Should You Blog?

image from prospect research

I was writing an article about freelance writing and I made some reference to the fact that most freelance writers these days have a web site. I made the assumption that if a freelance writer has a web site then it probably has a blog. Then it occurred to me that perhaps there are freelance writers out there who have web sites but not a blog. A serious mistake in my opinion. One that could be hurting your freelance career.

Why Freelance Writers Need To Blog:

• It keeps your web site fresh. The search engines love web sites that are full of content that is updated on a regular basis. Your goal should be to have your site show up on page one of Google. Without fresh, consistent content this will never happen. Chances are a lot of your business comes from folks landing on your web site. If you want to succeed, you want folks who search the term “freelance writer” to find you quickly.
• A blog is the perfect place to showcase your writing talent. When potential clients reach your site, the blog posts serve as a kind of instant resume for your writing skills. Your voice, style and over all writing skills can be evaluated by the client reading a few articles. They get the chance to see if you are a real writer or just a poser. They get to decide if perhaps you’re a good fit for their company. By looking at the dates of the posts and seeing that things are current, they get the sense that you are current and in the game.
• Blogging makes you kind of an instant expert on the topic for which you blog. If your blog posts tend to focus on social media, then you will been seen as somewhat of an expert on the topic and a client who needs an expert in that area may contact you for their project.
• Blogging lets you build a community with which you can interact with like minded folks. Start conversations on topics near and dear to your heart. Engage other freelance writers and not only will you possibly help them, but you may be helping your self.

Excuses For Not Blogging

• I don’t have the time. So, you don’t have time to grow your business? Pshaw. You can maintain a current blog with as little as one post per week. 30 minutes to write and post the thing. Are you telling me you don’t have 30 minutes a week to take your freelance writing business to a new level?
• I won’t know what to write about. Surely there is something you are passionate about. Chances are it has to do with some aspect of writing. Even if your passion is not necessarily about writing you can still write articles that fit your web site. The writing will come. I write some articles for a client. I’m contracted to write six of them every month and I’ve been writing for them going on three years now. Each month I sit down and think, “Holy crap. What am I going to write this month?” And every month, I deliver. The articles come.
• My site isn’t set up for a blog format. If this is the case then chances are you shelled out some bucks for someone to design your site. Contact them and let them know you want to incorporate a blog. Alternatively, consider moving your site to a WordPress.org – NOT WordPress.com platform.

Here’s the thing. Of all the freelance writing I do, I love writing the posts for my blog more than anything. In a lot of ways it is writing that I do for me. I have fun with it and use it as a means of engaging my audience.

So, tell us. Do you have a blog?