Why blogging and content marketing are a waste of time.
For most businesses.
Blogging is praised as the way to build your following, build a list, and gain “authority.” I’m not disputing that these things can’t or don’t happen but instead I question the ROTI (return on time invested) is worth it for most businesses.
I don’t believe it is for many businesses.
If you’re in a sexy industry writing about a subject that’s hot, or that thrives on constant updates (think technology blogs like Techcrunch) then yes, it’s worth the effort. But even then, there is so much competition that it’s going to be hard to get the attention of readers.
But what if you’re a dentist? Or a trucking company? Or…the list is endless. There simply are a lot of businesses that don’t have an interesting story to tell.
If you’re thinking of writing a blog the questions that needs to be asked are basically:
- Does anyone really care about what I will write?
- Will this actually attract paying customers? Or will it result in vanity metrics (hits, subscribes, bounces etc)?
- Can I put out decent, interesting and unique content on a regular basis, while still working on the rest of the business?
If you answer no to any of these questions, it’s probably not worth the effort and you should probably find better ways to market.
But…
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a web presence of some sort simply because people your potential customers will Google you. Likely all they’ll want to do is find a little bit about what you actually do, and this is something that applies to even the most traditional and unexciting business.
And for people that argue that this is bad for SEO I have to ask: does it even matter? Most likely the people who are Googling you already know you in some way shape or form and are simply doing a search for your business name. Hopefully when you started your business you did research to make sure that it was somewhat unique right?
Online marketing for a site without a blog
Yes, I recommend that you start doing online promotion without a blog.
“But Andrew, how will I get people to sign up for my email list if I don’t have a blog to attract them?”
Ask them.
At a networking event? Ask them if they want to go on a list.
Working with a client? Ask them.
In line at the supermarket? Ditto.
Forget about a business card, try this instead.
The most powerful tool in my arsenal is my smartphone. I have web forms bookmarked on my phone for different circumstances and after I meet anyone I always ask them if they want to join my list. It’s extremely important that you tell them that there is no problem if they unsubscribe; we’re all busy and at times we
Offline marketing meets online marketing
Surprisingly, no one seems to do this, which is a shame, because many business people spend hours networking with a very poor return on their time. By taking a more systematic approach to networking, and combining it with the strategies that online marketers use, there are plenty of opportunities to strengthen your relationship with your contacts.
But remember, it’s all about a relationship
If you’re doing this to SELL, SELL, SELL you’re setting yourself up for failure. It’s important to make sure that you’ve put a lot of thought into what outcomes you want to achieve.
In fact, the best results that my clients have had is by not selling at all, but by entertaining or educating.
Want to learn how to combine online and offline marketing to create a powerful strategy. Then book your free marketing and sale automation consultation.