There’s value in a business blog. Real value. It’s so much more than a tool for getting traffic from Google (although that is a huge plus).

But, have you ever asked yourself, “Why am I blogging anyway?”

I’m willing to bet that a good number of you have asked yourself this question. Especially when you were first starting out or really busy and wondering if it is worth the time and effort you’re putting into it.

So here’s a reminder as to why you should continue (or even start) to blog on a consistent and continual basis:

Remaining Educated

By default, when you research you also learn.  So, when you are searching for content ideas and gathering information for your next post, you are not only providing for your clients, but continually educating yourself about your market.

Expanding Your Knowledge Base

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Not only are you remaining educated, but you will undoubtedly further your knowledge base while you write new posts for your blog. While doing my research for this blog, I learned  as I read posts from others who had written about this same topic. I was able to garner ideas in addition to those that I already had – some of which I would have never considered if I didn’t write this blog. Put into perspective for the real estate industry: writing about the 4th of July events in your hometown, for example, will enable you to learn things to tell your clients about and…

Become A Trusted Source

It’s a simple equation:

Reliable + Valuable Content = Trusted Source

Trusted Source = New Clients

New Clients = New Sales

This may seem too elementary of a statement, but when it comes down to it, it’s a fact.  One of my trusted sources for information is Hubspot (an inbound marketing company).  They have this equation down to a tee – I glean consistent, continual, reliable and valuable content from them, I signed up for their e-newsletter, and invested in them by becoming a new paying client (Google invested $32 million in them last year – it seems they felt the same way).

Ask yourself, are you a trusted source for your audience?

Learn From Your Clients

Today I had a conversation with a client who was looking for a product that allowed him to know what potential buyers/sellers were thinking.  Yes, you heard me right! So of course I told him, when I find that out and have it patented, I’ll send him a postcard from my yacht in the Mediterranean and let him know.

But seriously, it would be great to know what your clients are thinking or want to know, wouldn’t it?  And you can – with your blog.

Make sure that you provide lots of opportunities for your visitors to leave a comment or submit a question to you, and always remind them to do so. There are many comment forms that can be used, including the default one that comes with your blog theme, comment forms that can be linked to your Facebook profile, Disqus, and more. Use them to your advantage. No crystal balls required.