Here’s something I’ve learned from running this blog now for 9 months…it’s much the same as what I’ve experienced in sales when I was out working in the field. Blogging is the highest paid hard work I can find, and it is the lowest paid easy work.
There is a lot of talk about how easy it is to be successful in internet marketing, blogging, etc. I haven’t seen that. You can certainly kick back and have an easy go of it. No one will ever push you. The world’s busy enough as it is, and if you sit on the sidelines then that’s fine. But if you want to get a significant result, the path to achieving that is going to require some work.
You will certainly get the result you’re seeking if you stick with it, and that is what’s so beautiful about blogging…you put yourself out there on a regular basis; it’s a learning process, and the more you learn, the more you earn. If you do the work, you get the result. I wouldn’t have it any other way…would you?
When it comes to blogging to market your small business or professional practice, it’s all about you. It’s not something that can be delegated…not if you want maximum impact. Clients have many times asked me to “do blogging” or “do social media” for them. I’ll be honest and admit I’ve done this in the past. I’ve been paid to ghost write and perform other tasks, and I did not find it was a win-win. I don’t do it anymore. Blogging is about engaging your audience personally. You can’t really do that if you’re not present. Can we agree on this?
Here is what business blogging is…really:
Business blogging perk #1
Blogging for your business is extremely liberating. You don’t have to stay “in the box”. You can actually have fun with it. In fact, the more personality you can inject into your blog the better. What other form of marketing allows this level of personal input and creativity? As business owners, so many of us have become so uptight, feeling we must act a certain way or be something we’re not in order for clients or customers to buy from us or take us seriously.
Many would-be bloggers feel they must be good writers in order to be successful at blogging. The only people who worry about this are people who haven’t read a lot of popular blogs! Technically proficient writing is not a requirement, trust me 🙂
Blogging allows you to simply have fun, talk about what you do and make money all at the same time. In fact, blogging sort of requires that you have fun. Bored, stuffy bloggers tend to write boring, stuffy blogs…who the heck wants to read that?
Business blogging perk #2
There is no limit to what you can achieve. No ceiling. Isn’t that part of what attracts you to running your own business to begin with? Blog marketing fits hand in glove with that mentality…there is no limit to how many people you can reach, how engaged you can become with your audience and yes, how much you can earn. In fact, blogging typically opens up entirely new income opportunities to small business owners who are open to new ideas. New income opportunities that were never possible before…would you agree that’s a positive thing?
Business blogging perk #3
Writing a blog for your business requires introspection. Yeah, it’s work. But it’s work that pays a high dividend. People (mostly people who DON’T have experience blogging) worry and argue about the return on investment (ROI) of blogging. But what is the cost of running on a business model that doesn’t connect with your audience? How expensive is it to create and develop products or services that your tribe could care less about?
Blogging enables you to be intimately in touch with what your customers want and need. It allows you to test ideas and prove demand before you spend one hour or one dollar on product development. It can also let you know when you’re doing something wrong. By simply listening to your audience, you can be responsive and turn every day complaining customers into raving fans. Even if you don’t sell (why wouldn’t you?) on your blog, the savings can be extremely significant. How cool is it to be able to use such an inexpensive marketing tool and to get such a huge benefit from it?
Business blogging perk #4
Needless to say, blogging is very inexpensive to get started. Compare the rising costs to any traditional media advertising and the FALLING returns you’re experiencing from them (yeah I know; it’s like I have X-ray vision into your business right?), and you’ll not be surprised at all to see why so many small business owners and professionals are starting up blogs and getting otherwise involved in social media for business marketing purposes. Very low investment up front and significant financial returns, new income streams and savings down the road. I’m not a math whiz, but that kind of makes sense, no?
What is a business blog really?
- It’s a platform you can use to record your thoughts and observations about your business.
- You can use it to make offers…
- build a customer list and
- be personally engaged wtih a large number of people with only a small time commitment each day.
Is blogging a full time job? It could be, but it’s up to you. I personally spend only an hour or so on my blog each week. The rest of my time I spend networking, building my business. Is an hour a week a reasonable commitment to you for such a large return?
These are a few of the things I’ve noticed so far, and I’d love to hear what you think.
- What advantages have you seen from blogging?
- Do you have any concerns I haven’t answered yet on this blog?