It’s not a million dollar question, per se, but most small business owners have stumble upon it more than once. And the answer is a rather simple one – yes and no. Confused?! Well, it actually depends on a number of things that you need to analyse, so let us go through the reasons why you should or should not blog, to help you make an informed decision.
Let’s start with no’s. Here are a few reasons why not to start a blog:
1. “I’m no Shakespeare” – but then again, most bloggers aren’t either. However, blogging and writing on a regular basis will actually improve your writing skills. Plus, there are quite a few online tools these days that hat can help steer you away from the big blogging mistakes. And maybe you haven’t considered it yet, because you think it’s too expensive, but what about hiring a copywriter to write the articles for you? It’s probably cheaper than you think and you would get them professionally written, with all the bells and whistles (and keywords!) that Google is so fond of, and that your clients and users appreciate.
2. “Time is already spread thin for me” – even though blogging takes up quite a bit of time, the same can be said about social media management, website updating and digital marketing in general, however most of us still go about them, right? Blogging will take up some of your time, but it does not necessarily take you away from your business, as that time is actually being invested in it. On the other hand, once your article is written you can use it not just on your blog, but also share it on your social media, to drive traffic and potential clients to your website, and send it out on a newsletter; so as far as time is concerned, you’re actually being quite savvy about it. And it may just happen that by doing this you actually find ways to improve your business that you hadn’t considered before, as now you are “taking the time” to think about it and fine-tuning your observation skills!
3. “No way I will have that much inspiration on a regular basis” – ideas for blog articles are indeed an important part of blogging, but they’re easier to come around that what you might think. Just look around – your customers will prove to be a great source of inspiration. Why not answer their questions, especially those that are frequently asked? Do it in an in-depth way, so that the article is not only interesting but also useful. Or interview an expert that relates directly to what you sell or do. If that expert is the real deal, maybe you don’t even need to interview him/her, as that content might already be available online and you just need to feature it on your blog. And if you’re really stuck, just use a content idea generator. There are quite a few online that you can use for free to help you get the ball rolling for your next blog article (if you’re curious on how this works, just test, for instance, Blogabout by Impact, and we’re sure you’ll find it rather fun!).
4. “Yet another blog?” – the proliferation of blogs across the internet in these last few years has indeed made it increasingly difficult for anyone to stand out in the crowd. But are you starting a blog because you want to be a famous blogger and join that influencers’ community everyone seems to want to get into now? No, you’ll be doing it as a way to help grow your business, a part of your digital marketing strategy, so it doesn’t really matter if it stands out in the crowd for everyone, so long as it does so for your clients and users – existing and potential ones. And obviously it doesn’t hurt to give Google bots a little help in understanding what your website is all about, so it can be shown in more queries related to the products you sell or services you provide, thus helping boost your Google rankings.
So you see, there are many reasons why not to start a blog! Personally, at Clarity we love writing and blogging, so we’ll come back to this topic soon, with all the reasons why to start a blog. Stay tuned!
For more information, bespoke strategies and efficient digital marketing solutions, just contact the Clarity’s girls through info@yourdigitalclarity.com or visit our website at www.yourdigitalclarity.com.
