Ready to Start a Business Blog?

Not sure if your company should be blogging?
Take this quick, 5-Step Blog Readiness Test to find out.

I hear this question all the time from business owners, “Do I need a blog?

ready to blog

My answer is usually, “It depends.” Every company is different, so answering the question about whether you need a business blog requires a quick assessment.

Answer these questions to see if your organization is ready to take on the blogging challenge:

  1. Are you genuinely interested in writing a blog? Do you really want to blog, or would you just be doing it because you’ve heard that you should? If you don’t want to write blog posts yourself, are you willing to allocate resources from you team (or hire someone) who can bring passion to your company’s blog?
  2. Are you committed to blogging consistently? Whether your posts come monthly, weekly or daily, you need a consistent blogging schedule. You can plan ahead and post later, as long as you establish a pattern your readers can depend on. Adding fresh posts on a regular basis will help build a loyal following of readers for your blog.
  3. Do you have something to say? You don’t need earth-shattering insights, but a unique point of view and interesting perspectives are important. Repeating the same old information that can be found anywhere online only adds to the noise in the blogosphere. Use your busines blog to add value instead and differentiate your company from competitors.
  4. Do you have the skills or resources required to optimize your blog? Maximizing the reach and impact of your blog takes some know-how. From blog design to SEO, getting the most from your blogging efforts requires acquiring new skills – either by learning them yourself or getting outside help.
  5. Do you know who your audience is and what they want to read? Blogging isn’t about you, it’s about giving your readers what they want. What kind of information and ideas can you share with your readers to make them happy they took the time to read your blog? If you don’t know who your readers are or what they are interested in, find out before you start blogging.

What’s Your Score?

How many of these questions did you answer with Yes?

1-2: Baby steps. A blog might not be for you – at least not yet. Work on adding a few more “Yeses” to your list first.

3-4: Toddler time. You’re walking now, but you may want a hand now and then.

5: Run and Play. Go for it! You’re ready to blog, so why not start now?

Tell me what you think….Was this little quiz helpful? Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments below.

  1. Thanks for this post! Love number 3 about having something to say. I feel like it took 2 years for me to find a unique voice! I started blogging in 2010 but was kind of lukewarm about it. I posted 27 blogs my first year and I’m at 66 for 2011. I am committed to blogging 3 times a week now and I’ve definitely found a groove… Not sure if this length of time is normal or not? I actually enjoy it and look forward to it now.

    –ct

    1. Hi Christy, thanks for sharing your experience, and congratulations on being persistent! I think it takes most people a while to find their groove. Unfortunately, too many give up too soon. I’m glad you stuck with it.

  2. I think blogging is a great way to create a platform that can bring our potential customers closer to us and creating a more intimate relationship with them which will then incite them to buy a certain product from us instead of some other company. It can also be a great way to build a mailing list. I agree with you on the importance of keeping a schedule when blogging and also about having someone write enthusiastic content. I have a freelance writer on this task alongside other remote employees I have who are taking care of other important or tedious tasks I can’t or don’t have time to do. An important thing to consider when hiring e-staff is to make sure you can check their work at all times to make sure they aren’t frauds or slackers; I, for instance, use this employee monitoring software, and I’m perfectly satisfied with it.
    I wish you and your readers good luck and prosperity,
    Leonard

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