Here’s a common question I get asked a lot and I know many of you are confused because you might think it’s a great idea for every business to have a blog. However, after consulting many businesses over the years, I’ve learned about some instances where it might NOT be a good idea to have a blog. Even though many of you might consider a blog a great way to get the point across to your audience quickly, I feel you can be setting yourself up for disaster if it’s not implemented the right way with quality content. You have to remember, people rely on blogs to find value information on the businesses products and service(s), but this doesn’t mean it’s a task every blog owner can handle.
We’ll be looking over reasons why it won’t make sense to have a blog because it’s doing you more harm than good. Consider the following factors before starting a blog for your business and outweigh the positive versus the negatives. Let’s jump right into it…
No Manpower
First, it’s important to know that blogging does require a lot of time and effort. For those of you who have never blogged, it requires enormous discipline to sit down and write value content for your customers. Many of the larger companies have freelanced this work out to people who specialize in content writing, however, you might NOT have the resources to do this yourself. If you are a business owner with a very slim budget, then you might want to hold off from starting a blog because you lack the manpower. I usually recommend two options to a new business looking to start a blog, however, without a budget, you won’t be able to implement either of these…
First, I recommend hiring someone so you could focus on other important factors that will contribute to the success of your business. Secondly, I recommend you take care of the blogging, however, you’ll need other people in your company to handle day to day tasks, which means you’ll need a team on your side. Without a budget, you’ll be limited on both options so hold off until you can afford to hire some manpower.
Small Radius
Here something that slipped my mind and was brought into my attention by a local client of mine. If you are a business operating in a small radius, then having a blog might NOT be the right strategy for you. Here are a few reasons why:
First, you’re operating in a small radius so your clientele potential, no matter what, will be limited to this radius. This means no matter how much time you invest in writing blog content, you won’t be attracting anymore people other than the small group already in your radius. Secondly, blogging requires time and money so investing in a strategy that will NOT increase ROI is NOT a good plan. In this case, you are limited to a small audience so your ROI will become stagnant over time. Third, a blog is powerful and might drive people out of your servicing zone to your business, which might be an added burden on your business. If you’re operating in a small area and don’t have the resources for outside the box growth, then use your resources and budget to market to only your radius.
Your Customers Don’t Read Blogs
If you’re a business specializing in advanced products, then your customers will be professionals who are more interested in the product and don’t really care for reading a blog. For example, you’ll see this happening with government and educational facilities with specific requirements. I’ve noticed when you’re selling a product that follows a specific need, then sales are based more on demonstrations and less on content. Here’s another example,
If a hospital is buying a new x-ray machine, I doubt they’ll be interested in browsing to your website and reading your blogging updates. They are more concerned with the product they purchased and making sure it does what it’s supposed to.
Audience Doesn’t Use Internet
No matter what type of business you’re starting, it’s research that will provide you with a bigger picture of your success. You have to know your audience, age group, gender, location, and how your product will help them achieve their purpose. As a blogger, you have to decide if your blog will actually make a different with your audience. For example, imagine you’re catering to an audience who doesn’t have access to the Internet or can’t afford to go online, then, obviously, a blog will do you no good. Before you start a blog, it’s important to find out if it will makes sense based on your audience and how much time they spend on the internet. You’ll be surprised to learn that the people you’re targeting don’t go online and won’t be reading your blog. By understanding your blog, you’ll be able to decide if it’s right for you and if NOT, then you can devote your effort somewhere it makes complete sense.