Is Blogging Really Worth It?

by Julia D. Stege, MFA
@magicalmarketer

A lot of people ask me if I think they really should be blogging. They've heard that everyone is doing it but they really don't know if it's important. After all, it takes a lot of time (so they think) and energy to blog, and anyway, they don't really know how to do it. Isn't it a big learning curve? And is it really worth all that effort?

I can relate. When you don't know how to do something, it can seem daunting when you think about it. And when you go online to check out all the blogs, it's overwhelming. You start to wonder, are people in your industry blogging regularly, and is it helping their business?

You know what I'm going to say, though, don't you? You know I'm going to say yes it's important to blog and yes it's totally worth it. But I want to say this in a comforting way that helps you to get started almost effortlessly.

So first, you need to know why it's important to blog.

In these times, people are very careful about where they spend their money. They want to know you, like you and trust you before they hire you. (OK, I got that from Dale Carnegie who wrote that about 100 years ago, but it's even more true today!) A blog is a great way for them to get a feel for how you think. When you share what you care about on your blog, you provide a window into your true self that helps your perfect customers feel confident about hiring you.

Statistically, blogging is becoming a central feature in any marketing campaign. Check out these stats to discover why:

• Blogging grew 68% in 2008
• 346 million people worldwide read blogs
• 77% of active web users read blogs
• 184 million people say they’ve started a blog

OK, so everyone's doing it and your customers want to get to know you and a blog is a great place to do that. But is it really that easy to set up a blog?

Admittedly some folks will need help, but it's my suggestion that you go to www.Blogger.com (Google's free blog site) and experiment. If you make a mistake you can delete it and start over. You can fiddle around and learn something new (which is good for the brain anyway!) Then send me your link (or post it here on this blog) and I'll be happy to celebrate with you (and give you good feedback, too.) The old cliche is that you can't know until you try it!

You also may want to listen to my free teleclass called "What the Bleep to Blog About to Attract Perfect Customers (and Where and Why, too!)" It will help you to become blogging experts! You can learn more about the class and register at http://www.graphicgirlz.com/freeapco.html. See you then!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Magical Marketer Julia D. Stege, MFA helps people attract their perfect customers with a unique combination of Law of Attraction, wildly attractive logos and websites, and smart Internet marketing techniques. If you're ready to start attracting your perfect customers now, get Julia's free Magical Marketing Toolkit at http://www.magicalmarketingtoolkit.com