Why You Should Blog

I think every company in the world should blog. In this article I'll share my ideas about:

1. Why I think you should blog
2. What you should blog about

Why Should You Blog?
These are some reasons why you should blog:

• To show your visitors you are an expert in your field.
• To allow your potential clients to know more about you, and therefore trust you more.
• So more potential clients can find you on Google.
• To help people. When you blog valuable content, potential clients appreciate it and that will put you one step ahead of your competitors.
• To learn. Blogging forces you to do a lot of research and learn new things about your industry.
• To become a better communicator. The more you write, the easier it becomes to express your thoughts. Great communication is a fundamental skill when it comes to marketing and sales.
• To create valuable connections. Potential clients aren't the only ones who will read your blog. I've built priceless partnerships and friendships with people who found me through my blog.

What Should You Blog About?
OK, so I hope that by now you're sold on the idea of blogging. Now, let's talk about what you should blog about. Actually, let's talk about what you shouldn't blog about: your product and your company. At least, make sure that these things aren't the main topics on your blog. Apple and Google can get away with blogging about their products because, let's face it, they're awesome! But, the rest of us, mortals, need to ask ourselves two questions:

1. Who is my target audience?
2. What kind of topics are they interested in?

Let me give you a couple of examples:

• Maria sells power tools. Her customers are contractors. Contractors want to read about things like "How to Get More Projects", "10 Ways to Advertise Your Services for Free", "How to Build a Deck for less than $1,000″ and "How to Create a Proposal that Is Accepted Every Time".
• Peter is a business consultant. His clients are business owners who make between $250,000 and $500,000 per year and they want to take their businesses to $1M. Some of the topics he can write about are: "How to Delegate Effectively", "How to Promote Your Services Using Social Media Marketing" and "How to Hire a Great VP of Sales".