Sitting in the hot tub Sunday morning with my wife we often talk of our three kids and what we can do to help them…and what they’ve done to…shall we say…make us scratch our heads.
The Author at Snoqualmie Falls
We often talk about our business, Total Broadcasting Service. She has only surface knowledge of the business, the customer names, the many appointments I have, etc. She has limited knowledge about the company’s finances; not because I keep that information from her. In fact the opposite. I tell her so much, so often I think she’s stopped listening. She doesn’t know much about how I spend my time during a typical work day, or why. Which is why she asked a question, that really sounded more like a statement, “I don’t know why you spend so much time blogging.”
Ah-ha! I knew she’d been harboring that concern. Every time I ask her to read one of my blogs I sensed a degree of irritation. She almost never reads them on her own. And she only placates me by reading them if I tell her to read one of them. She doesn’t like them. She doesn’t like that I write nasty things, otherwise known as THE TRUTH, about President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress. She doesn’t like that I reveal too much personal and private events in my life. And she could care less about my sports blogs because she hears all of that anyway, when I’m watching a game. But mostly, she wants us to make more money and live more comfortably and securely. She believes I’m wasting time writing blogs all the time.
Am I? Am I just a frustrated writer getting my views out to a circle of friends who may or may not care what I think or feel?
The answer is definitely, positively…I hope not. But…I don’t think I am wasting my time.
There is not one Search Engine Optimization, SEO, expert or Social Media expert, or Marketing Expert I have read, or visited with personally who thinks blogging is a waste of time. The exception to this would be the infrequently, inconsistent blogger. More on that in a moment.
As Master SEO Trainer Thomas Petty writes in his article Why Blogging is Vitally Important for Business- Three Reasons You Should Blog Now blogging is vitally important. His three reasons include the engaging of online customers, people will buy into you before they’ll buy from you; its great for link building and every business owner should know the more links to your website or social media business pages that you have out there the more search engines are likely to steer people your direction; and quality content is another thing search engines like. A static website or web page is very uninteresting to search engines. So the more blogs you write the more content you create the high up in the search engine (read Google) rankings you or your business will be.
This blog in the Search Engine Journal is more extensive and talks about building branding, presenting yourself as an expert, and the fact that it’s a proven business model used time and again to form and grow businesses.
SEO experts are near universal in endorsing blogs. I’ve actually never found one who is against blogging, but I assume there may be one. My experience tells me the greatest problem with blogs is they tend to ignore human nature. Most people are not writers, and most people aren’t very good writers. The result of this is that even the most well-intentioned blogger finds it difficult to post 4-5 times per week, which is necessary to grow a consistent following and grow your business. SEO experts also site videos as a very valuable tool in growing your online presence, and subsequently your business. That’s what we do for all types of small business, especially realtors, and auto shops.
But as I explained to my wife I blog because I like writing and those who know more than me tell me its a good thing to do for business. I also like writing (and even I have difficulty writing more than 2-3 blogs per week). Fellow bloggers and I would do better if we could consistently remember to post videos and articles from other sources, thereby reducing time invested in maintaining a good blog.
Here on M Schuett Blah Blah Blah I am intentionally provocative, especially with my blogs on political subjects. Those who would label me an extreme right-winger (and some have) aren’t paying attention. I am nowhere near being an extremist in any way except in persistence, frequency, and volume. That’s where I might tend to be extreme. I am so middle of the road on so many subjects. But I don’t write about the things to which I’m “middle of the road”. Why? By definition such subjects are average or boring. I want to generate interest.
My blogging on sports is just a “love” thing. I’m a sports fan.
Business blogs are also a love. But a different kind of love. I am interested in helping small business owners, like myself, achieve success. Here’s hoping these blogs help someone somewhere.
Since establishing this blog page in November 2011, 8 months, we have nearly 6000 views. That’s not a lot for some. It’s a helluva lot for others. Well… we’re working on it.
Some day I expect this blog to reach many many more people. And when it does I’ll have grown past the hope level of “Why I Blog” and instead get into the “Why don’t You Blog?” category. And I’ll have answered my wife’s concerns. That may take a while.
Thanks for visiting. Comments are welcome.
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