Warming up to the idea of blogging took me a good deal of time, and I can explain my reasoning in two short sentences: Every hour spent blogging is an hour I could be working on a paid project. Why would I spend time blogging (for FREE!) when I could be making money editing?
I've spent the majority of my time over the past three years working on paid projects, figuring out quarterly taxes, finding clients, and learning how to organize and run a successful business. The importance of these tasks seemed, until now, to outweigh any benefits a blog could provide.
As the years passed, however, I couldn't help but notice all the articles and books that have been written solely on the benefits of blogging. I began to realize that a successful business isn't all about how many paid projects you take on.
There are so many reasons to blog for business, even though you aren't being paid hourly to do it. Here are some of my reasons for starting my business blog:
1. Businesses I admire have blogs.
So many #GIRLBOSSES I admire have blogs. I recently started following Holly Casto Creative (the designer of my beautiful new website!) and was immediately inspired by her blog. In fact, her post “What Blogging Can Do For Your Business” was the final factor in my decision to start this blog.
2. A blog is a place to share my expertise.
A blog creates a place to connect with readers and share timely and helpful information. I receive many emails from people who are new to the publishing industry and want to know where to begin. My hope is that this blog will be a useful tool for readers.
3. Blogging helps my site rank higher in searches and drives traffic to my site.
Blogging allows for increased use of keywords and the opportunity for my posts to be shared by others, which in turn boosts my business’ search engine ranking and drives traffic. Enough said.
4. A blog allows my company’s personality to shine through.
Blogging lets readers learn about the person behind the brand. It gives me an opportunity to share my story and interact with readers.
5. Blogging gives me a reason to write.
I’ve always loved writing, and I’d like to write a book one day. Blogging gives me a chance to exercise and improve my writing skills while writing about a subject I'm passionate about!
Once I decided to start writing, I mapped out my posting schedule. Blogging takes work, and it’s important to post consistently—something I wasn't sure I could commit to in the beginning. I started by listing post ideas relevant to my business and supplemented those post ideas with Holly Casto Creative’s “50 Free Post Ideas” (get access to free worksheets, checklists, and downloads by subscribing here). Once I had a sizable list (in my case, one that would guarantee at least one post every two weeks for a full year), I started writing! I like to take advantage of my productive writing days by writing a few posts, if possible. That way, I don’t feel pressured to crank out a blog post for the sake of posting.
Are you thinking about starting a blog? Feel free to post questions or your advice in the comments section below!
Photo courtesy of Amber Renée Photography
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nicole is a freelance editor and owner of Ford Editing. She started her publishing career in 2008 as an editorial assistant at an academic press and began freelancing full time in 2012. Although Nicole has experience with many stages of the publication process, she is most passionate about proofreading and copyediting.
Nicole edits for both academic and trade publishers, most notably National Geographic Books, Hachette, Johns Hopkins University Press, and Penn State University Press. Since launching Ford Editing in 2012, she has edited more than one hundred and fifty titles, which include fiction books, trade books, memoirs, and scholarly books on a variety of topics.
