Why you should blog even if you don’t have the time

I was reading a transcript of an online discussion regarding the benefits of blogging for business. One of the people in the discussion declared that she did not have time to blog since she was way too busy doing client work. Her blog was basically abandoned, and she was OK with that. I wasn’t in on the conversation, but if I had been,  I would have told her she is making a big mistake.

It’s very simple. If you don’t do any marketing because you are busy, you will inevitably have to work twice as hard to market yourself when you aren’t busy. And yes, blogging is a marketing effort:  It boosts your visibility. It keeps your website current. It helps with SEO.

Not blogging because you are too busy is like not networking because you already have a job. If you lose your job (which unfortunately can happen from one day to the next) you will soon realize you don’t have relationships in place to help you in a job search. You must keep networking and building relationships, whether you “need” them now or not, because you never know what will happen in the future.

Whether you are busy or not, blogging should be a part of your business marketing routine. To neglect your blog now because you are busy working on your client’s behalf is a rookie mistake. Those of us who have been in the business world for a while know that clients come and go. Clients can face budget shortfalls and cut you from one day to the next.

Put energy into your own business, not just your client’s business. This applies to you whether you have your own business, or you work for someone else, and even if you are concerned with developing your career. If you are a worker bee, why not have a personal blog? If you work for an organization, you should insist that the organizational should be kept up to date.  And it goes without saying that if you own your own business, you are solely responsible for keeping you presence out there.

Don’t wait! Write a blog post today!