The Daily Blog Quotient
Do you want to build readership for your blog? Are you a non-writer but you want to hire a writer? Are you thinking, "I could pay to have it done a couple of times a week..." Most clients don't want to pay a writer to blog more than a couple of times a week. Understandable given the expense. Blog writers are paid per hour. The obvious value in blogging isn't easily put into a results measurement either. The number one question is almost always, "How do I know if it's working?" So let's walk through some of these points.
How often should you really blog to be build effective readership? This answer may not be the one you want to hear: every day. You have the minimum which I say is 2-3 times a week. Then you have the favorable maximum, which is daily (sometimes including weekends). Two to three times a week builds audience but it becomes more sporadic than consistent. You'll see in the statistics spikes in readership that coincide with articles being released. A daily blog has a more consistent readership. The stats look more like a mountain range with peaks and low-level valleys.
"How do I know if it's working?" Is your business prospering? Are you growing not shrinking? What marketing strategies are you using? Is blogging part of your obviously successful marketing mix? Have your blogs coincided with your business growth? When I get asked this question, I pose an even riskier question back: "Do you want to find out if it's working?" "Yes ..." "Stop blogging and see what happens." Most clients get a blank look on their faces. Stopping a successful action just to find out whether or not it has a direct or indirect impact on sales is risky business. Not only do you risk your loyal readers going away, but also you risk sales.
Reality is results in marketing are typically indirect anyway. I have asked many, many, many people, "How did you hear about us?" "Um ... I don't really remember..." those responses are the indirect results of marketing. Most likely those people were influenced to contact you via exposure and increased visibility. Maybe a friend mentioned your company, and then maybe they saw something else about your company (maybe they even read your blog), and then maybe they went into skeptical interest. They kept seeing information about your company. They connected to you on social media and then started to occasionally read your blogs. By the time they become "trigger happy" and asked, "Where ... ?" They don't remember because of all the things I just described that included reading your blog.
The key takeaway: to build long-term, effective readership that results in sales requires a investment of time and resources to blog daily.
My company 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com) provides blog services. If you want to outsource your blog, contact us at 916-300-8012 and we can discuss pricing.
How often should you really blog to be build effective readership? This answer may not be the one you want to hear: every day. You have the minimum which I say is 2-3 times a week. Then you have the favorable maximum, which is daily (sometimes including weekends). Two to three times a week builds audience but it becomes more sporadic than consistent. You'll see in the statistics spikes in readership that coincide with articles being released. A daily blog has a more consistent readership. The stats look more like a mountain range with peaks and low-level valleys.
"How do I know if it's working?" Is your business prospering? Are you growing not shrinking? What marketing strategies are you using? Is blogging part of your obviously successful marketing mix? Have your blogs coincided with your business growth? When I get asked this question, I pose an even riskier question back: "Do you want to find out if it's working?" "Yes ..." "Stop blogging and see what happens." Most clients get a blank look on their faces. Stopping a successful action just to find out whether or not it has a direct or indirect impact on sales is risky business. Not only do you risk your loyal readers going away, but also you risk sales.
Reality is results in marketing are typically indirect anyway. I have asked many, many, many people, "How did you hear about us?" "Um ... I don't really remember..." those responses are the indirect results of marketing. Most likely those people were influenced to contact you via exposure and increased visibility. Maybe a friend mentioned your company, and then maybe they saw something else about your company (maybe they even read your blog), and then maybe they went into skeptical interest. They kept seeing information about your company. They connected to you on social media and then started to occasionally read your blogs. By the time they become "trigger happy" and asked, "Where ... ?" They don't remember because of all the things I just described that included reading your blog.
The key takeaway: to build long-term, effective readership that results in sales requires a investment of time and resources to blog daily.
My company 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com) provides blog services. If you want to outsource your blog, contact us at 916-300-8012 and we can discuss pricing.
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