here blogger, blogger...

yesterday one of my more tech-savvy clients asked me why she should have a blog. the idea that someone that i consider to be pretty comfortable with technology would not know why she needs it made me realize that it's probably a more common question than you'd think.

first of all, let's define a 'blog' so we're all talking about the same thing.

according to Wikipedia, a blog (noun) is a website with regular entries or commentary about a topic area. what you are reading here is a blog which is focused on the topic of small business marketing (although i have been known to stray at times).

essentially a blog is kind of like a web diary, something you can record thoughts, ideas, research or other data that is relevant to you, and possibly others. your blog may never be read by anyone but you, or it may have thousands of followers. really, it depends on the topic, what you post, and how relevant that is to what people are looking to read about.

'so why do i need a blog?'

as a small business owner, most of your business is probably based on personal relationships. whether they come as referrals or through other lead sources, the success of your business is determined by the relationships you create, maintain and, at times, salvage. business associates (and potential associates) who have (or want to have) a relationship with you would like to know you as a person. at very least, they'd like to know a bit about what you're about. a blog helps you establish that.

a blog also helps you establish your identity as an 'expert' in a given area. for example, if you sell sports-oriented products, you may want to have a blog about fantasy football, coaching little league baseball or the WNBA. these are topic areas related to your business that also establish your expertise in the topic area. through it, readers can come to know a little about how you think, why you think it and how you have come to be good at what you do professionally. by understanding this side of you, those ever-so-important business relationships are strengthened through the visitor understanding and believing in you a bit more than before.

'but i already have a newsletter, so why do i need a blog?'

this is the most asked question i receive from clients. to answer it, you need to understand what a newsletter is and why it is different.

a newsletter, whether printed or emailed, is a regular publication released to your customers and prospects about your company and its products. newsletters may contain event information, product updates, new resarch and other relevant data, but generally they are very business- and product-focused. they are about, and focused on, the promotion of your company and products/services. they are, primarily, marketing communication vehicles focused on lead generation and customer relationshiop management (CRM).

and while these are all great things for helping your business grow, the one thing they are not, is personal.

and that's OK. they aren't supposed to be, we don't expect them to be. and we will still read (or at least scan) your newsletter, even though we know it is all about self-promotion. after all, if we are on your newsletter list, we probably asked to be there.

a blog, on the other hand, is not written by a marketing team or approved by a sales director. a blog is your way to communicate in your own personal voice about what is important to you. it can be professional (such as this blog is), but it's still got a ring of humanity in it. that's what visitors are looking for. a human touch.

a blog allows you as a person, not a business, not a 'director' or 'owner' or 'manager', you as a person to connect with your audience. when you do, they know you. when they know you, they are far more likely to want to work with you. when they do, that sale is easier to close, that relationship more likely to blossom into one that can help both of you.