When I first started this blog, I mainly expected that it would help me keep my clients informed about tax law changes and provide them with information to help them grow their business. Feedback from my clients and prospects has confirmed that the blog has done what I initially intended and much more.
Here are 10 other benefits that I have discovered that I did not expect when I started this blog:
- My writing skills have improved. Like any other skill, you must practice in order to improve. Now I don't expect to write the next great American novel anytime soon, but I do feel much more comfortable sitting down to write than I did when I first started. (Of course, I now have hired an editor to review all my writing—I have learned my limitations.)
- I read more and learn more. Since I am always looking for blog ideas, I am forced to read more business articles, books, blogs, etc. This has exposed me to new ideas and reminded me of ideas I had forgotten. Many of these ideas have helped me improve and grow my own business in addition to my clients' businesses.
- It gives you more visibility. As you continue blogging, your blog will show up more often and at a higher rank in search engine results.
- Writing a blog grants you expert status and authority. This really helps with number five below.
- Writing a blog gives you an advantage over your competitors who don't blog. In today’s world, most of your prospects have Googled you before they call you. This is true even if a friend has recommended you. When you have an active blog that offers information your prospect is interested in, you are already one step up on your competitors. At least half of the business owners who contact me for the first time mention that they have already checked out my blog and Googled me. I love to hear that because that usually means that they are already pre-sold on working with me.
- You become a better researcher. When you first get started on an article, you often need to expand on your original idea. As you sift through your notes, you become more adept at weeding out useless material. This helps you learn how to become a better researcher.
- You become more organized. As you read and research more, you will often run across articles and ideas that you will want to use for future blog articles. Sooner or later, you are forced to develop your own personal method of filing these articles away for future use.
- Blog writing gives you material to send out on your social networks. As you consistently post valuable information, more and more people will follow you on these networks. Get in the habit of sharing all of your blog articles this way. There are many programs that will help you do this efficiently.
- A blog helps your current customers remember you. As business owners, we all want to think that all of our customers are constantly thinking about us. Unfortunately, that is just not the case. In today’s world, the average consumer is bombarded with thousands of advertising and marketing contacts every day. Plus, they are busy with their own lives. They only really think of you when they need you, and that assumes that they remember you and that no competitor has convinced them to leave you. Writing a blog and emailing it to your customers on a regular basis helps them remember why they came to you in the first place. Think of it as putting up a fence around your current customers to make it that much harder for your competitors to steal them from you.
- Blogging gives you content that can be used in your marketing. Content marketing is big now (just Google it) because today's customers don't want to be sold to. But they need to be educated in order to reach their goals. Blogging gives you the content that you can use in your printed newsletter, in your marketing material, as a Kindle book, or, if you’re crazy like us, in your digital magazine (yes, another shameless plug for our iPad magazine "Innovative Small Business Magazine").
So…why aren't you writing a blog for your business?