Blog for your business. Or don’t! A few things to consider.

In my weekly emails, I’ve been writing about content. I have always loved planning content. Generating ideas, putting them on the calendar, moving them around as I get new ideas, writing and publishing posts in the moment — it’s always been my nerdy guilty pleasure.

When I first started blogging, it was all personal. I saw my blog as my very own digital playground — a place where I could mess around with code and use any pretty font I came across. Eventually, I developed a style, but I still kept things personal. It was a few years into this whole blogging thing that I focused my blogging attention toward my business instead and slowly phased out the lifestyle posts.

Since then, I’ve seen many people follow the same path. Somewhere down the line, you realize that you can better serve your clients — and, let’s be honest, your bank account — by sharing your true area of expertise. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But how do you know if blogging for your business is right for you?

Why you should blog for your business

To clone yourself

The great thing about blogging for your business is you’re essentially uploading your brain to the Internet — which saves you loads of time in the long run! Do you get the same question over and over from your clients? Blog about it! Then you can simply send a link to the next client who asks. Want to attract a certain type of client? Give a behind-the-scenes tour of your business and answer their questions before they ask them. Show them how you work and what results you produce. Bonus points: your blog can sell yourself for you even when you’re sleeping!

Do you get the same question over and over from your clients? Blog about it!
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To increase your reach

When you share high-quality content that people need and can always refer back to, people will share your posts — essentially doing your marketing for you, for free. People love to share — so give them something worth sharing!

To create passive income

Writing an ebook is a big, intimidating goal. Writing a blog post is not. Think of blogging as writing one small section of your ebook at a time. Over time, you’ll build a library of resources that can be repurposed into a product for passive income. Sure, you’ll probably have to write some more content to get your blog posts ready for an ebook format, but it will be much easier to finish that ebook when you’ve written the bulk of it through your blog posts.

Think of blogging as writing one small section of your ebook at a time.
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To establish yourself as an expert

Anyone can write a bio saying they have so many years of experience in their field. Blogging helps you show people that you actually do know what you’re talking about. When you deliver content that truly helps people with their struggles in your field of expertise, you jump to the top of their mind as a go-to resource for answers. The more you establish yourself as an expert (and back it up with your work and testimonials), the more in-demand you will be, and the more you can charge for your work.

Blogging helps you show people that you actually do know what you’re talking about.
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Why you shouldn’t blog for your business

Who doesn’t want to clone themselves, increase their reach, have passive income, and be an expert, right? Well, blogging isn’t the only way to accomplish these goals, and it may not be the right path for you. Here are some reasons you may not want to blog for your business.

You hate it.

This seems pretty obvious, but I think a lot of people try to blog just because they’ve heard it’s the thing to do. If you hate blogging, it’s going to show in your work. Your time is much better spent finding a marketing method you enjoy and improving in that area. Maybe you’re very visual, and the idea of writing 500 words is your worst nightmare. There’s a huge amount of people dedicated to Instagram that might love your photography. Maybe you love writing but hate everything else to do with blogging. Write for your email list instead! You can find the right people anywhere, not just through blogging.

Hate blogging? Your time is much better spent finding a marketing method you enjoy.
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You don’t want to commit.

I’m not going to lie: blogging is a huge commitment if you want to do it well. You have to be able to set aside time in your regular schedule to make it happen, and the payoff takes time. If you love 1:1 work and your business is based solely on that, your time may be better spent blowing your clients away with your work so they become referral machines for you. You could spend an hour writing a blog post that may or may not reach your next dream client, or you could spend an hour creating an amazing thank you package for your client, improving your process for getting feedback and testimonials, and following up with past clients to see if you can help them in any way.

You need separation between personal and business

Whether or not you get personal in your blog posts, once you put yourself out there on the Internet, you’re opening yourself up to potential scrutiny. Whether you like it or not, you have to be more careful about how you carry yourself across social media when you have an active online presence tied to your personal name. Take Pinterest, for example. How many people do you see with no information in their profiles? Those people can pin freely knowing that it doesn’t reflect on them in any way. As a blogger, you have more responsibility to the blogging community as a whole, and to your own brand. Not only do you have to be extra mindful that your pins go back to a legitimate source, but you also have to make sure they reflect on your brand in a positive way.

My personal experience

I’ve been blogging for four and a half years now, with my business tied to my blog in some way for three of those years, starting with just a link to my business site until I transitioned to all business content here about two years ago. I don’t regret any of it — but I personally love writing.

For me, the transition from personal to business content was natural. When I started my blog, it was more of a creative outlet, but when I left my desk job to pursue my business full-time, my job became the creative outlet I needed. And so it made sense to write about the things I was spending most of my day on in my business.

These days, Instagram is my more personal outlet. I still have to be mindful that my posts reflect my brand in a positive way, but I don’t pay attention to any of the rules or guidelines for growing your following, nor do I put any effort in trying to do so. I simply share things I want to remember. It’s definitely possible to find a personal creative outlet elsewhere should you decide to dedicate your blogging efforts to your business.

Your turn: Have you made the blogging transition from personal to business? If you’re thinking about it, what’s holding you back? Tell me about your experience in the comments!

P.S. My blog to business journey.

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