This is my current view as I sit in the airport waiting for my flight to Chicago for the Marketing Profs Digital Marketing Mixer. The past couple of months have been a very busy time for me professionally, and work with clients has taken up a lot of my time. Which is a great 'problem' to have, and I am grateful for it. But I've often caught myself putting my writing here and at my business site on hold, to spend more time helping my clients get their social media efforts off the ground.
And I realized that I was doing exactly what I've told clients and others that they cannot do. I was putting the blog on the backburner. One of my favorite sayings is that 'your blog does not have an expiration date'. And it's true, once your company starts blogging, you have to assume that you're in it from now on.
That means you have to make an effort to stay in touch with your customers and readers via your blog. Maybe it means you have to send a quick mobile post on your phone in the taxi on the way back to your apartment. Maybe it means you have to write a post while you're at the gate waiting for your flight.
But the point is, it's worth the time and effort it takes to connect with people. Especially your customers. If you promise to never forget that, I'll promise to remember it as well.
BTW I've been thinking about how I will handle blogging while I am in Chicago for the Mixer. Normally what I do when I attend conferences is I don't blog while I am there, then give you my thoughts via a 'recap' post when I get back. But I decided that for the Mixer, I will share my thoughts with you at the end of each day, instead of having no new posts up till next week. Besides, I did a recap post for last year's Mixer, and I am sure this year's will be just as great.
So my plan is to attend as many sessions as possible, take copious notes, and share my takeaways with you each day. Sound good? Hope to see some of you in person at the Mixer!
4 comments:
Mack,
I agree that a blogger should not forget what they started when things get busy. But I also think that encouraging posting of any nature, regardless of the quality of the content, is detrimental.
Now that even more people blog each day, I think it's important to make sure each post counts. If hundreds of people have subscribed to YOUR blog and you give them quickie-posts from the airport in an attempt to post frequently, they will move on to higher quality content. I think people prefer quality over quantity, don't you?
I think if you have an idea for an amazing and helpful blog post, you will find the time. Yes, encourage people to keep blogging, but not just for the sake of it.
Analisa that's a fair point. My point was that companies need to be in the mindset of looking for opportunities to write posts. I know that before I started blogging I had no idea what to write about, now I'll read something or talk to someone, and my mind will instantly think of how I could turn that into a blog post.
It's a tradeoff, to some extent. As you said you don't want to post just to be posting, but at the same time if you only post when inspiration strikes (and inspiration only arrives once every 2 months), then your blog can quickly become irrelevant with its readers.
Very nice blog I will study it. Your suggestions were very helpful, Thanks!
Reading this really hit home for me....like you I tell others they have to do it and often help them as well yet I have been "slacking" on my own posts (not due to lack of ideas).
Thanks for the "gentle" reminder that we have to walk the talk.
@mmangen
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