12 Most Likely Excuses Business People Have for Not Blogging
I admit it. I am on a personal crusade to get business people to blog. I mention it to every business owner I come across. I’ve always got a success story in my pocket to share in attempts to get a convert.
Blogging has grown my professional network exponentially and I’ve witnessed it work wonders for other business folks. I can’t understand for life of me why anyone wouldn’t do it.
And yet I run into business people all of the time who think blogging is a bad joke. They either don’t understand it or they do and yet still think it’s a waste of time. I get all kinds of excuses. And, as I refute each argument, it eventually boils down to one.
Here are my favorite excuses, roughly in the order that they’re given, and my answer to them…
1. What the heck is a blog?
The excuse: I have no idea what a blog is. It’s just one of those new buzzwords that tech savvy young people come up with. I think it has something to do with the Internet, but that’s all I know.
My response: A blog is short for web log. It’s a string of articles published on a website and displayed in reverse chronological order. There, now you know what a blog is.
2. Blogging is for the kids
The excuse: Oh, I think my twelve year old daughter has one of those. She “blogs” about Justin Bieber and the secret life of American teenagers or something. What does that have to do with business?
My response: The blog is the medium, not the message. You can blog about anything, just like you can write about anything in a magazine. The blog is an online magazine. It can be about pop-culture… but it can also be professional.
3. I don’t have a blog, so I can’t blog
The excuse: My website didn’t come with a blog. I guess I can’t do it.
My response: Ask the person who designed your website to enable blogging and give you access. Any platform created in the last 10 years should have a blogging capability. If not (and maybe even if it does), start a blog on WordPress.com. It’s free and user-friendly. Once you get a better handle on it, you can upgrade.
4. I have a website. Isn’t that enough?
The excuse: If people want to find me, they can just go to my website. I had my website guy do SEOs on it, so I’m on Google too. What do I need to blog for?
My response: No, it’s not enough. Yes, if you blog in a certain way, it can help you show up in Google searches more frequently. But that isn’t the only reason to blog. The biggest reason to blog is to show your current customers (and people they know) that you know what you’re doing and that you care about your business. Blogging is a way to show your community what you’re made of. Blogging is customer service. Your website is about you. Your blog is about your customers.
5. I’m on Facebook. Isn’t that enough?
The excuse: My website guy put a Facebook picture on our website. I think that means we’re on Facebook. Why do I need to blog. Can’t I just put stuff on Facebook?
My response: Yes, you should definitely use Facebook to build a community with your customers. People are already using Facebook; they have to drop what they’re doing to go to your blog. However, Facebook is better suited for sharing content than it is for creating it. The idea is to write the article on your blog and share it on Facebook.
6. I don’t know how to use my blog
The excuse: Okay, I did what you said and signed up for WordPress. Now, I’m staring at a bunch of gibberish and have no idea what I’m doing. How am I supposed to “blog” if I can’t figure out how to use this thing?
My response: There is no shortage of information on how to use WordPress. Go to YouTube (that is, http://www.youtube.com), and type into the search bar, “how to use WordPress.” Voila. Thousands of video tutorials (some good, some bad) that show you step-by-step how to use the platform to blog.
7. I’m not a writer
The excuse: I’m not very good with words. If I wanted to be a writer, I wouldn’t have become a ______________. How can I blog if I don’t know how to write?
My response: Don’t stress out. You’re not writing for an academic journal. It doesn’t have to be perfect; just readable. It’s better if it’s not elegant or academic. Just write like you talk. Keep it simple.
8. I don’t know what to blog about
The excuse: So what am I supposed to write about? Am I supposed to talk about what I had for lunch? The employee Christmas party? Awards that we’ve won? A new product launch? I don’t know what to say.
My response: None of the above. Don’t write about you. A blog is not an advertisement. Your blog should be about something that interests your customers. What are common questions that you get from your customers about your business or industry? Use those questions as prompts and blog the answers.
9. I don’t have time
The excuse: I would love to do this blogging thing, but I’m kind of busy right now. Maybe when things slow down a bit…
My response: There is no “busy.” “Busy” is an illusion. There’s only “important” and “not important.” You do what’s “important” to you, and you don’t do what’s “not important” to you. What you’re really saying is that blogging is not important enough for you to do. So, let’s go over the benefits…
10. Someone’s already blogging about my business
The excuse: I looked it up. There’s already someone that blogs about what I do. So, I guess I missed the train.
My response: There is no one that blogs about what you do. That’s impossible… because there is no other you. You bring something unique and powerful to the table that your customers will latch onto. If that’s not the case, you’ve got bigger things to worry about than your blog.
11. No one’s going to read my blog anyway
The excuse: No one’s going to read what I write. It’s just going to be sitting out there in cyberspace collecting dust.
My response: There are many ways to get people to read your blog. If you use a FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) as the title of a post, you will likely get some eyeballs from Google. If you share the blog on your Facebook page, your community there will probably read it. If you comment on other blogs and link back to your blog, you’ll probably get some traffic from other bloggers. Advertise on your front door that you have a blog. Some people will look it up. The list goes on and on and on…
12. I just don’t wanna
The excuse: Fine, you got me. I just don’t want to blog. It’s too much work and I really just don’t care enough to do it.
My response: Well, I can’t argue with that now, can I? You don’t have to blog… but that’s not going to stop me from nagging you until you do.
Do you blog for your business? If not, what’s your hold up? If you do, have you find it worthy of the time and effort you put into it? Hit me up with some comments…
Featured image courtesy of guiltyx licensed via Creative Commons.
