3 Reasons to Blog

Recently I was asked, why should I be blogging anyway, it seems to take a lot of time and I’m not getting anybody to visit my blog. Here’s what I would say to that… the goal in having a blog is to build the relationship with your audience and a blog is a fun and easy way to do that. Here are the 3 reasons you may want to start or continue to blog.

#1 Reason: Share Your Valuable Knowledge

Share what you know to help your clients or potential clients learn valuable information. Many experts that I know are sometimes so busy working with clients that they don’t realize how much they could benefit others with their tips and tricks being available.

Writing out short tips or strategies on a regular basis builds your credibility because others can read about your knowledge. Assuming you are providing valuable content, then the reader wants to know or learn more about you. If you are consistent when you share blog posts, others will look forward to reading it and it is a great taste for what you do and guiding potential clients to your work…whether it is a store, program or one-on-one coaching.

#2 Reason: Build a relationship

There are many ways to build a relationship but overall it is key to have a connection to who you are and what you offer. You can do this with your blog by posting on your blog regularly. I post twice a week but you can do more or less, just do your best to keep it consistent so people can depend on it.

The next way to build the relationship is by sharing more personally about yourself when you send out a post. For example, you can share something that inspired you, something you found to be valuable for your business, tips, strategies or something you were amused by. Sharing content and your personality makes it more interesting and allows people to get to know you.

Another way to build the relationship is by inviting your readers or audience to participate by commenting on your blog. You can encourage them to comment by asking them questions, inviting them to share what they liked, or post questions they have. Make sure to monitor the comments and respond or they are not likely to post again.

#3 Reason: Build your audience

I have found my blog to be a great way to branch out and build my audience and increase traffic to my website. If you are just starting out you can start with a blog through WordPress to begin sharing what you are about. Who are you? What do you offer? Begin to post regularly and invite others to read your blog and subscribe.

For those who already have a blog, I encourage you to post consistently and encourage new people to visit your blog. Some ways to do that are to connect your blog to Facebook (you can read how to do that on my blog), tweet your blog through Twitter or other social media sites. Share your blog posts with your current email lists and encourage them to share it with others.

Another great way to build your audience is to have contests or challenges on your blog. This builds a buzz and some excitement to participate with your blog and get new people to visit. I recently challenged my audience to blog weekly and have already had some success stories by them getting more sign ups for their lists. You can start too…read more about it here.

**Another benefit is that search engines love to see activity on your website so if you have a blog with regular postings and comments…you will increase your ability for others to find you on Google.

Most importantly have fun with your blog! When you are having fun, it doesn’t feel like a chore and your writing shows it.

Share your comments. Are you blogging? If so, what works for you?