regards to your second kind of reader, if they have a pressing question and they find an answer in your blog, does it matter how passionate your answer is? If you do the job, isn’t that good enough? That’s the question turning my brain into a pretzel currently 🙂
If you’re in business, your blog posts either need to inform readers or advise readers.
If the information you’re sharing is need-to-know, you can communicate dispassionately. (Think of software troubleshooting tips, for example.) But if the information is nice-to-know, you’d better inject a little passion.
If you can inform with passion, you’ll keep more of the readers you attract. Some will convert to customers; many more will remember you and the ideas you communicated. Those readers will become advocates. (The college courses you remember were the ones taught by professors who were insanely passionate about their subjects. Those are the courses you can still talk about decades later.)
If you’re communicating opinions, instead of information, you must be passionate. If you’re frigid, no one will care what you advise, no matter how expert your opinions. You’ll fail.
Great way to differentiate the different kinds of posts you can write. It comes right back to what your objectives are. If your objective is to provide easy-to-find information for people in your industry, maybe your posts just need to present that info with no fluff.
Interesting take, as per usual 🙂 Thanks!
Wow Marjorie! I love how you ask the rhetorical question and don’t answer it! (Kind of like what I do on my blog!) And I love the answers arriving so far! I want to believe in passion, but I think how much it translates into profit depends on how you’ll monetize your blog. I write for the love of writing and eventually to set a foundation for launching my books. I’m passionate about my topic (life). But I don’t have an answer either 😮
I’ll be back later to see what everyone else says!
Lori
Thanks, Lori. I like rhetorical questions in blogging, especially if I really don’t know the answer. I would much rather get educated by folks like you than sit here and say, “No no, this is definitely how it is.” My ego can survive not knowing everything.
I think 🙂
Margie,
Without passion, I would probably not do half the things that I do. I would rather someone be passionate and not perfect than someone who is perfect and not passionate.
Passion cannot be taught, better skills can be.
I can’t imagine doing business with someone who does not wake up really passionate about whatever it is they are doing. There is no very easy answer though. Many corporate blogs have no passion only because that gets edited out.
I would love it to be black and white, but we have to live in the gray most times.
Quite true. Do you find that more passionate blog posts seem to educate you more than ones that analyze and may be a bit more dry? I find that sometimes passionate posts stick with me, but the ones chock-full of info and maybe not as much personality get me to come back so I can digest all of that info.
Hi Margie –
Well I am always telling people I disagree with the build it and they will come / follow your passion route – point is that (assuming you need and want some income roundabout now) your passion is fine but needs to be linked with some kind of a market (imagine I blogged about how cute meercats were, well they are, but then I might have to start selling meercat memorabilia and it kinda takes the fun out of it for me).
But on the flip side I also think that if you’re in it you may as well enjoy it – like a friend said to me this week ‘if all I was interested in was the money then I’d get a job’.
So I guess that leaves me on the fence lol! Seriously though, a blog is not a business unless you make it one.
Great post today and no I wouldn’t buy the CD but I might get my hubby to download it for me 😉
Cathy
Aha, the word-around route. Great answer – I was hoping someone would say that 🙂 So what is the blog version of downloading instead of buying? To me, it means coming back to that blog, learning as much as you can, but never becoming a customer of the blogger. You are benefiting and the blogger may benefit from engaging with you, but there’s no money-making going on.
Great contribution indeed 🙂
GREAT stuff Margie!
I think the CD/Concert analogy is spot on, in fact I dedicate 90% of my day to helping musicians figure out what this “secret sauce” is for THEM. No two artists seem to engage their fans the same way outside of sharing their PASSION. What that looks like comes across in some many different flavors but I really enjoyed helping them come up with recipes 🙂
Glad to meet you and be following you!
Namaste!
Thanks, Jessica! I appreciate you stopping by.
That’s very true – passion is one of those words that everyone uses and probably defines differently. What can that mean for bloggers? Maybe your passion is evident in how you write, or maybe it’s just evident in how often you write.
Definite food for thought there!
Ah, this topic relates to what I always tell my students: Passion without Action is dead.
Having said that, Passion alone cannot build a business, although it can build an idea. It takes action for the passion to realize itself 🙂
One without passion CAN grow a business but in most cases, it can only take one that far as compared to one with passion. Passion does wonders and with action, it skyrockets.
I LOVE that!! Passion without action is dead. That is a statement I’m going to have to think about for awhile. Thank you for that!
Great post, thought-provoking question and some wonderful answers here. There’s been a LOT about passion on the blogosphere this week. I think a lot of folks are hitting a wall or getting the case of the doldrums right now. Maybe it’s contagious…
Anyway, I think we’re all believers in passion. If you are a business owner, you’d better be passionate about what you do. When stacked up next to a competitor, the passionate person/business will always win.
I think the subtle question here in the mix is whether passion is enough. And unfortunately, the answer is no. There are plenty of passionate people out there writing amazing stuff and not making a dime off it. You have to have smarts and strategy mixed in with that insane amount of passion. Passion will help your blog be successful, but what are you doing with all of those people who are coming to visit your blog? Are you attracting the right people? And if so, are you giving them the opportunity to buy?
