Blogging is dead. What are you going to do about it?
What? You don’t believe me? Everyone knows blogging is over. You probably shouldn’t even think about using a blog to grow your business. Forget about the SEO benefits of blogging. Ignore building stronger connections with your customers. I mean, seriously, you wouldn’t dare think about starting a blog now, would you? After all, Web luminary Jason Calacanis retired from blogging. And he ought to know, right? Even The Economist said,
“Gone…is any sense that blogging as a technology is revolutionary, subversive or otherwise exalted…”
But, wait. Didn’t The Economist also say,
“Confirmed, however, is the idea that blogging is useful and versatile” (emphasis mine).
Odd, isn’t it? Why, you’d think they actually think that blogging is, I dunno… useful. Versatile.
Weirder still, Tom Peters
“…[blogging is] the best damn marketing tool by an order of magnitude I’ve ever had” (see the end of the video).
Seth Godin chimes in “…and it’s free!” (Same video as above. I’d add, it can be free. In any case, it’s surely very low cost).
Y’know what? Ignore anyone who tells you blogging is dead. Especially your competitors (heh, heh). Sure, blogging has changed. But Richard X. Thripp said it best in response to B.L. Ochman,
“Saying that blogging is dead is like saying that writing or music or publishing is dead.”
Blogging is a tool. A valuable tool. One your business can use to effectively grow your brand, find new customers and improve your business. Tools don’t die. Carpenters still use hammers. Chefs still use knives. And business still use blogs.
Don’t have a blog? Don’t worry. Next we’ll look at easy ways to start a blog for your business using inexpensive or free tools.
Are you getting enough value out of your small business website? Want to make sure your business makes the most of the local, mobile, social web? thinks helps you understand how to grow your business via the web, every day. Get more than just news. Get understanding. Add thinks to your feed reader today.
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[…] Next week we’re going to take a look at the cheapest, easiest way to begin: blogging. Look forward to seeing you […]
Hello, i came following a comment of yours in a bogs post about benefits of blogging, and after reading your post i don’t get it.
What are yourthoughts? Do they benefit a business or not?
Regards…
Hi Gonzalo,
Thanks for reading. Sorry if the irony didn’t translate effectively. Blogging is a useful tool. People who claim that a given tool is dead may say so for any number of reasons (not least among them that it wasn’t an effective tool for their goals). But that doesn’t mean it’s not an effective tool for everyone. As I’d mentioned once before, best practices aren’t always best for you. Every company should decide what social strategy works best for them. Forrester’s POST methodology makes great sense when determining which elements to pursue in a social strategy. Despite this, I believe that for most small businesses, blogging almost always makes sense.
So, why should small businesses blog? Because of its inherent SEO benefit and because of its communications benefit.
First, most small businesses depend on search for traffic due to limited brand recognition. A well-constructed blog helps enormously in driving search traffic for important keywords. Second, business depends upon successful communication. And, I agree with Seth, that if you put in the time to develop a blog and work to get better at it, you’ll become a better communicator. And that will help your business in the long run.
Thanks again for stopping by. And I appreciate your comment. Comments are one thing helping me become a better communicator, too.
Cheers!
Thanks for quoting me! I like being quoted… makes me seem important. Ha ha.
I’ve been thinking of blogs as like t.v. shows while regular websites are like movies at the theater. The latter are one-off events (ignoring sequels), while t.v. shows just go on and on forever… that commitment is what makes blogging special.
Blogs require continuous effort. They’re like narratives. So they’ll only work out if you pick something you really love to write about, not just whatever’s popular or profitable.
Richard,
Since you’re a fan of being quoted, let me call out the key line of your comment above: “…they’ll only work out if you pick something your really love to write about…” As I’ve noted before, you should always . The money will follow. And if it doesn’t, at least you spent your time following your passion.
[…] couple weeks back, we began looking at why you should have a blog for your small business. While we here at thinks have been bullish on blogs for some time, now even Google recommends you […]
Great blog with excellent information Tim.
Blogging is definitely not dead and it is still one of the best ways to get yourself noticed. It does take time and some effort and of course you do need to read the article you are posting a reply to but it is very worth while and something more businesses should do on a regular basis.
Thanks for the comment, David! Glad you enjoyed the post. And I very much agree with your assessment that replying is very worth while.
Thanks for reading and for commenting. All the best.