Putting aside the fact that blogs are an excellent way to draw traffic to your website, blogging should be a tool in every communicator’s or business owner’s toolbox. There are over 152,000,000 blogs on the Internet and nearly 40% of U.S. companies use blogs for marketing purposes. Blogs are both popular and show greater company engagement with their customers, industry and stakeholders.
If you want people to hear your story, telling an empty room just isn’t going to cut it—which is what you’d be doing if you were producing brochures and leaving them in your lobby or blindly sending out resumes. Who is there to pick them up or read them? No one is going to benefit from your perspective unless you put it out there on the “interwebs.” That’s where blogging comes in handy.
Blogs allow you to communicate with people you would never be able to without the Internet and blogger-sphere. Blogging creates a conversation. Publishing your thoughts isn’t the end of the conversation; it’s the beginning. Others can share their thoughts in the comments section, or share your blog on their social media sites if they appreciated the content. It gets others talking about a topic that is important to you and your business/industry. Who wouldn’t want that?
Blogging also helps keep you informed with what’s going on in the world around you—in particular your industry, because you must find something that will draw attention and engage your audience. Consider following other blogs—comment and engage with them and get comfortable with the medium before diving in with your own.
Blogging is a great way to hone your writing skills. It’s easy to become rusty or lose your style if you’re not writing frequently. You’ll notice that certain things will resonate and you may need to adjust your style, tone or the amount of information you share. Set a goal for how often you’d like to blog. As you decide this, something to keep in mind is 78% of companies that blog once a day convert new customers through the medium, and companies that blog twice a day collect even more. This time should be dedicated to a topic that is truly interesting and important to you. Stick to that goal and set aside time to make sure it gets done.
And of course, blogging is fun! There are no limits to what you can write about. This is the best way to let your mind run free and express an opinion or idea that you are passionate about. If you’re using it as a way to attract business, try to write about the things your potential customers would want to read. How can you solve their problems? What will make them find you when they are looking on the Internet?
So, what are you waiting for—get started on your own blogging adventure. Here are some resources to help you:
Setting Up Your Blog? Use This Checklist to Start Off on the Right Foot
3 Ways to Create Highly Valuable Blog Content
10 Ideas for Creating New Blog Content that Your Audience Loves
Free Ebook: An Introduction to Business Blogging
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Jessica Carnprobst is an intern for WordWrite Communications. You can find her on Twitter @jess_carnprobst.
