Firstly, let's not get too hung up on the term “Blog”. From our perspective, we consider a Blog to be a catch-all term to cover a wide range of content of a certain type. That is to say that we consider a Blog to be a regular monologue with a noticeable personality that speaks to the visitor directly. It's not uncommon to call a Blog a different name, like ‘News’ for instance, but we would argue that a Blog is essentially a personalised type of content, whereas News is (hopefully) more factual. The type of content is the same but the tone of writing is different.

Let's consider for a moment what the benefits of a blog are, both to you and to your visitor (ie. your potential customer).

To your visitors, a Blog is something that provides them with knowledge and insight whilst at the same time giving a sense of who you are as a business. These are two distinct benefits.

Showing your knowledge and insight proves that you know your stuff. It adds credibility and authority to your website. It doesn’t matter if your topic is low-brow or highly evolved, showing that you know your stuff in a Blog gives an insight into your competency and quality.

Offering a sense of who you are adds character and personality. This can be really important in some sectors. For example, in financial sectors it helps to carry a degree of confidence and gravitas to show that you can be trusted with investments. Alternatively, in health and care services you can demonstrate your empathy and positivity so that visitors feel that they will be treated sensitively. Every sector has an appropriate tone.

To your business, a Blog can be used for an SEO benefit, creating pages that address specific topics that might link more directly to a common search phrase (e.g. how do I do X?). It's also a way of creating content that doesn’t require design or technical support because Blog sections are often designed to follow a template structure. Creating a non-Blog page may require the help of a designer but creating a Blog only needs you to write something worthwhile.

And therein lies the flaw in the plan … ?

I meet so many people who worry about the writing part of blogging. They worry that it's not a natural skill for them, or that they don’t have the time. I’m not going to blow smoke here and tell you that you are a secret wordsmith waiting to be found if you only had the confidence to flourish! No - sometimes we need to be honest about our weaknesses so that we can make the most of our strengths.

One answer to the challenge of writing a Blog is that there is a very healthy network of people who love to write, and will be happy to write for you if you don’t want to, or don’t have the time. They will sit and talk to you, form some topics and write some words. It will be your voice, your expertise and your insight… but written by someone who knows their apostrophes from their footmarks, and why ‘they’re’ is not ‘their’ and is definitely not ‘there’.

Yes of course, it's an added cost to employ a writer.. But it doesn’t have to be beyond your budget. Most copywriters and bloggers are open to conversations about bundling a total amount of words over multiple writings, so you can work out a plan that delivers a lot over several months. And there is some sense and benefit in writing a series of related blogs, so planning ahead is a good thing anyway.

Another option is that if you are happier with talking more than writing then you could try dictating your article first. Many modern smartphones can be used as digital voice recorders and will even write a document for you as you speak. You still need to set a limit and have a point to your monologue but you might find this to be a good way to overcome writer's block.

So whether you choose to write it yourself or reach out for help from a professional, keep in mind that the result is essentially the same. With a Blog in place, and a regular stream of content to engage with, your website will possess a sense of personality which might otherwise be missing. 

You already know you are a great company to work with, so this is just one more way of getting that message out to your potential customers.