Bring out your dead... blogs...

I’ve been desperate to use a Monty Python quote in a blog for ages- it’s just my sense of humour and frankly it makes for a rather eye catching title!

The topic of today’s blog is actually, ironically, about blogging and whether the art of the blog is obsolete. It used to be a case of every website having a blog but that’s no longer the standard so is blogging still necessary (she asks whilst writing this) and if so, why?

For me writing comes easily, I’ve always written stories and poems and I enjoy expressing myself through the written word but I know that’s not the case for everyone, they struggle to find content or get words to flow. If that’s the case I’d say that blogging probably isn’t for you. For me it’s a bit of an indulgence, the fun bit of my day to day.

Content can also be a real stumbling block- if you’ve got a product or service that doesn’t change much there might be a limited amount you can say. However, I’m a massive believer in building trust in a brand through authority and blogging is a great way to do this, establish your expertise in your wider field - if you’re selling rubbish bins talk about the wider implications of recycling or the development of new waste management technology; if you’re a window cleaner talk about home development ideas or other cleaning tips and hints. Make your information useful and easily digestible. Blogging isn’t writing a novel it’s getting across information in a format that’s easy to engage with.

The other way blogs can strengthen your brand is through creating the brand itself. Tell your story, give your opinions, use your tone it voice- build what your brand and business stands for so that customers develop an emotional connection to you and start to like you which will increase the chance of them making a purchase.

Then there is the original why blogs became popular- SEO, the theory that stuffing your blog full of keywords and links would drive traffic to your website. It’s not as simple as that but it is true to an extent; I’ve proved it with clients where they’ve seen an increase in traffic related to certain areas right after a corresponding blog has been published, you can use this so people get to know you. Don’t overdo it though, write natural and engaging copy that someone is going to want to read, not just a long list of keywords trying to force traffic onto your site.

You’ll notice that across those 3 reasons to blog I have covered the building blocks of turning leads into customers:

Traffic = Know
Content = Like
Authority = Trust

So is blogging dead? I don’t think so, if done well it serves a purpose. Or you could use it as a self indulgent hobby like me, enjoying sharing my thoughts and having an audience who’ll engage with them!!