Written by Andrew Holliday | March 28, 2016
A well conceived and executed blog can be priceless. It can be the perfect place to display your expertise and personality.
Unfortunately, most blogs are neglected wastelands.
The majority of companies launch blogs for the wrong reasons thinking they can use shortcuts.
“I have a great idea!!! We’ll use the same content all of our competitors are using from the same resource. It’s gold! It’s a can’t miss!”
Wrong.
Shortcuts don’t work. You have to put in the hours and develop original content for a blog to flourish.
We’ve built countless blogs for companies over the years. Companies see competitors or vendors with successful blogs and think, “that looks pretty easy” and decide they want their own blog.
We understand the temptation, but we always enter the project a bit pessimistic. To help ensure the client is making a prudent decision we start a blog project asking three questions.
The Three Questions To Ask Yourself Before Starting A Blog
- Who will operate as the editor to produce the content plan, develop the content schedule and manage content contributors?
- Who will be responsible for producing regular content to keep the blog relevant and updated?
- What will make your blog different and unique?
If you have solid answers for all three questions by all means keep rolling forward with a blog.
On the other hand, if you struggle with answers to any of the three questions pull the reins back and seriously consider if you should proceed. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t have a blog.
The last thing you want is a neglected wasteland that you cringe thinking about. It’s a lot better to put that time and effort elsewhere if you’re not a good fit for a blog.
In part two of the series we’ll dive into the most common blog mistakes, how to avoid these mistakes and the biggest question of all, post frequency.
Action Step:
Answer the three questions above to determine if a blog is right for you. Seriously evaluate yourself and your resources to determine if you should proceed. Don’t exaggerate your commitment. Will you really write something every day?
