So who needs a blog, anyway?

Recently I came across a post on a social marketing site: “I’m hearing great things about blogging. But is it really worth the time?”

As usual, the answer is, “It depends.”

Your website can be a blog.

You can have a website plus a blog.

You can have a website with no blog.

If you look around, you’ll find business owners reaching success with each of these strategies.

A useful guideline is to take a step back and ask, “What do I need to do to market my services?”

Start with the big picture. For instance, “I want people to recognize me as an authority in my field.”

If you want to become an authority with blogging, you’ll need to …

… fill your posts with content that’s truly unique (or at least not easily found elsewhere)
… include links to thought leaders and resources in your field
… add guest posts that connect you with well-regarded thought leaders
… promote your posts via social media and also high-credibility settings, such as private forms
… write long blog posts – 800-1500 words

O course, blogging is just one of many possible tools. When you think big picture, you ask, “How can I accomplish the goal?” rather than, “How do I blog better?”

You don’t have to blog to become an authority go-to person in your field. You could use speaking, webinars, videos and/or podcasts.You could have website pages with testimonials, references and insider tips.

In fact, some marketing coaches will encourage you not to start a new business with a blog. Instead, they say, do guest posting and create a presence on the Internet first. Instead of a full site, just have a landing page and lead magnet. After you build your list, you create your blog.

There’s really no single “must have” strategy. The closest thing to an essential is list-building. But I recently met someone who’s promoting a company that sells a novelty fashion item. It’s rare for people to buy more than once or even to recommend others to buy. They grow by increasing traffic and capturing sales from impulse buyers. A blog would just get in the way.

If you’re looking into a number of strategies, I highly recommend checking out this “12 days of Christmas” special  from David Perdew. Every 2 days he’s got a product on a different topic, at a reduced price that lets you gain the information without putting all her budget on one tool or strategy. I just grabbed the list-building one and it’s really good. Click here to get access.