The title is not a trick question, it’s one we get asked on a regular basis, “Is blogging dead?” To which we answer, short and to the point, “No.” We can turn it around and ask, “Is marketing your business dead?” Chances are you would answer, short and to the point, “No.” If you want to grow a business you need to market. If you want to have content to share with clients across your social media platforms a blog is the best place to create the content for sharing.
Every week or month – sometimes every day – there are dire warnings that, “Facebook is going to close down,” or “Google+ is going away,” or “LinkedIn is going to an all paid model.” We take these warnings with a grain of salt. Of 
course we research them to see if there is any truth, but for the most part we continue on with our daily work activities. Now, one warning we did heed and are working with our clients to prepare for is the fact that on April 21 Google is going to penalize business owners whose sites are not mobile ready and mobile friendly. If your site isn’t, you will notice a drop in your rankings and you will also see that you may lose your place on page one. (We can help with that, give us a call)
Back to blogging and the rumors of its demise. Here are reasons we believe it is here to stay and the reason we like blogging is because you are building the foundation of your business on ground you own (your website) rather than rented ground (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn):
- A personal blog may be a dying breed, but business blogs are thriving especially if you can tell a story. Readers want to work with business owners they feel they know, like and trust and you can build that relationship through the stories you tell on your blog. Be topical. Be relevant. Tell stories.
- Your niche may determine how well your audience reacts to and embraces your blogging efforts. Lifestyle blogging and “mommy blogging” is hot right now. Lifestyle blogging can be anything from, “enjoying time in your swimming pool,” to “packing healthy lunches for your family,” to “traveling with your pet.” Sports and fashion blogs are also still thriving and remain relevant.
- Video blogging may be the wave of the future and you can embed that right onto your own blog platform. Write an introductory sentence or two, embed your video, and viola you have a video blog aka vlog. You will need to test out whether your audience prefers to read or listen to your content. You will also want to experiment on whether they want long vlogs or if they are happier receiving your content in bite-sized chunks of five minutes or fewer.
Blogging and the content that it provides for your other social media platforms is here to stay. It may look a bit different and will definitely continue to evolve, but content is still king. Are you developing relevant content for your blog? Do you need help developing an editorial or content calendar? Contact our team for assistance with that and all of your social media marketing needs.