Years before online blogging platforms such as LiveJournal and WordPress became widely used by internet users, a highly confessional and personal style of writing came on the literary scene with “Prozac Nation,” the best-selling memoir written by Elizabeth Wurtzel, who sadly passed away from breast cancer complications in early 2020. “Prozac Nation” was published in 1994, but anyone who picks it up in this new decade will agree that it feels very fresh to read; it flows in a style that suggests an editorial team decided to compile a series of blog posts into a book.
Now that we have said goodbye to another decade in the Information Age, we will undoubtedly hear the tired mantra implying that “blogging is dead.” We have been hearing this for quite a few years, and it is highly inaccurate; to wit, the first online blogging platform, OpenDiary.com, was relaunched in 2018 to the delight of many users who had been publishing there since 1998. If anything, digital marketing experts believe that blogging is still one of the most effective methods of both public relations and promotion.
Anyone who decides to stop blogging in 2020 will be making a mistake. There is no single bottom line to blogging, but we can say the following with certainty: As long as there are keywords and search engine algorithms, blogging will continue to be relevant. Existing and prospective customers still enjoy reading blogs; they are certainly more keen to the idea of learning about products and services from blog posts than from pages that list terms and conditions written in legalese.
When it comes to blogging in general, anything goes; however, proper theming, awareness of target audiences, and overall relevancy will be more crucial than ever in 2020. Blogging about trends will never go out of style, particularly when the timing is right. As this blog post explains, for example, the preferences of American car buyers in 2020 will not change drastically when compared to recent years, but there will be a greater shift towards quality versus affordability. Notice the timing of that blog post; it was published right before Christmas 2019, which is a time when many people start thinking about what the New Year will bring.
Injecting political sentiment, ideology, or opinion into blog posts is always a risky endeavor, especially at a time when Americans seem to be hopelessly divided in this regard. Skilled content authors know how to navigate the treacherous waters of American politics; for example, a law firm can mention the ongoing legal hunt for releasing the elusive tax returns of U.S. President Donald Trump, but the blog post should be highly technical and devoid of opinion on the matter.
Topic clusters, pillar content, and editorial calendars should still be used in 2020 because they have proven to be highly effective. The aforementioned blog post about car buying trends was very likely scheduled on an editorial calendar before it was published, and the timing was more than adequate to achieve maximum effect. In the end, blogging is far from dead in 2020; as long as there are target readers to reach, blogging will continue to be very much alive.
