Blogging is the creation of regular written content for the web, typically posted in reverse chronological order so that the most recent post appears first. Blogs originally emerged as personal "weblogs" in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and most were informally organized around topics of personal interest or expertise. Since then, blogs focused solely on business topics have become an important part of marketing and communications strategy for many companies as they seek to cut through the noise of the web.

Effective blogs drive traffic to a business's website by providing engaging and useful content to their target audience. For example, potential customers searching for information on products or services on the web often discover blogs which are written with relevant search terms in mind, a content marketing technique called search engine optimization or SEO. A target audience may also be reached by social media sharing of a blog by prominent authorities in a given industry, a strategy known as influencer marketing.

Regardless of whether you're writing a blog for personal or business reasons, the tools available to you today are much more sophisticated than those of the early 2000s. Content management platforms like Wordpress make it easy to create an attractive blog and provide a variety of tools to analyze how readers are finding your blog, optimize your copy for search engines, and other services to help you reach your target audience. Of course, since these tools are also available to your competitors, the most important quality of a successful blog remains well-written, creative, and engaging content.

A background in the style and strategy of blogging can be a valuable asset for copywriters and other marketing writers. Because blogs are typically hundreds or even thousands of words long, blogging is a very different task than writing a few lines of ad copy to capture the essence of a brand. At the same time, writing for a company blog requires many of the same fundamental skills of writing clean copy and understanding a brand’s voice. Thus, if you’re a talented copywriter, a background in blogging can expand your job opportunities.

If you have a high-level understanding of the way in which blogging and other content marketing tactics should fit within a broader communications strategy, you can become a digital marketing manager. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, marketing manager jobs are expected to grow by 6% between 2019 and 2029 and pay a median wage of $ $136,850 per year - and “advertising managers who can navigate the digital world should have the best prospects.”

Absolutely. Coursera offers a wide range of opportunities to learn online about a wide variety of digital marketing topics, including blogging. You can learn about blogging from top-ranked Northwestern University, whether through individual courses or a Specialization in content marketing that spans multiple courses. Alternately, you can learn about blogging by completing Guided Projects on Coursera, which offer step-by-step tutorials that you can complete alongside experienced instructors.