An appropriate topic to re-boot the Present Tense Blog! Welcome back to all, and we will be posting more regularly moving forward. Please feel free to refresh on our previous posts as we get back into the rhythm!
In this day and age everyone has a blog. The dentist’s office, the local not for profit organization, the giant corporation, the influencer - each one needs its own tailored blog to continue to drive traffic, encourage engagement and recruit new clients. It’s not an easy gig, it takes a lot of work and both reaching and maintaining an audience is not for the faint of heart. While at times it might feel like no one’s reading, no one’s listening and all of that time spent is for nothing - think again.
Since inception, the blogging community has continued to grow. Bloggers monetize, businesses leverage readers and organizations count on blogs to share their story. Influencers and micro-influencers are intertwined today with the inner workings of marketing plans and promotional platforms and those with extensive social media reach wield a powerful position in more facets imaginable. People are searching, clients are reading, and audiences are listening. First rule: keep writing!
Five reasons to blog
1. Consistency matters
‘Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach’
- Tony Robbins
Writing a blog is a message to the world. Getting clear on what’s important is key to continue to share a viable and valuable story. It’s those consistent topics, schedule and messaging that keeps readers coming back for more. Some will immediately read that newest post, consume the information and comment away while others save for later, might stumble upon it in a search for something else or share it to social media to blast it out to their own audience. If it’s not there, none of those things can happen - keep writing.
2. Give the audience what it wants
‘Don't follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you’ - Margaret Thatcher
Blogs today are more than the online journal that tells parents that all of those fingers and toes are still attached after that exhilarating extreme sport event. Blogging is more about writing for clients/customers and that content is for the buyer’s persona, not that of the author. Consumers search for what they want, what they think they might want, what someone suggests to them and possibly even what they question. Be there to supply what they need, hold their attention by providing what they want and they might just click on those opt-ins, provide key analytics or subscribe to the linked podcast or YouTube channel. Whether buying consumables, wearables or service related packages - the audience is out there, listening, waiting to devour the story - keep writing.
3. Capture the marketing mindset
‘Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business’
- Steve Forbes
Every nanosecond someone somewhere is searching for something. Each post strengthens the SEO (search engine optimization), creates content that can solve a problem someone has, and garners a new reader or reacquaints a returning one. If it’s not written, it’s not there; if it’s not there, it can’t be found, consumed or shared. Blogs entice, engage and inform readers. Great blogs solidify relationships, grow businesses, encourage partnerships, increase email lists and help to explode your reach. Channel that constant promotional mindset and put those words to screen - keep writing.
4. Showcase the expert voice
‘ I never dreamed about success. I worked for it” - Estee Lauder
That blog began for a reason. By reaffirming the purpose behind the original blog and continuing to cultivate the unique voice and position - the story and the writer build a broader audience. By becoming an expert in a space, we position ourselves as the go-to individual, company, or organization that others seek for guidance. Find the niche, explore the potential and invite that expert voice to flourish. Putting the figurative ‘pen to paper’ elevates the growth mindset, grabs the reader’s attention and acknowledges the reason for continued reading - keep writing.
5. Encourage an engaging conversation
‘Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work’
- Stephen King
Bloggers envision and embrace the message they put out into the online world. By creating an attractive space with appealing messaging - readers will return. People are searching for connection and staying in touch with readers/customers/clients continues to encourage, build and broaden that connection. As the world continues to get bigger, people constantly seek methods to join something, subscribe to something, find a community of like-minded people, fuel conversation and foster more of life’s intersections. Show up and share those opinions - keep writing.
Sure, it’s hard work and there are times that it feels like readership has stalled. Don’t give up! There’s help out there, there are people listening and the message is getting through. There are consultants and content creators out there to advise and even to help you write, and inspiration for material in each of your own searches. Keep writing, and growth will happen.