Many of our clients decide to include a blog on their
website after discussions we have during the planning stages that informs them
of the value of a blog. They learn how a blog can give you a way to interact
with your visitors as an authority on a particular subject, grow your website over time, and increase the relevance of
your website by providing valuable information about your business.
However, I’m finding that many business owners are having a
difficult time actually writing content in their blog. Some of these blogs are
devoid of information and abandoned with outdated articles. I’m searching for
ways to inspire new bloggers to find their true internal voice and overcome whatever
obstacle it is that is holding them back.
When I first began to blog for another company, the older
guys in the sales department mocked the idea. The mere mention of the word
“blog” seemed funny to them, provoking a smile when they uttered the word. Maybe this was because of the perception of a blog that derives from individuals using them as their online diary. Or,
perhaps it is the wannabe journalist who vents his frustrations about the
government, corporations, or anything under the sun that rubs him the wrong way
that causes some people to “miss the boat” on the value of blogging. That blog
I created became less of a joke when it began to produce more online leads than
what they produced out in the town “shaking the bushes” and expensive email
marketing campaigns.
Just Be Yourself and Write
Once a week I meet with a group of business owners in my
city. In this group, one person each week gets to speak about their business
for 10 minutes so other members of the group can learn more about what they do
and help find leads. One week the person scheduled to speak was running late,
so we asked for a volunteer to speak without being prepared to present for 10
minutes. One guy volunteered and said something that every business owner who
blogs should think about. He said, “I’ll present this week. Heck, if I can’t
talk for 10 minutes about my business, then I shouldn’t be in business.”
Find your real voice, and don’t get caught up trying to
invent sales spin or uptight talk. There are a lot of guides to blogging online that give you Top 10 things to do, or generic anecdotes for blog writing. Just interact with your visitors in a way that provokes
questions, further inquiry, or keeps them coming back to read more.
Just be yourself and talk about your business through your
blog in an informal voice for at least 10 minutes each week. Pretend you are talking
with someone in an elevator, another parent at your child’s baseball game, or
any setting that doesn’t sound like a sales pitch.
If you are struggling for stuff to write about, then think
back to why you are in business. Think about the passion you have about your
services and value you provide to your customers. I guarantee you will find quality
content stuck in your mind that will benefit the readers of your blog.