Blogs, Who Needs Them!
Posted on March 16, 2011 by Phil Bowyer

Let's start off bold, contrary to what you hear all over the web, you may not need a blog.

I read several blog posts from experts last week that debated the never ending question as to whether or not blogs are dead. The answer was always an unequivocal "NO", but while I agree with that on a general level, I tend to question it on a specific level. Blogs are not for everyone, and can actually hurt a brand and waste time - especially for independent authors and musicians.

A blog is a tool, just like Facebook or Twitter, and in order for it to be effective it should be a part of an overall social media marketing plan. These guys that just spew that everyone should have a blog clearly don't understand that for some, a blog just isn't the proper tool to get the job done.

For instance, many authors I know have blogs, or are in the process of starting a blog. If you go to their blogs, you'll find tips on writing, how to self publish, or the benefits of bypassing publishers to hit the motherload. The problem is, all of these blogs are the same, and they aren't targeted to their audience - readers! They are wasting time writing about writing, something readers could care less about. Crazy isn't it?

Before you think about starting a blog (or continuing the one you have) consider whether or not you have the bandwidth to create QUALITY posts that target your audience on a consistent basis. You can't have have 1 or 2, you need to have all 3 - Quality, Targets Audience & Consistency.

Your Turn

So, what are you doing? What kick ass thing are you doing on your blog? If you aren't blogging, what are you doing to stand apart from the crowd? Let's talk about it in the comments!