Do you really need to be blogging?

Nine times out of ten, when we get a new website enquiry, the prospective customers says ‘and I want to write a regular blog’. I have to stop myself saying ‘really, do you really’?

My issue with blogging is a bit like my issue with starting a new exercise regime or healthy eating plan…. great ideas, rubbish reality! How many blogs do you see where there hasn’t been a new one for weeks or months? Take ours for example, at the start of lockdown I thought I would have all the time in the world and all the inclination required to write a weekly blog post. Well that lasted all of two weeks and here we are rapidly approaching Christmas with the Scottish Government talking about a digital Christmas and me slowly losing the will to live.

Do you have the time and the content?

It’s not just about finding the time to write a blog post, what are you going to write about? I tend to rant a bit… sure you’ve noticed. The reason for this is actually SEO and website development is a bit of a dry subject and quite frankly I feel like a geek if I start talking about meta statements and page ranks, and who is my target market, it’s certainly not other web developers who don’t need me telling them what latest trickery I’ve discovered to make a green button turn pink.

I try to find subjects that are relevant to most businesses, tips and tricks or tools that all businesses can use. I’m also a bit of a bore on the subject of self-employment and working with your other/better half as I know a lot of you have been forced into over the past few months.

This still doesn’t get away from the fact that blogging is the last thing on my mind from week to week. Do you think you will be the same?

Is your social media a better use of your time?

In your head, when you think about blogging, do you think you want to put out pithy small nuggets of information to your target market that make them want to book with you, or buy from you? Are you using social media in these instances to get an immediate response or feedback from your followers? If you aren’t then you should be.

I’ll be honest I’m not a Twitter fan, so we rarely use it, I’m no fan of Linkedin either, Facebook I have a love hate relationship with but Instagram I enjoy. For twofentons, Instagram is a waste of time, what am I going to take photos of? My untidy desk with a cat sat on it? There are only so many pictures of cats that one business needs, we do use a Facebook business page though, again I struggle with content but considering we work with a wide variety of businesses who have oodles of things to shout about that are way more exciting than SEO and web development, the possibilities are endless.

Personally, I do think there is a space for blogging, many people have made careers out of their blogs, but if you think you want a blog so you can give information to your potential customers, have a long hard think about it before jumping in because it could be that actually what you really want is a good social media following, your phone in your hand snapping pictures throughout the day.

A great example of this is a business I am a partner in, True Highlands. My business partner Catherine is so good with Facebook, they even interviewed her! We have a combined total of over 107k social media followers and the interaction on our Facebook page particularly is huge and it’s all down to pictures, pictures, pictures.

Whatever your decision is, or if you want to chat it through with someone who can be the voice of reason… you know where I am and can contact me here