Blogging is like flossing. You know you should do it, but don't always make the time. And so...

3 Answers to the Question, Why Blog?

As most three year olds would agree, it’s a good question, this Why? Indeed, why blog when one could make a very solid argument against it:

1. Blogging is time consuming.

2. Blogging can be tricky to do well.

3. The blogosphere is vast. Less of an earthly sphere than a seemingly endless plank into the abyss. 

But the wisdom is, do it. Bona fide experts (like the folks at HubSpot, and the go-getters at HuffPost) agree on at least three top reasons your business will benefit from a regular blog post, and why you should make the effort (or hire someone to make the effort for you). 

Website traffic leads the list, of course. If you build it, they will come, and then some. 

Leads are reason number two. Duh.

And number three is long-term benefit. Often, people can be found saying that whatever is posted on the internet stays there forever, like that’s a bad thing. Unflattering photos from the epic bachelor/bachelorette party in Vegas aside, an informational, well-written blog post can be the gift that keeps on giving, if not into eternity, then well into your company's future. Check out Pamela Vaughan’s article for good advice on repackaging and recycling a blog post. 

Create a Presence

A fourth benefit that industry insiders talk about is a blog’s potential to “establish authority.” To be frank, as a creative type generally resistant to traditional hierarchal structure (thanks, undergrad Women & Gender Studies! Thanks, Audre Lorde!), I understand this concept more as “gaining trust.”

If you are an authority on something, fantastic, a blog can certainly help make that known to your potential followers and clients. (No blogger gets more mileage out of their Ted Talk prep than Tim Urban.) The idea is to impart useful, usable information. But a good blog post is not a white paper. It is an ongoing conversation, an invitation into your area of expertise. It’s friendly, relevant, and respectful of the reader’s attention.

Find Your People

The blogosphere has been called a community, and while I am not so sure it meets the criteria for that much-abused word (for ironic interlude, click here), certainly community-building is a just motivation for producing a regular, relevant blog. It is an open door, an accessible way to build connections to other businesses, highlight the stuff that matters to you, and feed the curious, information-surfers looking for a decent wave to ride.