Starting a blog isn’t the right choice for every single business.
In fact, you’re probably surprised I’m saying that because I’m a content creator.
The assumptions about starting a blog
Last week I went to a networking event filled with startups and entrepreneurs.
And the reason there was so much demand for my business cards is because many of the people I spoke to see content creation as the new way to reach an audience.
But don’t get me wrong. Blogging can make a huge impact.
In fact, blogs are the 5th most trusted source of online information.
Thinking of working with a blogger? Not sure if it’s the right choice for you?
Here’s why you might not be ready to start a blog.
If none of the reasons are on the list, you’re definitely ready to work with a blogger.
1) You don’t know your audience
Never start a blog because Company “X” gave it a shot.
This is a huge no-no! I can’t stress that enough!
The only reason why you should start a blog is because your typical audience actually reads blogs.
Before you invest time and money into creating a blog, research your typical audience’s content creation habits.
But how can you do that?
If you run any kind of business, chances are you have one or marketing strategies in place.
If you’re all like “yep, that’s me” get out a pen and paper and write down all the different ways you market your business to your customers.
All online and offline promo strategies count by the way!
Then, pay close attention to what actually gets noticeable attention.
For instance, if a high number of people who buy your product say they found you on twitter, and you have a lot of likes, shares, and engagement, then that’s your answer.
2) You don’t have a plan
If you want to get great results out of your blog content, you need a solid content strategy.
If not then your blog will produce disappointing results.
The first time I wrote a blog post I didn’t have a plan.
I just was super psyched, eager, keen, young, and I really, really wanted to build up an audience.
And that was a huge mistake because the results I got then weren’t that great.
In fact, I even used a pen name because I didn’t really know what I was doing at first.
Don’t be like me when I started blogging.
Before you even put words on paper you must know exactly what you want to carry out, and what you want people to do when they read your content.
And keep that plan as specific as possible.
Just knowing that you want a certain amount of subscribers isn’t specific enough.
3) You’re not open to being consistent
If you pay close attention to influential blogs here’s the one thing you’ll notice they’ll have in common:
But why is consistency so important?
Because the success of blogs isn’t about numbers.
It’s about your ability to build a relevant audience over the long-term.
Once people see you as an expert that publishes new content at a specific time and day, they’ll happily share your content on their Facebook accounts, or tell their friends about your latest offer.
This is where consistency comes in handy.
Because consistent, relevant content creates customer loyalty.
And if you’re too busy to write new content every week, or writing isn’t your strength, you can always outsource your content creation tasks.
4) You’re not willing to spend money
To actually reach your customers, you need to be willing to spend a bit of money, to make money and a great ROI.
You can set up a non-custom domain for no money, within seconds.
But if you actually want to reap the benefits of search engine results, you need a custom domain.
And no, there’s no such thing as a free domain.
But the good news is that you don’t have to spend millions of dollars either.
For instance, some of the most popular web hosting services offer domains options for between a penny and $12.00 USD per month.
And if you decide to start a blog, and decide to outsource your content, don’t forget to hire a content writer that knows how to produce authentic, customized content.
Most importantly, choose a domain that perfectly suits the brand and overall values of your company.
The same rule applies to whatever content writer you choose to outsource your content to when things get super hectic.
Over to you…
What do you see as the most important asset of someone that’s ready to start blogging? Feel free to comment in the comment section below.
