Warning: Herein lies heresy: Not everyone should have a blog. In fact, 95% of the blog owners shouldn’t have a blog. Blogs may increase search engine rankings, build communities, establish expertise within a given field, provide a human side to your brand, engage customers, and becomes the vehicle to build loads of content. So, why do so many bloggers jump ship? Blogging is hard work.

So, you have permission to say “no!”

Let’s face it:
• Blogging takes time (more than many admit)
• Many thoughtful blog posts go unread
• Establishing expertise requires, well, expertise
• Your audience doesn’t read blogs
• Your #1 keyword referral will not be what you expect

When the new wears off, your blog will go months before it is updated. After carrying the unnecessary, blog-imposed guilt of not posting any new content (which is something that you never wanted to do in the first place), you’ll sit down and write a post that says: “Betcha wondered where we’ve been?” or “I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted,” which will only be read by exactly two people. You and the customer that you’re trying to close who checked to see if you really update your blog. If blogging isn’t a part of your content strategy from the beginning then save yourself the time, money and most importantly the added and unnecessary stress of not keeping your blog updated.

On the other hand, there is probably no better way to tell your story than through your blog. In addition to the benefits listed above, blogging is a powerful tool for growing international awareness through content alone. Blogging coupled with effective use of social media tools has led to the meteoric rise of net celebrities like famed marketing writer Seth Godin, wine connoisseur turned social media consultant Gary Vaynerchuk, sales and marketing executive turned international rockstar social media consultant Mark Schaefer.

Many companies don’t care to engage with their customers–they just want the sell their service or product. As Doc Searls says in the Cluetrain Manifesto, “everything that happens in a marketplace falls into just three categories: transaction, conversation, and relationship. In our First World business culture, transaction matters most, conversation less, and relationship least.” For companies that understand their role as content publishers and their potential customers as consumers of that content, blogging becomes a natural starting point for conversation that in some cases leads to a life-long, loyal relationship.