The Discipline of Blogging and Why it Matters

Some days you just need a kick in the pants to remind you to keep pressing on with things that are hard to do but matter. Even a slight bit of light hearted shaming can be useful now and again. This morning I read a blog from our friends over at Copyblogger called Eulogy for a Blog. If you are struggling with writing your blog on a regular basis this is a humorous, yet poignant read. It struck me, of course, because I struggle with being disciplined in writing so it hurt a bit.

The author noted a key statistic:

“77% of companies today have blogs, but according to IBM research, 85% of corporate blogs have five posts or less.”

Wow…it is the ultimate statement of good intentions gone awry. Two or three years ago the statistics on companies having a blog was much lower, and the online world and marketers focused our attention on trying to convince the business world that having a blog mattered if your company was going to be found on the internet and seen as an expert in your market space. These days, a majority of companies seem to have “bought in” to the idea that having a blog matters…77% is no slouchy number…but the reality is that many of these same companies started out with a plan to blog, but just couldn’t find a way to be consistent and just gave up.

We work with a lot of different industries, and every time we talk to someone in another industry, they always say one of two things: either they are in the 23% that believe that a blog can’t possibly be important in their industry or, they can’t imagine how they could possibly write more than one or two times about their business or industry. We get it, we do. I mean, how many different ways can you write about bunions if you are a podiatrist? How many people really care to read about auto body repair? Or how many blogs can be written about office phone systems?

Then we ask this: Do you want to be seen as an expert in your industry?

Always the answer is: YES!

Then we ask: So how are you going to achieve that in an affordable way?

We realize that writing a blog is not the only way to grow your influence and be seen as an expert, but for many small to medium sized companies, it is truly the only way they can afford over the long term. It is one key area you have control over and if you are doing it in-house, the cost is only time.

Having said that, the other most common pushback is this: I HATE TO WRITE.

That is a challenge to be sure. That is when you have to evaluate other possibilities. Do you have anyone else in your company who doesn’t mind writing and can help you? Or perhaps you outsource your online strategy and call in professional reinforcements.

If you are in the 77% who have said yes to having a blog, but you have no clear strategy or plan in place to help you be consistent, give us a call.

By the way, we can tell you how many different ways you can creatively write about your topic. You might amazed at how many angles there are on bunions, toenail fungus, office phone systems and secondhand shopping just to name a few! 

To learn more about how blogging fits into a holistic internet marketing strategy, download our free offer below.