Everyone keeps saying, “You must blog for your business!” However is it really for you? Will it really make a difference for your business? Finally someone (that someone is me) is going to tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly about business blogging and you can decide if it’s right for you.

Then the next person who comes along and shouts from the rooftops that you must blog, you can answer them with confidence on what your decision is. There’s enough advice to small business owners and entrepreneurs as it is for all kinds of business tools so let’s break business blogging down.

Ready? Here we go.

What’s so good about Business Blogging?

Oh my! There are so many good aspects of blogging. First, the relationships you build with blogging stems from social media, other businesses in your niche who are there to support you, blog comments, and email subscribers. These areas all help build relationships for your business to grow. Let’s look into these areas further:

Social Media 
When you have a blog, you get to share your posts on social media and there’s some real potential in getting your business out there in the world. Love it or hate it, social media can do a blog a world of good. Do you know how many people are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.? These are potential customers looking to buy from you and the second they see your blog headline or the copy you use on the social media post, it could be the answer to their prayers. They could click on the post, read your blog, and find an answer they’ve been longing for to fix their computer or create a beautiful garden party. The information online is overwhelming, and people are always searching for an answer to their problems.

Other Niche Businesses
You can look at people as competitors or as collaborators. What would you rather have? The best thing to have is an ally. Someone you can count on to share your content and you can share theirs because both audiences would benefit. Your providing valuable content and even if it’s not yours, the readers will be inspired and so grateful you’re looking out for them by curating amazing content.

Many times this is where you can guest post on each other’s blog for extra exposure and get double the value. As a guest poster, your website will be linked in a brief bio about your blog and new readers will click through to your site. The site owner will share the guest post on their social media platforms and via email to their subscribers (more about that soon). It’s a total win-win.

Blog Comments
Some people may not realize this about blog comments but you can get the best feedback. Most people leave comments when it hits a chord with them, it inspires, or if it enrages them. They become passionate and want their voice heard. This is when you know you’re on the right track when a person feels the need to leave a comment about how great the blog content is and it helped them.

Most people who comment are bloggers and they know how powerful it is. This is when you use a plugin like CommentLuv, so if they do have a blog it will list their most recent post and you can visit them to comment on one of their posts. It’s blog etiquette… it’s the nice thing to do.

Another great point on blog comments is that it can help another reader. Perhaps someone adds a new site or tool that’s related to the post, and the other reader has never heard of it. That’s new knowledge to the reader and your blog has become more enriched with content.

Email Subscribers
People say ‘the money is in the list’ but I say the relationship is the list. Email marketing is a relationship builder. Readers will learn more about you via email and this is where you can be candid. Be yourself to build a relationship. Don’t use the emails to sell, sell, sell… there’s more to it than that for businesses. It’s the Know, Like, Trust factor. People will feel more comfortable giving out their money to you if they like you and trust you.

When you have a blog, you can dive deeper into the reason of why you wrote the blog post and email it to your subscribers. People love to go “behind the scenes” and be a part of that. That’s kind of like friendship, right? You have a friend that you can confide in and you have that connection.

[tweet_box inject=”Email marketing is a relationship builder. @tigerlilyva11″]Email marketing is a relationship builder.[/tweet_box]

 

These are parts of “the good” that are not relationship builders but they’re still good:

Monetization 
Another good aspect to blogging is monetization. Monetizing with advertising or selling a product can be good. You don’t have to have your own products and can sell an affiliate product through Amazon or a trusted collaborator. It may not bring in a lot of money but it’s nice to have trickles of cash coming in.

You can offer services and products of your own, which is where your main cash stream can come in. Whether it’s your product or not, you can write a blog post about it and allow the reader to purchase immediately from the blog post. This is good.

Authority
When you have a blog for your business, it allows you to express your expertise on a subject. When a person is searching for flower cakes, for example, and you’re a baker that specializes in flower cakes how will your website come up or will it come up on Google. I’m telling you now, that if a baker who has a simple website with no blog will have a far less a chance of popping up on Google’s search. When a business has a blog, they’re writing about their flower cakes and all the details that are related to flower cakes, which initiates keywords that most readers will be keying in on Google search.

Why does this matter? When people see a site ranking high on Google with certain keywords, it shows authority. It means this person means business on flower cakes and the likelihood is that they will be clicking on that blog to learn more about that business.

