To blog or not to blog
Pop the kettle on...
I've been thinking about this one for a while because it's something I hear a lot from business owners, "should I be writing a blog?" but if I'm honest, I think it's become part of a much bigger conversation. One week we're told we should be blogging, the next week it's podcasts, then it's videos, then it's newsletters, then it's live streams and then it's another social media platform that promises to change everything. Sometimes it feels like running a business has become one long list of things we're supposed to be doing.
But do we really? My thoughts are you don’t have to do any of them. At least... not unless they genuinely work for your business. I've worked in marketing for a long time, and I've watched trends come and go. Some have been brilliant. Others have disappeared almost as quickly as they arrived. The businesses that tend to do well aren't always the ones trying to keep up with every new idea. They're the ones who know who they are, understand their customers and communicate consistently in a way that feels natural.
Take my own businesses, Beyond Talk Consultancy lends itself to blogging. I enjoy sharing ideas, answering questions and helping people understand websites and marketing. It feels like an extension of the conversations I'm already having with clients, however, Soulstone Healing is completely different. Could I write a weekly blog? Of course. Would it add value to someone looking for a peaceful therapy experience? Probably not.
The website has a different job to do, and that's perfectly okay. I think we sometimes forget that content isn't about filling space, it's about being useful. One genuinely helpful article is worth far more than ten posts written simply because you felt you had to publish something.
The same goes for podcasts, videos, social media and newsletters. If you have something worthwhile to share, share it. If you don't, don't force it.
People are remarkably good at spotting content that's been created just to tick a marketing box. One of the best pieces of advice I can give any small business is this:
Don't create content because someone told you that you should. Create it because you have something that will genuinely help, reassure or inspire the people you want to work with. Sometimes that will be every week. Sometimes it will be once a month. Sometimes you might not write anything for a while because you're busy looking after your clients, and that's okay too. Marketing doesn't have to be relentless; it has to be relevant.
So, if you're wondering whether you should start a blog, launch a podcast or jump on the latest marketing trend, perhaps ask yourself a different question first.
What would my customers genuinely find useful?
If you answer that honestly, you'll rarely go far wrong. And if the answer is nothing at the moment...
Make another cup of tea, get back to doing what you do brilliantly, and wait until you have something worth saying. I think that's a much better use of everyone's time.
Until next time…
Bev ☕