It’s taking a lot of time and energy, we’re running out of things to say, and what’s the point anyway? We’ve been doing it for months, and nobody is signing up. I’m not even sure anyone is reading it. So, we might as well face it, the blog is dead.
This is an understandable and all-too-common sentiment among those just getting started with blogging. It indeed does seem to take a lot of time, effort, and creativity. It can be challenging to keep coming up with interesting topics and content worth someone’s time to read. And if you don’t happen to have a writer on staff, well, it can just be a pain. Undoubtedly, blogging takes a commitment and some degree of writing ability. So if consumers aren’t flocking to your door as a result of your efforts, why continue? Here are a few things to consider before burying your blog.
- If you are blogging about things you deeply care about and have expertise in, blogging presents an opportunity to clarify/codify your point-of-view, so that even in face-to-face meetings with prospects and clients, you are better prepared to present it in a cogent and intelligent manner.
- If you can get on a consistent schedule with the production of your blog (daily, or at least weekly), you are demonstrating to search engines that something is going on, and increased volume and recency can help with rankings.
- By intentionally and thoughtfully including your most important keywords in your blog posts (understanding that keywords are the “food” search engines feed on), you are more likely to make progress in search engine rankings. Bottom line—blogs help SEO.
- When someone does stumble upon your website/blog, you have an opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competitors and impress them with your insights, if your content is rich and meaningful.
- You don’t have to be a writer yourself, or even have a writer on staff. You can always outsource the writing/composition to a content marketing firm or content creation specialist/copywriter. If you can present your expertise even in the most rough and rudimentary manner, a good content creation specialist should be able to make something you will be proud to call your own.
- Anyone/everyone can create blog content (even if someone else is better equipped to polish it). Set aside a few minutes a day or week, with nothing more than a blank sheet of paper, and just make yourself write, even if you think you have nothing important to say. Often you can fill a page with rough ideas from which great blogs can be generated.
- Think about topics that get you up on your soapbox when sitting at a dinner table, conference room table, or bar counter with family, friends, or business associates and capture those things as titles or concepts for your next blog.
Keeping a blog going can be a challenge. Indeed, according to IBM research, 85 percent of corporate blogs (those that HAVE blogs) have five or fewer posts. If you are going to start a blog, stick with it. As @djthewriter states in this slideshare, consistency is key. If you started one and haven’t kept it up, you should reconsider and commit to doing it right next time. If you do, long live the blog.
Let's help each other out—in the comments section below, let us know what frustrates you most about blogging. Or, what solution you found to overcome your biggest struggle? We're all in this together!
