6 Reasons Why Blogging is NOT Dead

Are you a small business owner without a blog? You’re missing out on a fabulous opportunity to connect with your audience, serve your ideal clients, and set yourself up as an authority in your field. 

I’ve been blogging at least once a week since 2012. I had a blog that I updated with my photo sessions when I had a photography side business, and I’ve updated my blog regularly since I opened Dolly DeLong Photography full-time.

I’ve learned a lot about blogging since 2012. And there are so many benefits!

1-Blogging isn’t Dead

Some skeptics might tell you that blogging is dead. You may have been turned off from starting your blog in 2020 after hearing this myth. But let me assure you—blogging is very much alive and kicking! It is the best way to establish yourself as an authority in your field. It’s also the easiest way to share information and teach your audience. Yes, it does take time to establish yourself. But if you are willing to put in the work with blogging, the ROI (return on investment) will be great for you in the long-run. 

2-Consistency Matters

Blogging inconsistently isn’t super helpful. Your audience should know when to expect new posts, and they should be able to rely on you to (mostly) stick to a schedule. I blog twice a week for my 3 specific audiences.

On Mondays, I post blogs (like this one) aimed at helping, teaching, and encouraging my small business owner friends.

On Wednesdays, I post for my families and couples. Those posts are generally recaps of family or intimate weddings and tend to revolve more around my photography work.

If the idea of blogging eight times a month makes you want to cry or feels overwhelming, start smaller. I’ve been at this blogging game for a long time and I have learned to stick to a specific schedule that works for me. You can start with blogging just once a month if that feels manageable. Figure out a schedule that will work for you and stick to it!

3-Benefits of Blogging

Writing a consistent blog is one of the best ways to develop your brand voice. Your audience will know what you sound like and will understand your brand’s tone, vibe, and personality.

You can also build the “know, like, trust” factor with a consistent blog presence. Longer-form content gives your readers a chance to get to know you better and trust you more.

A blog is a perfect place to display your work. The more your audience can see your work, whether that’s photography, graphic design, physical products, or whatever you specialize in, the more they will want to buy what you’re selling. Repetition builds reputation. You need your ideal clients to see your work in action for them to believe they need your product or service in their lives. 

Over time, your blog (when written strategically) will improve your SEO (search engine optimization). This means you will show up better and higher in search results! Improving your SEO is incredibly valuable.

4-Using Your Blog Content

One of the beauties of blog content is that there’s a lot of it. You can easily create a week’s worth (or more!) of Instagram or Facebook posts from one blog. 

You can use your blog content in the emails that you send to your subscriber list (like we talked about last week) and even refer your email subscribers to your new posts.

Only sharing your expertise and knowledge on social media just isn’t enough. You need a blog so you can expand on your ideas and add significant value for your audience. 

5-Creating Blog Content

As far as a hosting site for your blog, I highly recommend WordPress. It’s user-friendly and there are paid and free options available. It’s designed specifically for blogs!

If you’re stuck when it comes to creating content, you should hop over to my post about the 5 steps to creating content. 

If you really don’t have the time or desire to write your own blog, it’s one of the easier tasks to outsource. You can hire a VA or a copywriter (I love working with Emily) to help with your blogging. 

6-Feeling Overwhelmed? 

Don’t let blogging become just another task that you dread! It’s one of the most helpful things you can do for your small business. 

Start by committing to blogging once a month. Take the content from that blog and repurpose it to use across your social media platforms and in your emails. Create some unique pins to share your content on Pinterest (don’t worry, I’ll be sharing a very in-depth blog post about how I do this in the future!) 

Play around with blogging styles, formats, and layouts to find what feels best for you. Make it personal and unique to your brand! Have fun with it!

Find some blogs that you like and follow along to get inspiration, just make sure you never straight up copy someone. 

You may have a negative connotation of blogging. Whether you see it as something only “mommy bloggers” or “influencers” do or you think it’s a trend that has passed, I promise blogging is actually worth your time. Do yourself a favor and just give it a go. See how you like it! 

Try it for a few months and I bet you’ll start seeing positive results. Seriously, you never know who will read your blog. Even if one person is reading it, you could positively impact a little area of the world by what you can offer. 

SUMMARY

Now, if you are at a point in your small business where you are ready for a complete branding session and you need content, not just for an updated profile picture, but you need professional photo content for your social media and online business presence, I would love to chat with you about capturing and best illustrating the message behind your business through a branding session! If you are not based in Nashville, then I strongly encourage you to find a local photographer who lives in your city who specializes in branding photography who could help elevate your social media presence with images that will match the message behind your business with consistent and professional images. To schedule a branding session with me, please click here.

If you enjoyed reading this article, please share it on Facebook or on Pinterest! I love encouraging other small-business owners and I love connecting with other businesses as I continue to grow my own small business!

Meet Your Friendly Nashville Branding Photographer & Business Systems Educator

Dolly DeLong is a Nashville-based family & branding photographer and a creative business owner who educates on all things Pinterest, Dubsado, Lead Magnets & Email Marketing (aka pretty much all the fun automation stuff centered around those business systems)!  Dolly loves serving families, and business owners with her timeless, radiant photography.  She loves capturing the joy and emotion in both digital and film photos.

She also has a heart for serving the larger business community. Dolly shares her knowledge of tools like Pinterest, Dubsado, email marketing, and business systems with new creative business owners in an encouraging and supportive way because she believes that even muggles can become automating wizards!

Dolly’s faith and love for her family motivate her to help other business owners find the joy and freedom she’s found in running a successful small business.

Whenever she has a spare moment, she enjoys watching TV (i.e. Survivor), loves eating way too many sweets, and listens to podcasts while running or walking. To work with Dolly DeLong Photography LLC, please email her at thedollydelong@gmail.com or fill out her contact form here.

Interested in learning how to best automate your small business but have NO clue where to start? Click here (or on the image below) to get started with learning the foundations of automating your business with Dolly DeLong Education!