Judging by the participation level in the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival, a lot of professional organizers recognize the value of blogging as a marketing tool. If you haven’t yet tried this fun and inexpensive way to promote your business, here are some of the ways a blog can help spark more interest in your organizing services, and ultimately generate more income for you.
A blog exhibits your expertise
Because a blog is easier to update than a static website, you can continually add pictures of your successful organizing projects and even videos to show prospective clients what you can do for them. Explaining the process behind your before and after pictures gives people a deeper understanding of the work you do than a simple list of services can ever do.
A blog can demonstrate how you will solve client problems
It’s often said that people buy solutions, not services. Although you can explain how you solve your clients’ problems on a regular web page, on a blog, it all becomes more tangible, because it’s more personal.
A blog shows you are actively using your skills
Any post you make about the work you are doing with your clients is a good testimonial. It shows that there are people who already trust you to do what you claim you will do. If your clients are willing to contribute to your blog or allow you to quote them, even better!
A blog can help increase website traffic
When you write and promote good, relevant content, people will take notice. When they do, they are more likely to share it on their own blogs and social networks or to email it to others – all good ways to get fresh traffic. Furthermore, when your posts include the keywords your potential clients might use when searching for your services online, you greatly increase the chance that your blog will appear in the search results.
A blog can reduce the need to answer questions over and over
There are questions in every business that people tend to ask again and again. When you answer these questions on your blog, you help your prospects out by giving them the information they want and eliminate the need to type your answer again and again. At the same time, you build trust and add fresh content to your website, stuff that search engines and people alike love.
A blog allows your prospects to get to know you
People want to do business with someone they know, like, and trust. This is particularly true when you provide a service, and especially when you will be entering their personal space. Because a blog is interactive, through the comments people can begin to experience you and get a feel of how your business treats its customers. To learn more about this subject, watch my video about Blogging to Brand Your Business.
Although starting a blog can involve a big learning curve if you’re new to web publishing, it can be very rewarding. If you’d like a hand getting started, contact me to set up a free consultation.
On the other hand, knowing the basics isn’t a bad idea, because it reduces your reliance on others when you need something simple done, and there are resources you might want to check out, like the Blogging Starter Pack.
Do you have a question about blogging? Please feel free to post it in the Comments section or ask a question privately.
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These are all great reasons to blog, Janet. To these, I’d add three more.
First, blogging doesn’t just bring you to the attention of prospects, letting them get to know you. It also grows the number of your colleagues and potential strategic partnerships in related fields. The more people you know, the more people who know you…the more opportunities for professional and personal growth.
Second, writing a blog, especially if you have even a soft deadline, where your clients are expecting to see something from you every week, builds an ebb and flow into your week. For me, for example, I know that on Mondays, my admin day, I’ll be working for a while on my blog. I’ve set aside time during the week so that when I’m not working on it, I’m not berating myself that I should be. A place for everything…even in our schedules.
And third, writing a blog is a wonderful, stress-free way to develop content for a book, teleclass, home study course or other eventual passive income product. It can be overwhelming to think about writing an entire book or class, but when blogging, the logical chapters or elements seem to write themselves, eventually requiring only some editing and creating connective tissue on your part.
Thanks, Janet, for reminding everyone of all the these excellent reasons to to blog and that it’s not just an exercise in ego.
Julie, thank you so much for pointing out that, like networking, blogging isn’t just about selling, but about making valuable connections with other professionals. Of course, the other benefits you’ve mentioned are equally valuable!
.-= Janet Barclay´s last blog ..Do You Really Need a Blog? =-.