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What would happen if I stopped…

by | Oct 14, 2020 | blogs, Newsletter, newsletters

blogging every week?

If you get my newsletter, you know that I write a new blog post pretty much every week. And most of the time, it is both informational and actionable. My blog is intended to be simple information that you can use to help your online business. So what would happen if I didn’t blog one week? Surely no one would notice, right?

Well, perhaps. But here’s the thing – last week I was wrapped up in client projects and tech support issues. I’m also teaching my online course, plus I was taking an online course from someone else (yes, I’m always learning!) I didn’t have any blogs that were already prepared and scheduled for a future date. In other words, I didn’t get a blog post done, which meant I didn’t send out a newsletter.

Sure, I had two guest posts get published, both of which had great information and incredible infographics (you can check them out here). So what happened? Did the world stop turning? My colleague Seth Godin says that a brand is not your logo, but a promise. And I failed to deliver on my promise. I apologize.

I had someone tell me that my emails were one of the only ones they looked forward to each week and that they opened and read them because I always provided really valuable information. I seldom tried to sell anything, I just gave away great information. (Yes, twice a year I try to get you to enroll in my online course, but that is only because so many people want to take their business to the next level and I know I can help them).

I had others ask if something happened because they didn’t get my email. Wow! In spite of not creating any new content, I had 859 visitors who cumulatively viewed 1795 pages (about 2 pages per visitor) who stayed on my website for an average of 1 minute and 21 seconds (which is way above the industry average). I think people were looking to see if they missed something.

The answer is – no you didn’t miss anything. I just ran out of time.

The point is, creating newsworthy articles on your website on a consistent basis is not only important, it is critical if you want to engage with your customers. When you do, you’ll know they care.

Blogging is also critical for helping you get found on search engines. I had another person contact me last week asking about a piece of software I had written about and why was I pointing to a site that didn’t exit. It turns out they were looking at an article that was 10 years old! I was still ranking on the search engines for content I had created over a decade ago.

Blogging is one of the most effective ways to share content because you can re-purpose that content on all your social media platforms as well as sending out newsletters. If you create videos or do podcasts, you can embed that information into your blog.

I don’t care what your business is, you should be blogging on a consistent basis, and then using that information on social media, newsletters, and even books (most of the content in my books originated on my blog). Perhaps you don’t want to commit to blogging once a week (after all, you might miss a week like I did). If that is the case, write an article once a month. But do it every single month. It is the best way to let your customers and potential customers know that you are there not just to sell them something, but to help them.

Wondering what to blog about? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Share the success story of one of your customers, especially how it relates to your products or services.
  • Answer a set of the most frequently asked questions you receive in your business.
  • Record a video (or video series) demonstrating how to do something. If you sell a food product, showcase a recipe.
  • Profile an employee in a post.
  • Interview an influential person in your industry (and ask your readers to submit questions ahead of time).
  • Poll your readers on what they want to see more or less of, then use the feedback for future posts. (Good idea – send me your topics!)
  • Invite your readers to submit a guest post on your blog. (You’ve seen me do this; let me know if you’d like to contribute).
  • Do a product review. Or compare 2 products. They don’t even have to be something you sell as long as its relevant to your readers.

You’ve heard the saying that people buy from people they know, like, and trust. Building a relationship with them by providing your knowledge is a great way to build that KLT factor. So here’s the advice to myself, “You Got This!”

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