This post is part of a series I started in December. The first post covered the first three reasons to blog. This post covers three more reasons.

Aren’t blogs so . . . 2010? That’s the question I posed a month and a half ago.

What’s the answer?

First, a review: as I explained in December, a “blog: is defined as a shortened form of “weblog,” or a log kept on the web. Originally, these were more like online journals, as their name implies, but that type of blog has faded from popularity.

Modern “blogs” focus on providing information or explaining a process in a quick, easy-to-read format.

Producing educational-type content on a regular basis, whether in written form (a blog), audio (a podcast), or video (a vlog) can be a powerful tool for several reasons.

In my last post in the series, we covered three:

• It keeps your website fresh and thus ups your traffic
• It hones your communication skills with your ideal client
• It keeps YOU fresh in your industry as you do research for your content and reacquaint yourself with aspects of your field that you . . . may forget about in the day-to-day grind.

In this post, I’d like to cover three more excellent reasons.

Become the Subject Matter Expert Among Your Peers AND Attract More of Your Ideal Client

OK, these are actually two reasons, but at their root, they result from the same reason: blogging positions you as an authority.

Say you’re a psychotherapist new to the field. You’re hungry, so you take almost anyone on as a client. Yet you find your passion is helping people overcome addiction. Writing regularly about addiction, especially as you learn and gain experience in the field, will show people what you’re passionate about.

If you write with clarity and authenticity, you’ll also build trust with your readership. They’ll get to see who YOU are, and they’ll feel like they’re getting to know you. Then one day? They’ll show up at your door—or send one of their friends.

Why?

You’ve shown that they can trust you with themselves AND with their issue.

At the same time, if you’re producing great insights, your colleagues will begin to trust you on those topics. What do you think they’ll do when they’re overbooked, and people show up to THEIR door looking for something they don’t provide or aren’t as passionate about as you? You got it—referrals!

Opens the Door for Other Opportunities

This follows the last point. As you build trust on a topic or specialty service you provide, such as, say, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, you’ll not only attract the kind of client you want, but you’ll also start getting noticed as an authority on the topic.

This can lead to all kinds of opportunities: speaking gigs, conferences, collaborations, podcast interviews, a following on social media.

If you love what you’re doing, show it! The more you talk about something, the more people will view you as a go-to expert on it. Again, it’s about building trust.

Helps You Systematize Your Processes

 In my previous post in this series, I talked about how having to write your thoughts down helps you learn to communicate better with your clients. There’s another person you’ll be communicating better with: yourself.

Let’s say you’re discussing your thoughts on ADHD in the workplace or your use of experiential therapy. You’ll have to think through what you do, how you do it, and what you observe and experience. Then, you’ll have to organize your ideas and form them into something cohesive. That, in turn, helps you polish and systematize those things for yourself.

And YOU’LL be better at what you do.

Conclusion

Consistently producing content is not just a publicity stunt; it’s a multipurpose tool. As I’ve shown, it helps you build the practice or business you’ve dreamed of in many different ways:

• building trust with prospective clients and colleagues,
• refining your practices,
• developing better client communication, and
• opening doors to other possibilities.

Social media posts are also a great tool, but they are short (or they should be). They don’t give you the room that a blog, a podcast, or a vlog does to develop in some of the ways I’ve mentioned.

So back to my question: aren’t blogs passé?

I hope I’ve made it clear: NO WAY.

For more tips on blogging, check out: Blogging: A Way to Build Trust (and Some Tips to Help You Do It) and the first post in this series.

Need help getting started on your blog? I can help. Contact me today for more information or a free discovery call!