Do you already have a blog? Or do you want to have a blog and haven't gotten around to it just yet?
If you do not yet have a blog, it is probably because you are wondering if you should even consider blogging? Typical concerns are:
Every business site owner has wondered about these concerns — and justifiably so! Blogging isn't easy or something that you do haphazardly.
The reality is not everyone is up to the challenge. So, just like anything, on or off-line, if you are not going to do it right, it may be best not to do it at all. Or, at the very least, delay until you can put a plan of action together.
Should I Bother Starting a Blog?
Most agree that Blogs can be great marketing, branding, and conversion tool for any business website. However, just like most important decisions business owners need to make when it comes to their online program before you just slap up a blog you want to have a realistic approach and plan.
Fail to plan; plan to fail.
Blogging IS Business!
I've been “doing online” now for over 26 years and what I've witnessed time and time again are business site owners who tend to believe that they can make “online” be what they want it to be. In other words, do what they are willing to do, learn only what doesn't challenge them too much, and ignore the rest.
Then, these very same site owners expect the best results.
When it comes to blogging, more times than not, site owners do what they want. Post when convenient, not offer anything of value, or only create content that is a thinly veiled sales pitch. Unfortunately, what they want to or are willing to do turns out to be insufficient to enhance their brand or engage new and current customers alike.
Seriously, Don't Blog if You Cannot Commit to the Following…
I'm not trying to be a “Debbie-downer” in as much as I'm hoping to give you a realistic view of what is involved. So then, when you do dive into Blogging, you are prepared and ready to create a blog that rocks!
Here are 5 questions to ask yourself (even if you have already started blogging and not experiencing any success) to find out if you should honestly even start in the first place. ol>li {<br /> padding-bottom: 10px;<br /> }<br />
- Can you commit the time and resources to write about interesting and useful articles that your site visitors can benefit from and look forward to reading at least once a month?
- Are you willing to take the time to create well-written, grammatically correct unique content around 1000 words each?
- Do you believe importing other blogs or just posting links to posts on other sites is blogging?
- Will you be able to respond promptly with professionalism and clarity to site visitor comments (good or bad)? (Allowing comments varies by blog.)
- Are you thinking of blogging purely because you think you'll make money off of it without having a business model in the first place?
Blogging requires your commitment to do it right. Creating well-written articles varying from 500 to 1500 words takes time to do properly. More time than most folks think!
Being apathetic or oblivious to what site visitors are looking for while not checking for proper sentence structure and typos and you (and your brand) will not be taken seriously. When folks land on your site and peruse your blog only to find months-old, shallow content or content that exists only to be a sale pitch, and you've probably lost them. You only have that first impression to grab them!
If you do not blog on a frequent and consistent basis, visitors will be uninterested and won't subscribe. They may also wonder if the business is active and being paid attention to.
Your Blog IS Your Brand
Do not minimize or underestimate the power of a blog. While your blog can be a positive addition to your business website, it can have a proportionately negative impact if not approached properly.
If you are going to blog, let's do it right, or it may be best to put that project on the back-burner until which time you can commit the time and resources necessary.
I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true – hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't do it.
~Ray Bradbury
So if I've made you think twice or a little harder about starting your blog — good! Now you can proceed knowing the hard work and commitment that will be required.
Here are some resources to help you make the right decision and get started in the right direction:
At your service,
