When you are getting your platform started, the hardest thing to establish for yourself and your business is credibility. It’s not enough to tell people you are great, you have to also be able to do it through social proof. Social proof can come from endorsements, testimonials, referrals, social media mentions and also blogging.
I want to spend time on blogging today because it’s the area of social proof where you, the business owner, have the most control over getting your message out there. If you are a business owner and you are not blogging, you are missing one of the best ways to show people your skills, thoughts and talents.
A couple of years ago, I asked business owners a simple question; “have you joined the conversation yet?”. At the time of that post I had seen a stat that suggested that 44% of business owners still didn’t have a website. Business owners neglect of the online tools that they had at their disposal was alarming to me. Especially because they were missing out on a key way to establish social proof for their business.
Blogging can help you establish your platform and make you a better business owner in the following ways:
- Clarity- I have been to several business conferences with emerging business owners. The one issue that most newer business owners have is a lack of clarity. They don’t know what they want their business to be or what it should be in the first couple of years especially. This is understandable. Writing helps you figure that out much faster.
- Content for your business- Want to write a book? Blogging can be a great way to start the writing process in a manner that doesn’t feel overwhelming. Having relevant content available to the public is a great way for people to learn about your business and find you. It’s also a great jump for creating other content like books, videos, podcasts, seminars, etc.
- Show your skills- Do you have unique insight into a certain field? Do you have extensive knowledge in specific area? If so, the best way to share this info is to write it in a blog post. A blog can be like a dynamic business card. When people ask about you, you can talk with about what you do and also direct them to your blog for more information.
I heard the question asked recently, “Can I Blog For Success?”. Indeed you can. If you are looking to quickly build a platform for your business, blogging should be a big part of what you do. So now my question to you is, do you have a blog? If so, are you contributing to it regularly? Sit down and put together a content schedule and get blogging ASAP.