Why You Need a Blog: The Benefits of Blogging in Today’s World

I know, I know – you’re already running a business, writing a book, raising children, and trying to have a life. I get it. But you’re here, which means that you’re into things like productivity, getting things done, and creating space in your life for the good things.

But it’s probably not enough. Most likely, you’re able to maintain your 200+ emails-per-day workload, multiple projects at a time, and still have enough sanity to get home in time for dinner.

So why am I advocating adding another thing to your daily task list? Why am I telling you why you need a blog?

Because blogging isn’t going anywhere. More importantly, it’s not something that should be seen as adding to what you’re doing. On the contrary, blogging (if done well), can be the most productive thing you do all day, and can even take the place of many of your daily “to-do”s. You might need to step out of your comfort zone, but trust me – it’s worth it. Here’s a list of some of those things blogging can help with:

1. Connecting with customers: If you’re a business owner, it’s a great way to connect with customers. Forget Twitter, networking events, and call centers. Blogging is a personal, down-to-earth method of keeping your customers informed and in-the-know about not only your latest product offerings but your internal culture as well.

2. Finding new clients: In the same vein, don’t discount the marketing advantages of blogging. If you do it right, you could be on to something. Many businesses chalk up a large percentage of their revenue from blogging and blogging-related activities, and you can have a piece of that pie.

3. Getting more done: Just because you’re writing every day on a blog doesn’t mean other things won’t get done. Blogging is an activity that can literally happen anywhere. Wake up early, go to bed late, whatever – blogging doesn’t usually take long, and you can press pause whenever you like. The “Getting Things Done” mentality happens as you start writing that first sentence – you’ll find yourself invigorated, energized, and motivated by the words you’re writing.

4. Getting better things done: Once you start realizing what exactly it is you’re going to offer to people through your blog, you’ll start to prioritize your day differently. You’ll have comments to respond to, emails to answer, and social media promoting to do, but all of this is building a pipeline of targeted warm leads to your business.

5. It’s creation. Period. You’re creating stuff. Stuff can be bought, sold, added to, reworked, and changed, but most importantly this stuff is a form of asset – an asset you own and control. No word ever published online has a negative value.

6. Blogs are the news vehicle of the future: This one might receive some flak, but oh well. I truly believe that blogging – at least the general, broad definition of content-creation by the layperson – is the new form of news delivery. We’ll still have reporters and journalists, but the news and noteworthy stories of the day are now in our hands – it’s our job to be the first-hand eyewitness accounts of the current goings-on.

7. Blogging can boost productivity in unforeseen areas: You might not realize it yet, but blogging leads to a funny ailment I like to call “picking-blog-headlines-for-everything-that-happens-in-your-life.” If you’ve been driving down the freeway and want to suddenly write a post bemoaning the terrible billboard ad called “7 Reasons Your Company Sucks At Advertising,” you know what I mean. This productivity booster is a cool thing, though – it helps keep the “idea bucket” full and it transfers into many other forms of content, not just blogs.

8. Blogs are a great way to measure success: However you define success, blogging can track it. You can search through your year-old archives or do a specific series – either way, your words won’t lie (unless you lied when you wrote them…). Want to earn $100,000 this year? Start blogging the results of your business’ advertising and marketing campaigns, and include revenue reports.

9. Accountability: This one’s simple. Blogging is usually a public-facing event that we engage in with the sole purpose of gaining readership. These readers, while sometimes harsh, are for the most part very truthful. They’ll keep us focused on our published and public goals, and that alone is worth the asking price.

10. Because everyone else is: Okay, I didn’t want to use this “cop out” reason, but there it is. If you’re a business owner without a blog, you’re already behind. If you’re an individual with something to say, get started saying it. You may not realize it, but there’s at least one other person in the world who needs the kind of expertise you have, no matter how trivial. Everywhere you look, there’s a blog, video feed, or YouTube channel dedicated to the obscure and random. Do us one better and create something worth sharing.

Maybe I’ve convinced you, maybe not. But you won’t change my mind – the benefits of blogging (creating content and sharing it online) far outweigh the downsides and work we need to put into it. This is why you need a blog. If you’ve never tried it, check out my site for some great resources, but just know that blogging is a perfect example of something that “you get what you put into it.” It can take your business or your life to another level, and it’s not hard to do. It takes work, sure, but everything of value does anyway!

And if you need some specific help, start by asking the right questions – here are 101 of them!