Does My Business Need a Blog?

Q: It seems like everyone has a blog and I feel like I’m really missing the boat here! I’ve read up a bit about business blogs, but I’m still not sure if I need one. I don’t want to end up wasting the little spare time that I have.

A: If the only reason you are thinking about starting a blog is because “everyone does it”, you are heading for a big disappointment. Instead, think of what business goals are you trying to achieve. These might include

• educating potential clients about your products and services
• generating traffic to your website
• building your reputation as a subject-matter expert in your niche
• creating an outlet for a two-way conversation with your customers
• showcasing your work
• selling your products and services

Depending on your goals, you might find out other marketing channels that will be more effective and efficient than a blog. After all, there are other, possibly less costly or time consuming ways to reach your goals. This is especially important for small business owners and solopreneurs who are short on both time and money.

Starting a blog is relatively simple and inexpensive, even if you get it designed from scratch. But you have to be prepared for a long-term commitment of your time and creativity.

Once your blog is set up, you’ll need to regularly write content that is relevant to your business, helps you achieve your goals, and that is interesting enough to attract and retain readers. You will also need to optimize your blog and its content and promote it. There is a learning curve for all these tasks.

So before you invest time and possibly money into a blog, make sure that you enjoy writing (write 2-3 posts in MS Word first to see how long it would take you), have enough to say (brainstorm at least a dozen ideas that can be turned into posts), and have enough time (to write, research, and maintain blog).

Technorati Tags: business blog, writing for blog

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