Should you blog? Five reasons to take the plunge for your brand

I’ve been having a few conversations pop up recently about blogging and blog writing.

As we design and develop websites for clients, it’s one of the most common questions a client asks us – Do you think I need a blog?

This question is closely followed by – But will anyone read my blog? Isn’t blogging outdated and should I really bother?

I understand blogging isn’t for everyone, and if you really have to push it, your energy might be better spent in marketing your business in other ways.

But before you turn your back on the blogging bandwagon, let me explain my top 5 reasons why I blog:

1. It’s great for google search (SEO)

We’ve been blogging fortnightly for almost two years. Every blog has thoughtful consideration for our customer, and what our ideal customers might be searching for on Google. For example, a majority of our blog posts are centered around branding. So the words: branding, logo and branding design, are prominent keywords in our messaging. If a customer searches “Townsville Logo Design” we rank on google first. No paid advertising required! It’s all because of the content we’ve created on our blog over many years. Google ranks websites higher when the websites are updated frequently, updating a website with a blog post every fortnight is like being an A+ student in Google’s eyes!

2. It provides a casual voice for me to connect with a potential customer if I can’t connect in person

Have you ever been in the situation where you’re on the edge of selecting a supplier but you’re just not sure if they’re a great fit yet? You want to do more research and find out more about them, to see if you have a connection with them, right? Well, that’s where my blog comes in. Often we’ll make contact with a potential client and they’ll return a few months after reading our blog saying, “I really like what you’re doing”, or “You do things in business like I do, so I thought we would work well together”. I also show our personality through social media; however, I feel like a blog allows an even fuller array of expression. It allows me to connect with customers who are like-minded, which is a win-win situation!

3. It allows me another avenue of expression

I’m all about the multiple avenues of creative expression – for me, it inspires my design work. I have recently been exploring watercolour, pottery and landscape drawing. I also love to travel to photograph architecture or I do craft projects on the weekend. Writing is another creative expression for me, and I love how words provide such thought and reflection – not unlike a piece of art in a gallery that I could stare at for hours.

4. Content is King

When I look back at all the blog posts we’ve written I am really proud. We have a library of valuable content, which we can refer clients to all the time.

If there’s a question about website SEO, we have a great post right here

“What do I do with all those logo files?” – TA-DAH! – there’s a blog post right here

“How can I come up with a business name?” – why not check out this blog post over here! We constantly use our blog as a go-to resource for our clients who need information they can trust. It also provides confidence to our customer when we can provide them valuable information in our voice and using our own experience.

5. I get help, so it doesn’t feel like a chore

You don’t have to go at blogging alone. If you’re holding back from having a blog because you’re not confident at your writing then why not ask for some help with editing? I am being completely honest when I say I don’t take full responsibility for the final blog post. I craft the blog post and the ideas, and then I pass it onto a team who know our brand and can edit the words to sound better and pick up any grammatical errors, create graphics to complement the post and send the post out to our subscribers. It’s a team effort, so you don’t need to blog on your lonesome.

But what about that looming question of – will anyone actually read it?

Well for me this is a mindset thing. I put my content out hoping at least one person will read it. That one person is important to me because I have helped or assisted them through my writing. And that one customer might talk about me to their friends, refer me to new business or contact me for a project. The blog reading numbers don’t matter so much to me as this is content I am giving away that doesn’t cost me much, provides me with lots of rich personal and professional development, and can actually help someone with their business. For me, that’s just good business. And over the years of blog writing, our reader numbers have grown significantly. So don’t be disappointed if your blog is only getting a small readership. People are hearing your voice and are likely talking about you positively and building your brand organically without you knowing it!

So what I am trying to say about blogging is that you don’t have to love writing, you just have to understand the value a blog brings to your website, your brand and your connection with your customer. If you’re afraid you’ll make a grammatical error, get some professional help – or ask a savvy friend who is excellent at writing to take a look at your posts for you, in exchange for a yummy home cooked meal!

There’s no reason to shy away from blog writing because I see the long-term benefits of content growing as a valuable resource for you, and you expanding your expertise and value with your customer. Give it a go – I promise if you stick with it, you’ll see the benefits!

So tell me, what’s the biggest reason you hold back from blogging? Or if you’re an avid blogger, what do you see as the biggest benefit to doing so? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Also, if you are keen to try blogging but would love some encouragement, why not join a blogging group? If you’re around Townsville, you might like to join the Chai & Blogging group run by my friend Alex from Alex Christopher Writes. I can’t recommend it enough!