If not, then you’re just a blogger who loves to write and build community. That’s okay, but it’s not going to help you make money.
Good question. Passion will keep people tuned into your blogs. Intersting blogs are so much nicer to read. It also builds trust in you. Mixing it up once in a while with an informative one will show you have something to offer and you are passionate about it. It takes both blogs.
That seems to be the winning answer, Gloria. You do need passion, but not just passion.
Thanks for adding your comment!
And so, Laura Click hits the proverbial nail on the proverbial head. Very well said indeed. A huge, engaged blog community is great, but if you aren’t gearing that passion and engagement toward building your business, you’re just going to be a happy blogger. If you’re okay with that, great. If you’re looking to make money though, you’re going to risk getting discouraged.
Passion might not pay the bills if you can’t write/promote/market/design and all the myriad of other things that go into a blog.
However, passion doesn’t mean you blog in the first place. Perhaps your job is enough for that.
At any rate it would be a fascinating study – “Are you passionate about your job?”
I suspect in a down economy the results would be lower than in an up one with people doing what they can to get by.
Interesting point, Nic. My parents always differentiated between a job and a career. I think an awful lot of people have jobs right now. Not many have enough passion to build a career out of what they are doing (Or so it seems).
Margie, great thoughts and great questions to pose.
For over four years now, I have been preaching to my clients and my business relationships to write passionately. I have been writing in my blog about passionate writing for close to six months. I am a firm believer in passionate writing and telling rich stories. Do I think passionate writing in the context of a blog secures business…maybe yes and maybe no. There is no universal right or wrong answer. But I know this…my business is built around clients and relationships who have the same passion and fire for the advocacy we choose. I write with heart and passion and I encourage those I work with to do the same. I encourage them to dig deep and find the stories in their organization that brings passion to their readers and audiences.
Passionate writing and storytelling does a few things. First, it allows our audience to see the world through our lens. For that moment in time, they can see life through our senses. We want to help our audiences, our communities see our view as if they were sitting in a theater and their peripheral vision disappeared, fully engaged. This is true sensory engagement, allowing the audience to feel our vision.
From a business standpoint, passionate writing via a blog is a credibility piece. When we meet someone for the first time, they go out and “Google” us. They look at our digital resume. Our blog is a part of that digital resume. We want potential business relationships to make the right choice by wanting to work with us. This passionate writing allows those potential clients to see our viewpoints, understand our positions, relate to our business practices. As entrepreneurs, we want to work with people that are equally as passionate. So this allows potential business relationships have a barometer on our business practices. Writing passionately, with focus, allows potential relationships make an informed decision.
I do not think writing passionately is this new digital discovery that is going to break open the spectrum of blogging. Blogging is just another tool that allows readers to connect with our thoughts. Why not use it a way to reveal the true editorial side of our business. It is the place where we can communicate in our own voice…that is how blogging began. Writing about the topics that make us get up in the morning and enjoy life is what fuels our fire. And if people connect with us through our passion, then it is time well worth it…IMHO.
Passionate writing in the blog paradigm is a no-brainer.
Thank is my humble opinion. Thanks for sharing your thoughtful post!
BR
Such a fantastic comment, as we discussed on Twitter.
I think you’re making a fine distinction here. Passionate blogging will not make you money per se, at least not in a quid pro quo kind of way. However, dispassionate blogging can prevent you from making money or building your business.
I’ll have to think about that a bit more.
Thank you!
Margie,
I found your article here through NittyGriddy. You’ve been on Pushing Social and I know I’ve seen you around Copyblogger so it’s nice to finally check you out over here 🙂
Passion in an industry that few others care for will leave you struggling. That leaves you to find ways to incorporate segments of your passion or learn a new trick. We can learn about a new topic or industry and develop passion for it over time.
I agree with your point about a growing blog not equating to a growing business. I have met people with low comment counts and few Twitter followers (for example) that still manage to do quite well.
“People who need help with their Social Media marketing will not necessarily say, “Ah, this person blogs passionately, and therefore I will entrust them with thousands of dollars.” Aw, why not? hehe
Hi Jon,
Well thanks for following me over here to my own online abode! I really appreciate that 🙂
I think passion can look different depending on who you’re talking about. There are people who may not seem all amped up, but they talk about their products, their services, or their company with such love that it’s hard to ignore how passionate they really are. On the other hand, will those people write the kinds of blog posts that get people excited? Maybe not.
I know, it’s a bummer – a passionate blogger may not be the person you entrust with your money. Sad but true:)
True. There’s nothing like seeing someone’s face light up when they’re in the zone talking about something that rocks their socks.
[…] | Bobby Rettew This post is in response to a great post by Margie Clayman’s Post: “Does Passion Pay The Bills?” It was also feature as a response to her thoughtful […]
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[…] regarding putting passion into your blog. Two of the best posts I read were by Mack Collier and Margie Clayman. My interpretation of the take-home message from these and other similar posts is […]