Why Blogs Can Fail


Photo Credit: Jez Page

We have discussed a lot how helpful blogs can be for your business in SEO, establishing yourself as an expert, generating sales leads et al. Some people are doing some great work out there! With technology being more user friendly, the flood gates have also opened and some people are creating some really terrible content. Where in that landscape is your business blog?

Many times when I speak with people, they are doing some really decent work and they have the best intentions but nothing is happening. Their frustration comes across as desperation and they just want to know why their blog isn’t generating hundreds of dollars in AdSense, creating sales leads, getting their phone to ring off the hook or filling their inbox with inquiries. While I wish I could go through every blog and attempt to give a proper diagnosis, I really can’t but what I can do is discuss some of the biggest problems I see day to day.

5 Reasons a Blog May Not Be Working

  1. Overselling – The blogging culture is different than the traditional content producing marketing scheme. People subscribe and read blogs for lots of reasons but the biggest are that they like you or your business or that your content provides them with value. Few people subscribe to a blog because they want to buy something. Overselling yourself and your products may be hurting you. Talk about your topic and less about your business
  2. No call to action – How do you know if people are reading your content? Website traffic alone may not be the best measurement metric. After someone finds your blog what do you want them to do? Figure that out and make it obvious on the page that this is what people should do. The first is to make a way for readers to easily subscribe to more content from you. Perhaps you want people to contact you, download an eBook/whitepaper or view a demo. Make it obvious with direct calls to action on the page (without overselling yourself).
  3. No value – You have to give to get. Really think about what value you are providing to your community. Take a step outside of your position and view it with fresh eyes. Who is the buyer persona you see subscribing to your blog… what information do they really want to hear and assess if you are fulfilling that. Create content that people will want to share with their network, save to reference later and more.
  4. You don’t actually care about it – You have intelligent readers and people in your network. Is your blogging a job or something you are actually passionate about? People can tell when they read your content if this is something you genuinely care about. If you can, blog about something you are passionate about. It will make a world of difference in your tone and message.
  5. Too many other people are writing about the same thing – It can happen. There are lots of people out there. Is your blogging market too saturated? Then figure out how you can do it differently than the rest. Geo-target your content better and become the expert in your geographic location, take a different spin from everyone else, narrow down your blogging topic so it is really specific, make a video blog or a podcast. Whatever it takes to make you stand out from everyone else.

Marketing has changed. We can’t just go through our marketing options like a grocery shopping list (“I’ll take 3 print ads, 2 web banners and 1 local TV spot. How much do I owe you? Thanks”). New marketing methods like blogging and social media take time, resources and a strategy.

Think of your blogging strategy as a marathon and not a sprint. Take time and create valuable content. If that means posting less, then post less. Maybe you should consider a multi-contributor blog to freshen up your voice and lighten your workload. The remedies are up to you. The most successful blogs are the most valuable and that help you form lasting relationships with your online network. Don’t take your blogging too lightly and find yourself in one of the above mentioned pitfalls.

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