Blogs and Your Business
[by Jay Kinghorn]
About six months ago I began blogging regularly and I can safely say it has become one of my best business planning tools. When establishing an audience online, you are constantly striving to provide that audience with meaningful, thoughtful, useful information. In turn, you’re committing yourself to thinking deeply about your craft and staying ahead of the information curve. This thought process is incredibly valuable as it helps you clearly articulate what your business’ role is in your field and the value you bring to your clients.
Perhaps more important, it helps you constantly see your business from the client’s perspective, which can only help you provide better, more targeted services.
It’s helpful to answer these questions when planning your blog presence and the unique content you’ll bring to your clients.
- What information does my audience need?
- How can I provide that information?
- What is my true expertise and how can I use it to help clients?
If you haven’t already answered these questions about your business, then this is a better time than ever to start.
Some of the practices I employ when writing blogs:
1) Passing on an interesting news article or link: Don’t just recycle it and send it out just as it came in. Instead, reference the article and put it in a context that applies to my readers and what it means to them professionally.
2) Original works: Try to address challenges you know your audience faces. If you are writing about something of interest to you, tie in why it’s important to your readers.
3) Blog often. There are so many blogs out there. Don’t just expect your readers to stay with you just because you’re there. They will stay only if you regularly provide interesting, useful information.
4) Gather data on the success of your blog posts through analytics. This will give you insight into what your readers find interesting and helpful.
Writing your blog thoughtfully and with your clients in mind will reap big rewards. You’ll be able to clearly articulate your business purpose and produce better better work for your clients, because you’ll have a better handle on what your clients need and want.
For a great recent article on blog posts, read this from problogger.
7 Responses to 'Blogs and Your Business'
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Thanks for the encouragement. I just started blogging about a month ago and have yet to build enough of a following to know if it is going to make a difference. How long did it take for you to build to what you consider a respectable following? (ie, how long did it take for you to realize you weren’t just blogging to yourself and your relatives and friends?)
Well said Jay. I also enjoyed reading the made to stick article.
Rosh
Doug,
It took me the at least 6 months before I began to feel like I was writing for an audience instead of an echo chamber. My suggestion for you is to just keep writing on the topics you feel are most important. I suspect your audience will begin to grow organically and you’ll find both your blogging voice and your audience.
I wish you the best of success with your new blog!
Jay
Nice article. I too just began blogging about 2 months ago. It’s always a challenge to come up with new and fresh material for the blog, but it forces you to keep in touch with what’s new and current in your industry and your craft.
And Doug, there’s a good article at Red Lemon Club on ways to drive more traffic to your blog. Definitely a good read. http://bit.ly/8VeFuP
Thanks for the article.
Best.
Ian
Good article, Jay.
But one thing I can’t stress enough is: if you do not have the discipline and the mental bandwidth to blog useful content regularly this may not be the best photo marketing strategy.
Most of the photographers I know who set-up blogs did so when the buzz over blogging was as hot as it is today about other social media tools. Over 75% have not updated their blogs in over a year. Their blogging initiative got abandoned when they got attracted to THIS year’s bright and shiny toy: Twitter.
Wonder where THAT toy will be this time next year…
Carolyn,
Yes, you are correct. Like any aspect of marketing, one has to be persistent and disciplined enough to keep writing. My hope for this post is to offer encouragement to help photographers get through the discouraging period where one is writing to a very small audience. As the audience grows, it becomes mentally easier to work on the blog, at least for me, because I know the work I put into my posts will be read and commented on. The same holds true for Twitter, or postcards or even in-person client visits.
I also agree that any marketing effort needs to fit within your larger strategy. There is no “magic bullet” to help you gain clients. The trick is finding the message that works for you. For me, blogging is a great exercise to help me focus on what value I bring to clients and exactly who my business serves.
Ian, thanks for the link. I look forward to reading it this afternoon.
Jay
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