Wednesday, August 10, 2016

When You Don't Need a Blog

Do you think I should have a blog? 
Not unless you'd enjoy writing it. 

Not the sort of advice you'd expect from a blogger, copywriter or content manager?

Do I Need a Blog? 

When a (successful) owner of a jewelry business who has a great website and an active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest asked me I thought she should have a blog, too, I said no.

Why? In my opinion, she doesn't need a blog, because the online "face" of her business was already attractive enough. And, because she's selling (nice, but inexpensive) jewelry - not home improvement services.

Think About it From the Buyer's Perspective

If you're in the market for a fence to corral your dog and/or kids, or considering buying new windows or siding, you're looking at a significant investment and there are a lot of options. A fence has a much longer buying cycle than a necklace.

That's why Invisible Fence has a blog, and Sterling Jewelers doesn't.

When you're looking to pick up a charm bracelet for a sweet 16 birthday gift, or even a nice pair of earrings for an anniversary present, how long are you going to spend considering your options?

You're going to go to a website (or two), look around, and make a purchase. Ergo, if you're selling jewelry for 16-year-olds, you probably should spend your time on something other than a blog (like rocking your social media posts and maximizing your profiles).

You Probably Need a Blog If...

...your buying cycle is fairly long
...you have a lot of direct competitors
...you have a truly unique or new product or service
...you have something to say about your business on a regular basis

Maybe You Shouldn't Call it A Blog, Though

Do your customers really want to read your blog? Maybe they'd be more interested in Insights or Resources from you.

Alternatives to Blogging

To say 'you don't need a blog' flies in the face of a lot of general marketing advice for small and medium-sized businesses. And sometimes your small business will need to publish new content for your prospects and customers - content that doesn't fit in a tweet, or something that needs to last longer than the average Facebook post.

Good news: there are alternatives. Maybe the information belongs on your website's News or About Us page. Maybe it would be appropriate and useful if you created it as a Facebook note. Or a press release, or a brochure. (Which can live online too, you know - it's 2016 after all!) The point is, you don't need a blog just because the marketing content world says you need a blog.

It's your business. Do what works for you (and your customers)! As an article published by Entrepreneur stated so well, you don't want to create content just to have content. You want to create content based on consumer (and prospect) behavior.
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If you value common sense marketing advice, and want help with your website, blog, social media accounts or any other business communications, I'm it. Get in touch, and we'll find out what you need, and the best way to make it work for you. 




11 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow,great post.

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joe said...

Yes i also agree with the author. There is no need of blog to advertise his business. He is already active on social media which is more than enough for his business so be confident on what you are doing. http://www.phdthesis.info/who-we-are/

Guest said...

Blog writing is really a knowledge providing and the best activity for the writers. So the writers of different types of blog writing and on this page people can read this blog. These readers and writers will find this blog really interesting and they will share this blog also.

James K. Marcotte said...

Yeah this is a practical way to no need of blog. Blog writing is generally required for those kind of business who are selling their product or services online. So to have good service you just need a blog for it.

aliyaa said...

Writing a blog can be an awesome thing and we should relate it to our business. This is inspiring way to share your thoughts in your blog and make it open for people's opinion. I love the whole idea of writing.

RobertKY said...

I think everyone needs a blog when you are doing some business or other plans. Sometimes you don't need a blog to advertise your product but still writing about your product is not a bad idea at all. You can check more info here.

Raymond L. Glennon said...

Awesome article.

Raymond L. Glennon said...

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