There was a time when every little girl had a diary. It was that place that she could go and write all of her secret thoughts: who was her latest crush, what did her brother do to make her mad, why was her mom so unfair. It usually had a key (which, of course, NEVER kept her brother out). The main point of a diary was to keep views hidden away for her own self expression. Her personal life commentary.
Then came Justin Hall in 1994 who is credited with starting the first “web log” or what we now call a Blog.
The dictionary defines “Blog” as:
blog
/bläɡ/
noun
- 1.
a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.
verb
- 1.
add new material to or regularly update a blog.
"it's about a week since I last blogged"
Blogging became a thing around 2004 when political consultants, news services and candidates began using them for opinion forums. They could post their thoughts and their constituents could respond with their own opinions and feedback. Now EVERYONE has a blog. Is this a good thing?
Absolutely!
- You are an Authority. You know your industry…own it! Write about important topics relative to your business and your industry. People want to learn. Establish yourself as the go to person for information.
- Promote Your Business. What better way to tell people about your business? You can tell your story the way you want it told. You can make sure that what is being said about your business is fact.
- Start a Conversation. When you blog about topics important to you and your business, you are letting people engage with you, voice their opinions, ask you questions.
- Grow Your Business. When you write about your industry, people will share your information. This is a great way for you to find more people in your industry that need your services.
- Google Loves a Blogger. Having a blog adds to your Google validation. Google is always adjusting their algorithms to make sure that the organic searches are truly offering up the best results for searchers. Blogging is one more check mark your business gets that shows you are real.
There are a lot of good articles out there on blogging. But don’t be intimidated. Write for you. Write for your customers. Just have fun with it.
And somewhere in an attic in Briarwood, there is a red Five Year Diary with a 6th grade girls heart poured out for no one to see. But now, she is happy to share her thoughts, literally, for the whole world to see!