Bloggers the world over are sitting in front of their computers at this very moment trying to write something. As you read this, someone, somewhere else in the world is struggling to write something. Why? Because someone, somewhere has told them that blogging is good for them.

 

Stuck for ideas? Then stop blogging

And true enough, blogging is good for you; but only if you are a good blogger. The problem is that of the millions of bloggers in the world, there aren’t that many that are actually any good at it. And that includes most business bloggers who haplessly tap at the keyboard under the misguided notion that it will raise their profile and bring them traffic.

Here’s the good news about blogging. It helps you add fresh content to your web site on a regular basis. And that can bring you rewards in terms of reader loyalty as well as from search engines. Regular blogging is associated with improved search engine ranking as well as in terms of being recommended as an expert in your field. Furthermore, regular blogging helps expand your web site, adding new pages to it making it appear much more “weighty” and therefore apparently more valuable as a resource. People and search engines “weigh by the pound” and bigger web sites are valued more highly than those with just a handful of pages. Add to this the fact that blogging brings you interaction with your readers, via comments, it appears to be an excellent tool to help improve any web site.

Except for two rather significant problems. Firstly, readers like good writing. Anything that is poorly written, has bad grammar or is riddled with errors and mistakes is something we simply do not like. We expect quality writing and – let’s face it – much of what we read online is drivel. It’s often poorly written, unfocused, rambling and badly structured making it difficult to get to grips with. There aren’t many blogs worthy of the Pulitzer Prize are there? Many bloggers – including vast swathes of business bloggers – are poor writers who don’t attract the audiences they expect, or were led to believe they could achieve, simply because their material is second-rate.

But that’s not the only problem. Those bloggers sitting down to write their missives while you read this are struggling to come up with ideas. They spend ages trying to come up with something simply because they “have to blog”. They have been sold on the benefits of blogging, yet don’t see the hours of wasted effort that goes into producing their work. Productivity in your business could be lowered if you are blogging and you either struggle for ideas or find it difficult to write well.

Consider, for a moment, other business activities your organisation does. Accountancy, for instance; do you get that done by an expert? Legal advice, as an other example; do you hire a lawyer? IT maintenance; do you get a technician in? In these instances you probably hire in an external expert to help your business – someone who is trained and experienced in the particular field. So, when it comes to writing your blog why don’t you do the same?

A professional writer will produce better copy in less than a quarter of the time it takes most business executives and company owners who are currently blogging. Not only does that release time for getting on with “real” work, it also means that the material on your web site is more professional, thereby improving your readership and reputation.

True, you might like writing – but consider where your business profits come from.  Your blog or your actual work? Concentrate on what you are good at and get someone else to do the other work. You can hire a ghostwriter or simply get contributors from places like Elance or via the ProBlogger job site. But however you solve the issue of adding material to your blog you need to make sure it is professionally produced in the shortest time possible. If quality or speed are issues in your business blog, you need to consider outsourcing the writing.

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