Why Your Company Should Blog (And Why It Has Nothing To Do With SEO)
You keep putting off blogging because it feels like too much work, and as a result, prospects lose interest and clients drift away. In this post, you’ll learn how to blog in a way that saves time, builds trust, and makes follow-up effortless so you can keep the clients you have and attract the ones you want. If you don’t blog yet, you’ll learn exactly why now is a good time to start. If you already blog, you’ll see how to make it even more effective. Plus, how to contribute to Orbit Media’s annual blogging survey. Read the full post to start.
Why Blogging Feels Like Too Much Work For Most Business Owners
Blogging as a Growth Tool vs a Chore
Show, Don’t Tell, That You’re an Expert
Let Prospects Self Select Before You Ever Meet
Replace “Just Checking In” With Something More Powerful
Give Clients Instant Answers
Use a Blog to Gain and Retain Clients
Why Blogging Feels Like Too Much Work For Most Business Owners
Blogging takes a good amount of time. Even if you use AI, it’s not instant. For some people it’s not as easy as other forms of content.
Some business owners just don’t like to write. They can’t think of ideas. They’re not sure what the format should be or whether there are templates to follow. The whole thing feels like one more chore, so it slides down the priority list week after week.
You’re already juggling client work, sales calls, and a dozen other marketing tasks. Staring at a blank page feels like a poor use of your limited time.
Maybe you’ve started a blog before but gave up after a few posts. Or you’ve been meaning to start for months but haven’t found the energy. The pressure to “do it right” for SEO just makes it worse. Maybe it’s time, though, to rethink why your company could be blogging.
Blogging as a Growth Tool vs a Chore
It’s better to write for humans than for algorithms. Yes, there are benefits to driving traffic, and experts like Jennifer Barden teach smart ways to do that, but there’s another side to blogging that’s often overlooked.
When you blog with clients in mind, it becomes a relationship tool. It can warm up prospects before you’ve even spoken, make follow-up easy, and give clients resources they can use right away. Blogging can help you close sales, save time, build authority, and even create a book.
Andy Crestodina and his team at Orbit Media have surveyed bloggers for over 11 years. When they report to the benefits of blogging they bring up traffic and visibility, brand building, and lead generation. (Note: if you’d like to contribute to their survey, you can do so here.)
Here’s how blogging can work for your company.
1. Show, Don’t Tell, That You’re an Expert
Writing about your industry gets ideas out of your head and onto paper. Not really on paper. But you know. Collects your thoughts.
It clarifies your own thinking and proves to prospects you know your stuff.
“Blog for the clients you want to gain and the ones you want to retain.”
For existing clients, seeing your ideas in writing reinforces their decision to work with you and keeps you top of mind for future projects.
2. Let Prospects Self-Select Before You Ever Talk
When prospects are deciding whether to work with you, it’s powerful to have a body of work they can read between calls.
They see not only that you have thoughtful things to say about your industry, but whether your point of view aligns with theirs. If it doesn’t, that’s okay because it would’ve been a difficult engagement anyway. If it does, you’ve just helped qualify a great lead before the first proposal.
3. Replace "Just Checking In" with Something More Powerful
One client worth over $15,000 came on board because I stayed in touch without sending another “just checking in” email.
Instead, I remembered issues we discussed in the first call and created blog content around them. I picked up this technique from Marcus Sheridan’s They Ask, You Answer and have used it repeatedly because it works.
For prospects, it keeps the conversation alive in a meaningful way.
4. Give Clients Instant Answers
When your clients ask you questions, you aren’t always able to get to them quickly. Maybe they send something late on a Friday night. Maybe they’re in a very different time zone and you won’t be able to get to them until Monday morning.
It’s really nice to have a blog post you can send them in the meantime. Something that helps them get started and answers a few of their questions until your next meeting. This is an easy way to keep the relationship strong without taking up more of their time or yours.
5. Turn Your Blog Into a Profitable Book
Blogging regularly helps you organize your thoughts. Those posts can then become chapters of a book.
That’s how Simple Social Media came together. I merged Joe Pulizzi’s “blog to book” concept and David Newman’s “micro-chapter” approach turned short posts into a complete manuscript in just over a year.
A book raises your profile, attracts new prospects, and can lead to higher-value engagements.
How Blogging Changes the Way Your Audience Sees You
Picture following up with a prospect by sending them a post you wrote just for their challenge. Picture a client finding an answer on your blog at midnight without waiting for your reply. Picture prospects already feeling connected to your ideas before your first sales call.
That’s what consistent blogging can do.
Use a Blog to Gain and Retain Clients
If you don’t blog yet, now’s the time to start. If you already blog, take a few minutes to fill out Andy Crestodina and Orbit Media’s annual blogging survey. It’s quick, and it helps all of us understand how blogging works for businesses today.
When you’re ready to make your blog work harder for you, the Spotlight Strategy Program will walk you through proven templates, outlines, and best practices to help you gain and retain more clients. Take the StoryBrand Marketing assessment to see if you qualify.
