A few weeks ago, I was chatting to someone about their business. They had big plans and great ideas, but a line that they said had me confused. And that was a line about blogging. And when they were going to start blogging.
See, part of their marketing plan was to use their blog. I liked that. It ticked my content marketing box. The thing that I queried was when they were planning to put the time into blogging. And that was when their business had become a success. Not before. The line ‘I’ll blog when I have a business’ stuck with me. I didn’t really get it. Here’s why.
Let’s look at why we blog
There are plenty of reasons to start a blog. I mean, I could rattle a load off to you now. SEO, brand awareness, social media content, exclusive content, thought leadership, promotion, etc. etc. etc. All of these elements work for established business. I have absolutely no doubt about this – they’re one of the reasons why I put so much time and effort into blogging and why it’s an important part of my marketing strategy. But do you think that all these things could also help new businesses? Yep. I do too.
Another major perk of blogging
Another major bonus of blogging against other forms of marketing is the cost of entry. That would be zero. You can get a blog on a platform like WordPress for £0 if you’re happy to have wordpress in the URL, and we’re talking pounds if you aren’t. So, something that is FREE, that can allow people – customers, partners, collaborators and more- to find out more about you, and it goes to the bottom of the pile? See… I just don’t get that.
I get that blogging can be tricky
I understand that some people struggle with blogging. In fact, I’ve written an article all about it and ways to help overcome some of the common issues. I also understand that some people will never ever ever blog. That’s fine too. It’s not something I would advise or suggest (as in, I think everyone should blog), but that’s fine. Everyone has their own beliefs and quirks. But if you’re looking to integrate blogging into your marketing plan in the future to help promote your business, then please PLEASE consider starting sooner rather than later. As you get busier, your time will be more stretched, especially as your business grows, and blogging might find itself at the bottom of your list. But what if you could put in some of the legwork now, when you have more time, and have this content continuing to generate leads and interest now and in the future? If you’re new to your business and you’re trying to build one, and blogging is part of your plan for the future, then I would really really urge you to consider starting it now. It could help you to reach where you want to be quicker at the same time as helping to support you moving forward.
How I embraced blogging
I’d blogged for clients for a long time, but my own blog got knocked to the bottom of the list for a long time. I know. Pretty shameful given my line of work. I was determined to do a better job, so I decided, in my infinite wisdom(!) that writing a blog every day for 40 days was a good idea. Yep – I doubt my sanity sometimes too. However, it was the ‘baptism of fire’ that I needed and I really haven’t looked back since. I would urge you to try blogging, You don’t need to do one a day, or even one a week, but start. Write something relevant and authentic, promote it, and see where it leads. And keep doing that over and over again. And if you’re stuck, I have some blogs that might help you…
End of the 40 day blogging challenge
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