Why You – Yes You – Should Blog: These 8 Reasons

I’ve had this conversation with many of the groups that I’ve spoken to.  I have encouraged those I coach to blog.  If you have ever wondered if you should blog, this post is for you.  Note:  A free PDF version of this post is available to download at the end of this post.

Photo courtesy of iStockPhoto

Photo courtesy of iStockPhoto

Some of you have probably heard of Jeffrey Gitomer.  He’s an author and speaker regarding sales.  Almost all of you have heard of Roger Staubach.  He is a Heisman Trophy winner for the Naval Academy. He was a Super Bowl MVP for the Dallas Cowboys.  He also started a multi-billion dollar commercial real estate company – the Staubach Company – which sold to Jones Lang LaSalle for $612 million in 2011.

One day, Jeffrey Gitomer walked into Roger Staubach’s office in Dallas without an appointment.  He just walked in and asked to see Roger.  As you might expect, the gatekeeper was not giving him access.

Then something remarkable happened.  Roger heard Gitomer’s name from his office.  He came racing down the hall and escorted Gitomer back to his office.  Why on earth was Roger Staubach that interested in meeting with Jeffrey Gitomer?  How could Gitomer succeed in just walking in and getting a meeting?

Jeffrey Gitomer wrote (maybe he still does) a syndicated column on sales that appeared in many newspapers at the time.  Staubach was a fan.  When Rodger the Dodger heard Gitomer’s name – he had to meet him.

Blogging can produce the same results for you.  Specifically, you should blog for the following 8 reasons.

8 Reasons Why You Should Blog

  1. VisibilityA blog helps you to be seen!  And take it from a short guy, you need all the help you can get.  Think of this as a platform you can stand on.  This is the analogy Michael Hyatt uses in his book Platform which is a must read for anyone who is starting to blog.  Simply put – I read his book and did what he said.
  2. Amplification – What do you do if you want to get the attention of a large crowd?  One great option is to stand on something.  A blog does this for you.  It gives you something to stand on so you can be heard.  Try being 5’7″ in a crowd of a thousand and getting everyone’s attention.  Not easy.
  3. Demonstrate Your Expertise – If this was a list of one, this would be the one.  You may have heard the term content marketing.  This is what we are talking about.  Writing gives you the ability to demonstrate your expertise without having to toot your own horn.  You can educate.  You can tell deal stories – or any stories.  Produce great content on a regular basis.  The content demonstrates that you are an expert in your field.  And you are an expert at something.  You are.
  4. Build Your Tribe – This is a term made popular by the great Seth Godin.  The idea here is to create a following of people who are passionate about your product, service, or cause.  These people are your brand evangelists.  They spread your message.  They buy your products.  They augment your presence.
  5. Educate the Next Generation of Customers – Every huge investor at some point did their first deal.  Whether you are in Commercial Real Estate or any other industry, the next generation of clients will do their first deal.  How top of mind do you think you would be if you were the one who helped educate them?  Think about that for a minute.
  6. It Goes Before You – This is the effect that Jeffrey Gitomer enjoyed in the office of Roger Staubach.  His presence went before him.  Roger knew who he was before he walked into that office.  It was the only way he could get an audience.  Blogging helps you become known – and known as an expert.  It helps you prospect.  It effectively greases every other wheel in the sales process.
  7. 24/7 Worldwide – Think about the cashflow generated by an apartment building.  The owner literally makes money while he sleeps, does his day job, etc.  Blogging builds your online presence in the same way.  It is working 24/7 for you.  It is engaging your tribe.  It is warming up your prospecting.  It is increasing your online presence.  And it does so worldwide.  Beautiful!
  8. Repository of Your Best Thinking – Michael Hyatt claims this is the reason he started blogging.  It was a place for him to collect his best thinking – and share it with others.  I started blogging to create presence, but this point has surprised me.  Anytime I have a conversation with a coaching client more than once, it generally becomes a blog post.  Now that I have an outlet for my thoughts, it is as if my brain thinks differently.  And I like it!