Products or Services 
What better way to show off what you’ve got with a blog! Even better is if you have professional photos of your products to display with an explanation of how awesome it is and why you came up with it. People love that! Then you can link directly to your product for purchase.

Services can be done the same way but it’s a bit more work for people to buy. First, they’ll need to contact you for more details and see if they’re comfortable to work with you. The blog can be a great resource to display your talent and provide testimonials of work you’ve done.

For services, it’s a bit different since there isn’t a product image that’s when great graphics come into play. In a study from Buzzsumo, you should include an image after every 75-100 words.

[tweet_box inject=”In a Buzzsumo study, you should include an image after every 75-100 words in a blog post. @tigerlilyva11″]In a Buzzsumo study, you should include an image after every 75-100 words in a blog post.[/tweet_box]

What’s so bad about business blogging?

When I say ‘bad’, I mean, crappy and lame, not awesome and cool ‘bad’ like Michael Jackson. Just in case you were wondering… because there are some bad aspects about blogging, unfortunately. Let’s get to them:

Social Media
You may be asking, “Wait a minute… wasn’t that in the good section?” Yes, it was. Let me explain. If you don’t like social media and you don’t think it does anything for your business, then maybe blogging isn’t good for you because social media is a huge aspect to blogging. They go hand-in-hand; they’re the best of buddies; so if you’re not digging social media then you’re probably not going to like blogging.

Here’s the thing, you don’t have to have thousands of followers on all the social media platforms to make it work for you. Really, you don’t. You can be super good on one social media platform and get a whole bunch of people to subscribe to your email list or have them buy directly from your online store. Many people don’t have patience for social media and if they don’t see the money immediately they quit so essentially if you don’t think social media works for you then don’t bother with blogging.

Blog about what? 
This is a big blow for many business owners. They have no clue what to blog about. They may write about seasonal items or trending items that give value for a short while, however those types of blog posts do not last and quickly dwindle on the Google search list.

It’s hard to come up with solid blog post ideas all the time. Sometimes business owners get stuck and they’re not sure how their product looks in the bigger picture. So if they can’t come up with blog post ideas then they stop writing.

Which leads me to…

Inconsistency 
There are a couple of things to keep consistent on a blog. The timeframe between posts and relatable post ideas. If you do plan to blog, it has to be in a consistent manner however it is a commitment. Don’t say you’ll publish a blog post every day when you know it’s not going to happen with your schedule. Take the time to review your schedule and make the commitment to once a week or twice a month. Don’t push yourself to do multiple posts a week when you’re juggling a busy schedule.

Also keep consistent on relatable post ideas. You may be tempted to write a personal rant or divulge a personal experience however it’s a business blog. Write about your business ideas, experiences, products, and resources. Keep on topic.

You’re not going to get ton of money from the blog 
Never go into blogging thinking you’ll get a ton of money. It’s not going to work out that way especially in the beginning.

Bad Images of Products/Services 
It’s really important to have professional photos of your products. If you want people to buy a product, then give them the best image possible along with great copy. A bad image is an absolute turn off.

Bad Copy 
When you have a lifestyle luxury brand and the copy is more of a DIY how-to style post, the mismatch can create a negative feel for the blog. The copy has to match the brand. Imagine going to the Four Seasons digital magazine to find a Buzzfeed-style article. It would be disappointing and the reader would not come back.

The Ugly on Business Blogging 

Blogging is hard. It take dedication, late nights, and lots of coffee. You should have your branding implemented into your writing. You should have images and graphics that can help carry the article along to keep readers reading.

There will be a sense of comparisonitis or social comparison. Wondering why someone’s blog is better than your own and how they’ve gotten so successful. That’s definitely an ugly thing to have but it happens to most bloggers. It’s easy to get into this rut when bloggers are claiming to earn $20,000 in a month in blogging. Everyone starts somewhere and it takes time for a blog to get noticed. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Try not to compare your blog to others.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly about Business Blogging Recap

When you have a business, there’s lots to think about when you have blog, and you have to consider all areas to be sure it will be a good fit for you. It’s definitely something not to rush into however the benefits are great with business blogging. If you’re able and willing to use social media, start collaborations with other businesses in your niche, understand the importance of blog comments, and build relationships with email subscribers then business blogging will be great for you.

Tell me, what areas of business blogging make you a bit fearful and what areas are easy for you? Let me know in the comments.

Take care,