To start, it’s a great way to grow visibility. For my business, for a client’s business, for social issues. Whenever I work with clients who want to set themselves up to be authorities in what they do, I strongly encourage them to blog (and get on social media- but that’s for another post). It creates community that can bring them the attention they need to succeed. For individuals, community and connection are still at the heart of why we blog. Philip Shirley with Godwin Group gives a list of 10 things that blogging does for you:
- Enhances your search engine optimization so interested people can find you easier.
- Demonstrates your expertise and builds your reputation.
- Provides an outlet for reader’s opinions so you can create a dialog and build a relationship.
- Attracts potential customers by offering information of value regarding decision making about your industry.
- Brings recent industry news to light as a service which positions you to be a helpful resource to viewers.
- Draws positive attention to you by offering a trusted voice.
- Promotes creativity by posing challenging questions people want to address.
- Advances digital marketing campaigns by delivering self-evident proof of the power of the medium.
- Informs others about your industry to create interest in its products or services.
- Challenges you to be an industry leader by forcing you to keep pace with the changes and trends.
For me, that last strikes a chord. Blogging pushes me to keep up with my industry, to join a community of fellow writers and professionals and passionate amateurs, to keep going when I’m tired and just want to check out. Mandy Wallace has an excellent post on 11 benefits of blogging for fiction writers that I found inspiring that I would like to add one more point to.
In this age of trolling, the feedback from a blog can be instant, personal, even harsh, but more often than not it is uplifting and insightful and causes me to reflect and grow. And that growth, makes me a better writer and a better person.
Going and growing. Has nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
