I had a lengthy conversation today with a mentor who is considering starting a blog. His concerns naturally revolve around whether blogging will pay off in sales and conversions for his firm. It’s always difficult to say what direct and indirect impact a blog may have on someone’s profession or on the amount of business a company gets, because the results of a blog are largely dependent on the amount of time and effort the writer is able to put into it. Additionally, some bloggers don’t do it for the money — sometimes writers just want to establish their personal brand online or promote their book, for example, and they may not have the ability to measure financial conversions directly. But two things are certain: a blog definitely increases an organization or individual’s “findability” and, if used properly, can also establish the writer as an important authority in his or her field.
When I say a blog increases your findability, I mean that running a blog, and updating your content regularly, gives the search engines like Google more information to crawl through, hopefully rich with targeted keywords that are important and frequently searched in your industry. So the more frequently you update, and the more current information you maintain on your site, the better likelihood that your company will rank at the top of relevant search engine results. This is great because it means that when consumers are searching for products, services, or ideas like yours, they are much more likely to be directed to your site.
Blogging can also be a fantastic personal branding tool, and it allows for people in professional careers to establish themselves as authorities in their field, or as thought leaders on their subject of interest. Building a personal brand has many intangible results. By increasing your reach, you will meet many new people, and build relationships with potential clients and future business partners. Some people even get job offers through the exposure from blogging. Since I started blogging three years ago, I’ve met countless authors, columnists, and business owners, I’ve made friends overseas, gained valuable clients and connections from Texas to Canada to France, and even received several complimentary business books courtesy of fellow writers.
So why wouldn’t someone want to start blogging?! Well, any newcomer to the idea of blogging must first understand what it is and how much hard work is involved. It is a huge commitment if one is to achieve the level of success I’ve illustrated above. You must learn about web 2.0 technologies and about how to promote yourself and your blog through social media, you’ve got to polish up your writing and your style, and most importantly you’ve got to write regularly. I recommend that you start writing at least once a week if you want to achieve massive success, and that can be quite a time commitment depending on your subject and the detail of your posts.
Like Monica O’Brien touched on a few months back, there are several questions you should ask yourself before you jump into blogging. Here are several things to think about before making the jump:
- Do you understand what a blog is and what separates it from a traditional website?
- Do you already read or subscribe to a few blogs regularly? Do you leave comments?
- Are you a vocal, opinionated writer? Can you handle negative feedback on your thoughts?
- Are you passionate enough about your subject to follow the news and write something new about it 52 weeks a year?
- Do you have new, innovative, or even controversial ideas about something in your field?
- Can you see yourself as a thought leader in your business? Someone who could write a book or give presentations?
- Are you ready to be transparent and honest about yourself online, and deal with the exposure to spammers and other “bad guys”?
- And perhaps one of the most difficult tasks is to develop a willingness to share and publish material without letting your perfectionist tendencies get in the way.
Before you invest your time and money in blogging, it’s necessary to do some research and make a plan for yourself. You’ve got to consider the amount of time and energy you’ll be committing, and you must understand that you’ll be required to learn some new skills along the way. If you’re willing and eager, I highly recommend the experience.
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