Your business blog is a great business building tool – but like any tool – it has to be used correctly to deliver results for your business. Most business blog failure is rooted in failing to answer the question, “Why” are you blogging for your business.
Here are the top reasons I’ve seen over the years as to why your business blog may not be working for your business. If you can think of any other reasons – be sure to share them in the comments section.
#1: Your business blog isn’t working because you are expecting your blog to generate sales leads.
Expectations are everything – and many business owners have jumped on the blogging bandwagon assuming that a business blog will quickly and easily”generate sales leads”.
The harsh reality is – business blogs are HORRIBLE for lead generation. If you don’t believe me – read Jason’s post on “Why business blogs should focus on cheerleaders not lead generation.”
Creating a business blog with the goal of generating leads is a lot like planting an acorn in your backyard with the goal of lowering your air conditioning bill this summer. Maybe at some point down that acorn will grow into a shade tree – but it won’t be providing any significant amount of shade this summer or the next.
If you want to effectively generate sales leads, I strongly recommend that you invest in PPC or direct mail marketing. Set up a squeeze page – create a powerful offer – choose the best way to deliver that offer to your audience and then get to work converting those leads into sales for your business.
#2: Your business blog isn’t working because you aren’t focusing on the right keywords.
Properly set up WordPress blogs are absolutely amazing when it comes to creating search engine friendly content. I’ve had clients who do not possess the technical expertise to set up Outlook Express to download their email who were able to create business blog posts which landed clients/patients for their business.
However, the key to creating such business blog posts is knowing WHY your customers/clients/patients are searching the web. If you don’t know – then there’s no way you can create blog posts which will “pop up” in their search for answers to the problems they’re having.
#3: Your business blog isn’t working because you expect too much from your visitors.
You’re expecting too much from your visitors if you expect them to subscribe to your RSS feed without some guidance. Unless your target audience are web experts, that most of your blog’s visitors just aren’t RSS savvy.
You’re also expecting too much from your business blog visitors if you expect them to buy the first time they visit your blog. Instead you have to have a WAY to “stay in touch” with your blog visitors. A great way to do that is to set up an email marketing newsletter. Even though business blogs are horrible at lead generation, they can be used to effectively begin building a RELATIONSHIP with visitors – a relationship that ensures they consider YOUR business when it comes time to make a purchase.
#4: Your business blog isn’t working because you don’t have the expertise needed to succeed.
Business blogs are GREAT at building credibility and trust when you’re truly an expert in your field. Even if you don’t HAVE any clients – yet – you can still use your business blog to win clients if you can demonstrate your expertise via your business blog.
Ah – but there’s the rub. If you haven’t put in the hard work needed to EARN the expertise needed to succeed in your chosen profession – then your business blog will almost certainly illustrate your ignorance.
Trying to “fake” expertise over a hundred or so blog posts is impossible. It’s why a business blog filled with posts highlighting your expertise is a GREAT way to build authority, credibility and trust with prospective customers/clients/patients.
#5: Your business blog isn’t working because you haven’t posted content to it yet.
I wish I didn’t have to include this as a reason why your business blog isn’t working. I wish I hadn’t had more than a few conversations with business owners where this point needed to be made.
The only thing as “bad” as a business blog with “welcome to WordPress” as the sole entry is the business blog which is not updated on a monthly basis.
Business blogs make it INSANELY easy to publish content to the web so there’s no excuse for not updating your business blog on a monthly basis. I understand that you’re busy – but saying you don’t have time to blog is like saying you don’t have time to answer the phone when customers/clients/patients call.
Those are the top five reasons I’ve seen for business blogs which aren’t working. Did I miss any reasons why your business blog may not be “working” for your business?
Hi Kathy, a question about your great article. do you think that creating a blog about my dog (what he is thinking, but tempered with some dog training advice) would be useful from a business perspective on my dog walking website? I have been told that I should start a blog and I think it might have a cute edge wrapped in a semi serious message that might have people return and then think about me walking their pets (I have a lot of local search seo bringing in local site visitors). Or don’t you think that this tie in would make the blog useful?
Bruce – it sounds like a GREAT way to not only “engage” your readers – but it’s also a great way to stand out from the crowd.
You could even solicit your dog walking clients to “guest post” on your “dog’s” blog from their dog’s point of view as well.
Very cute. I say GO FOR IT!!!
thank you for the encouragement Kathy, I am on the verge of blogging, but also have concerns about getting spammed and spending all day deleting comments and users. Maybe its wishful thinking that I should get that many visitors, but its happened on my wife’s site so she went over to mainly posting on her FB page.
I guess it would be counter productive not to allow visitors posted, so as long as I get them to register it should be manageable. and i guess I should allow them to post their url in the text area as well?
yes – these are the reasons why the blog may not work. i would add one more: your business blog is not working because you do not build relations with your clients. people won’t buy anything till they trust you. write about your goods, and if there is a comment – try to answer it the best way possible. this is what a blog is for – it is the way to stay in touch with people. to better understand your customers you may also use social media like facebook and twitter. put links to your site from those places as well
Great point and AMEN!
First of all i would like to say thanks to the owner of this blog for sharing this informative article. I suggest linkedin.com is the best tool to via social media marketing.
Thank you,
Barbara
Great analogy with the acorn in the backyard. I thinking blogging is a very important part of having an on-site presence, but isn’t a good tool for lead generation. We’ve had success with squeeze pages and more recently we have been focusing on videos for generating leads.