Blog or Blog Not. There is no try.

Whenever I start the process of talking to someone about their new website, I always ask them if they want a blog. Some say yes and some say no, but some people waiver. And here is what I would say to the waiverers.

Either 1) you will have a blog and maintain it or 2) you will not have a blog. Don’t give it a half-hearted try and give up.

Everyone has great intentions when they get a blog. They’re going to blog all the time, grow traffic, etc. But they get busy. Busy with life, busy with business. Just busy. So the blog is the first thing to be neglected.

If I go to your website and see your last blog post is 4 years ago, I’m going to start to wonder about your business.

1. If it’s been so long since it’s been updated, are you even still in business?
2. If you’re neglecting your blog, what else are you neglecting?
3. Has it really been four years since you’ve even looked at your website?

I have repeated this mantra for years because it’s true: blogging is one of the fastest, easiest, and cost effective way to bring new traffic to your site quickly. But, it does take a commitment. If you aren’t going to blog, if you’re not going to do it regularly, then it’s just better not to do it at all.

Inconsistent blogging will net you zero results.

Why have a blog?

Besides the obvious that it brings new traffic to your site, speeding up SEO and helping Google understand more about your business? A blog keeps your business fresh and up-to-date. It shares your news, information, challenges, and industry with new potential customers and existing customers. It helps you stay ahead of all your competitors who aren’t blogging. The more you write about a topic, the more it establishes you as an authority, both with your customers and with search engines.

How to maintain a blog and not forget it

The biggest problem that business owners have is that they get busy and the blog is the first thing to fall off the schedule. Customer A or Client B gets priority. However, business owners still manage to find time to open the doors, go to the bank, and other tasks related to running a business? So why the blog? Because it takes time and energy and doesn’t give you immediate results. It takes time. So here are my tips for how to not forget your blog.

1. Put it on your schedule. Don’t make it the kind of thing you’ll update “when you have time.” Make time. Pick a day and time and set up a recurring event reminder to tell you when to do it. Also, the more you do it, the easier it gets.
2. Pair it with an activity that has you at your desk that you were already going to do. Is there a certain day of the week that you do a task that has you in front of the computer? Schedule your blogging at that time too. You’re already there, ready to go. It’s just an extension of that time.
3. Schedule them in advance. Can’t find the time weekly? Pick one day a month an write several blog posts at once and schedule them for later. This is one of my favorites, I routinely schedule my blog posts for future days and times. If I’m going on vacation or if I know I’ll be busy, I’ll churn a bunch out at once and schedule them to go out.
4. Delegate. Have employees? Why not delegate blog writing. Everyone has a different voice that can contribute to making your blog great.
5. Hire help. You don’t have to do this alone! You can hire professional website copywriting or a blog writing service (both of which we offer) to help take these tasks out of your hand. Hiring a professional makes sure your blog posts get done on time and look great.

According to a survey of 1000+ business bloggers, around 84% claim their blog delivers strong or some results. Don’t ignore this valuable resource. And don’t start it and forget it!