A question among creative business owners that is being more frequently asked is “Is blogging worth it?” It takes hours to put together a single blog post and with the mini-blogging platforms of social media, it can be tempting to forgo blogging all together.  However, I’d like to encourage you to continue (or start) blogging for a few reasons.

1. Blogging consistently helps potential clients find you.

Your blog lets you get really specific with your SEO and drive traffic to that particular post.  For example, I don’t tag every wedding post as “Austin Wedding”, as that is too generic and might turn up more results than I want to compete with.  However, I do get venue specific and industry specific when tagging posts.  You can also use alt tags on your images within blog posts so that they will come up in image search results for Google.  That means that any bride, for us, who is searching for a wedding photographer at her venue will likely search for “[My Venue] wedding photographer” and, knowing that, I can use alt tags on my images saying such and come up at the top in the image search results.  If I really loved working at that venue, it would be an easy way to show their brides that I’ve been there before, which creates trust.

2. Blogging allows you to showcase your favorite vendors.

By creating backlinks for your favorite vendors, you’re helping their SEO.  You’ll want to make sure you’re using the anchor text (the text that appears in the post with the link) that the vendor wants to be found for.  If you just use their business name, it’s not as effective as you including their city and what they do (what they want to rank for on Google).  More than SEO, you’re telling your blog followers and potential clients that you like that vendor and would love to work with them again.  Think of it as an online referral from you to your clients for that vendor.  A rising tide lifts all boats, so be helpful and include backlinks for your favorite industry peers.

3. Blogging shows potential clients that you’re still in business.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve clicked on a blog to find that the owner hasn’t been active in months!  To me, this means the business isn’t doing well or may be closed.  If you have a blog and you’re not consistently showing up for your blog readers, you’re doing more harm than good.  Personally, my goal is to blog at least once a week.  If you’re not sure what to blog but you want to get back into blogging to make sure your potential clients KNOW you’re still in business, the next point is for you.

4. Blogging serves your clients.

Blogging should have one of these two goals: to educate your clients or inspire them.  Every post should have some sort of benefit to your potential clients.  How is the content you’re posting beneficial to your ideal client?  If you need ideas on what to blog, here are some options.

Wedding Florists can blog about what flowers are in season and why it’s a good idea (for their budget and the environment) to pick flowers that are in season for your wedding.  They can also share some of their recent work to inspire future brides or showcase how simple changes can make big impacts in the look of a wedding. A wedding florist can also do a tutorial on how to make your own flower crown for a bridal shower or bachelorette party.  They can also show how different bridesmaids dress colors go best with certain flower colors for the most amount of pop. Another option would be to explain all the different types of bouquets so potential brides have a better idea of the style they’re going for.  They can post images with different ideas for boutonnieres that would appeal to a boho, rustic, classic, or vintage style.  One of my personal favorites is answering a frequently asked question.

5.  Blogging showcases your most recent work.

Not everyone has the ability or knowledge to update their website with every new event.  Blogging, however, is a super easy way to showcase your most recent work.  You want to show your recent work, as your work only gets better with time.  The longer I photograph weddings, the better I get, and I would venture to say that holds true for any wedding vendor.  The longer you’re in the industry, the more you experience and knowledge you gain.  You want to have somewhere you can easily showcase your latest project to show the world.  A blog is the easiest place to do that!

Ok, so you understand these points, but you’re not sure why blogging is better than social media.  If this is you, please remember that you don’t own that social media platform and it may not be around forever.  Facebook today isn’t what it used to be.  Now, the algorithm isn’t allowing your posts to show up to your followers, so they’re not seeing it.  Instagram has even started asking business owners to pay to promote their posts or shadowbanning posts, so no one sees it.  Your blog, however, is yours!  You can customize the look of it and say exactly what you want!  There isn’t a character limit (like Twitter), so you can really tell a story.

Speaking of stories, can I let you in on a little secret?  My brides LOVE IT when I tell their stories!  I never paid too much attention to this until our brides  started to repeatedly tell me how much they enjoyed reading the stories told in their blog post, along with their images. Some of our brides even include how much they loved their blog post in their reviews of us!  Seriously!  By sharing your clients’ stories, you’re telling them that you love them and you’re invested in them and want the best for them!  You’re telling them that they matter to you and that you enjoyed their wedding day enough that you’re sharing it as some of your best work!  Your brides will send their friends and family to your blog post about them.  They’re excited about it and want to share your post (and therefore, your business) with their loved ones.  That is what makes it all worth it.  You’re serving your clients and telling them that you care for them by sharing their story.

If you have any questions about blogging, please don’t hesitate to reach out!  Shoot me an email or leave a comment below.

XOXO,
Mylah Renae