It’s not uncommon to see a dormant blog. It’s also not uncommon to hear a business say, “I’m going to start blogging.” But they never do. People have good intentions, but sometimes (most times?) it doesn’t work out. Why is that?
On a recent visit to the website of a very talented creative firm, I checked out their blog hoping to capture some of their mojo. I saw their blog launch announcement in March of last year, followed by two posts in the next two weeks, and then nothing for six months. That’s sad because I know the company has a lot of good stuff to say. Why aren’t they saying it? They obviously weighed the benefits of blogging before going to the effort of creating it.
So why does blogging seem to be so difficult for some businesses?
1) It’s a commitment, not a tactic.
Blogging should not be approached as this short-term thing you do to get more website traffic, or to build search-engine rankings, or because your competitor is doing it. It’s nice that search engines find your blog, but they don’t read you posts, they index them. People read your posts. Your blog is a relationship between you and your readers. Relationships are commitments. When you start a blog, don’t be afraid of a commitment.
2) People don’t have enough confidence in what they have to say.
Some businesses don’t blog because they think they have nothing important or interesting to say. That’s just not true. They have more to say than they think they do. Every business has a deep knowledge in their industry that customers don’t have. They should share the surface of that deep knowledge in an interesting way. Don’t be afraid to share your knowledge, because your customers just don’t know what you know.
3) Waiting for perfection.
“When I get my website set up just right…”
“When I find the right platform….”
”I’ve got some ideas, I just need to flesh them out…”
For gosh sakes, get started already! Here’s my first ever post: Where’s the Experience. Not a work of art, but it enabled the 600 posts that followed it.
4) No schedule – no routine.
Blogs are not just commitments, they’re responsibilities, as in: job responsibilities. Blogging is not something you do when you have time, or when you get everything else finished. When you start your blog, tell yourself I am responsible for writing “x” number of posts per week/month. Then schedule your time accordingly. It is my responsibility on this blog to publish at least three posts per week. If if don’t do that, I’ve failed my responsibility.
Get Started
Starting a business blog is rewarding. Yes there are the standard benefits of blogging such as search engine traffic, customer engagement, and industry authority. But there are benefits you can’t yet imagine, unless you start the journey. Don’t say, “I’m going to start blogging.” Just do it. Today.
Happy Blogging!
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