You know by now that blogging is an essential part for promoting your brand whether it’s a business, or just yourself. A question I’m often asked about blogging, is if it’s always effective and that is a concern of many simply because there are so many people blogging.
The fast answer, is no. Blogging needs to be looked at as a complex marketing strategy. Results don’t happen overnight and to be successful with a blog, you need someone who can do more than simply put pen to paper, so to speak (fingers to keyboard, to Microsoft Word just doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?) Finding a good blogger, in a world where it seems like everyone is a “writer” can be hard.
Casual blogging makes everyone and their dog believe they’re a writer. Some are – and I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to write in a professional capacity to be fantastic – but that doesn’t mean everyone who blogs has the skill to bring to a business blog designed to draw traffic.
When looking for a blogger, any business will find an interesting mix of responses. There are those professionals who are growing with the demand for blogging and learning how develop effective content with SEO in mind and they’re the ones you need to hire. Then there are those who are writing simply because they believe it makes for an easy job where they get to work from home. I’m not saying that those who decide to pursue the craft because it’s convenient to raise their children can’t be skilled and talented; but there are some who just aren’t in it for the writing. They’re not worried about learning extensively, they’re happy to coast by with a more modest paycheck and blog about personal experiences or write for content mills. There’s nothing wrong with this; to each their own, but they might not be the ones to deliver the required skill and consistency for an effective business blog.
If you’re hiring a blogger, don’t be afraid to ask questions. You don’t necessarily need to be looking at experience alone as long as they’ve got the capacity to learn and demonstrate that they’re passionate about blogging and helping you reach your goals. Everyone may be writing, and that’s great, but it doesn’t mean they’re all right for your blog!