So here is my question for you:  What are your reasons not to start a blog? My next post will contain the ones I hear the most, but I want to hear yours. You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

  • hfklaw

    I’ve heard this story before. It’s a great story. Oh, and by the way, your absolutely correct. I am beginning to experience the benefits of blogging and other social media strategy. All things good come to those with persistence and patience.

    • Howard – how long have you been blogging and doing your radio show? I’m curious about how long it took for you to get traction?

      • hfklaw

        I have been blogging since 2008, but not effectively until about 2010. Originally, I was writing long, detailed articles that took me a long time to write and read. Because of the detail that I included, I was inconsistent with producing content, not fully appreciating the need for consistency and “constancy”. It then dawned on me after a few years that I could write the longer articles in shorter blog posts, producing more constant and consistent content, (the 3 “C”‘s)

        We didn’t do our first radio show until December 2010 and didn’t really start ratcheting things up until 2011.

        Probably more to the point, it has been a learning process, a journey, if you will. It has taken this long, primarily because I had to learn along the way and I have the bumps on my head to prove it. I also hope to get many more bumps in the future.

        By the way, our social media radio show and your post here, inspired me to write my own post on how you saved my bacon. Read it at http://creradio.com/articles/bo-barron-saved-bacon-social-media-puns/. Hope you will get a laugh. Also, pay attention to my “call to action” at the end of the article and how I referred to your Twitter links. I think I did that well, if I do say so myself.

  • Steve Haver

    I started composing the first post this morning, so it’s nice to have some reinforcement for the effort! I’m leaving the world of employment next week and starting out in CRE and a couple other related ventures will generate some revenue until commission checks star flowing. I figured it was essential to develop an online presence and social media strategy.

    • Steve – congrats and well done. Post your site here in the comments and we will check it out. Per Howard and I would agree, be patient and persistent. When you are ready to quit, you have almost reached the tipping point.

      • Steve Haver

        Thanks, Bo – I’m looking to you and Howard to shorten my learning curve! There is a lot of advice and info out there – it’s a little overwhelming sometimes. I’m convinced that mastering social media is critical to success in almost any venture these days.

        • Go buy the book Platform, if you haven’t done so already. Best resource I’ve seen.

  • abuchanan

    A couple of things resonated…visibility and the “repository” for your best thinking. I don’t believe we would have connected were it not for blogging. Content creation allows us to bridge geographic gaps seamlessly and bind thought processes efficiently. An un intended benefit for me has been the way I can use past content (old posts) to foster new relationships…right, Howard Kline?

    • You are right Allen. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pointed to a previous post and sent it to a client. And I agree, we likely would not have connected were it not for our blogs.

    • And forward posts to clients, friends, etc (depending on topic) so that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time someone wants to pick your brain.

  • I’d definitely agree with all of those reasons. I like the phrase “it goes before you.”
    Recently at a networking event, a person walked up to me and said, “I follow you on Twitter.”
    That’s an example for a similar reason.

    • It is also cool. My brother in law, Brad, sent me a text last week. He said that he was eating dinner with a CCIM in Vegas while at a convention. The CCIM couldn’t believe that Brad knew me. This stuff works!

      • Indeed!
        Some people get employment because of it, even.

      • Jon S. England, CCIM

        Ha! Too funny. I am the CCIM you are referring to. I got to meet Brad at that Vegas steak dinner and your blog came up in conversation. We had a great time and his being ‘related’ to you was a neat connection to make. I really enjoy your blog. Thanks for sharing your insights.

        • Jon – that is a trip! Thanks for your kind words and I look forward to meeting you soon!

  • Alan Schork

    Thanks, Bo. Your arguments for blogging are clear and inspiring. I’m almost there…just have to convince myself that I can do it well and consistently. I am convinced already that it would help me. And it sure is motivating to think that it might help connect me to someone like Roger Staubach, whom I admire a great deal.

    • Alan – you can do it well and consistently. We all have the same amount of hours in a day, and we all ultimately choose how we will spend that time. You make a decision to do it – that is motivation. Then you actually do it over time – that is discipline. Not easy, but it’s all you need.

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