Ask the Answer Guy – Why Do Companies Who Start Blogs Quit?

Dear Brent,

I know you have encouraged us to start a company blog, but I have noticed that whenever a company starts a blog, it doesn't take long for them to give up and quit. Why is that?

Sadly, those companies are not following three simple steps when writing their blogs. "Teaching" instead of "selling" is the new normal in business and the best way to engage and convert prospects to long term clients. Unfortunately many company blogs are selling without teaching.

But blogs can be so tremendously powerful. I have learned that one of the best ways to reach prospects--when they are ready to engage you and are most receptive to your message--is with a corporate blog. DCG enccourages our search engine optimization (SEO) clients to create and maintain a corporate blog because doing so elevates your website in terms of trust and page rank with Google. Timely, relevant blog articles that educate your prospects about your industry, demonstrate creative use of your products, and give lots of value is not only the best way to attract clients, but also a great way support a successful SEO campaign.

Google likes to elevate sites that have logs of relevant content because their goal is to provide searchers with sites that are most likley to have answers the searchers are looking for. Blogs are a fantastic way to do that.

Here are the three basic steps bloggers should follow in order to avoid imminent failure:

1. Set a schedule.
The number one reason companies fail is that they don’t set a blogging schedule and stick with it. One or two articles a week should be a minimum goal.

2. Get help.
It is imperative that more than one person share the responsibility of meeting the schedule. If you are not a strong writer, get one. I collaborate with Dyan from Assistant Match to help me write the DCG newsletter and many of our blog articles. Share the blog project with at least one other employee who will help you with the content generation and timelines.

3. Stick to at least five general topics.
You must define general subject categories that you will write about every month. That is the easiest way to generate new content consistently, since it is easier to notice content in the news, around the office, or at home when you are focused on just a few topics. That’s how newspapers do it. They have a News, Sports, Society, Entertainment section, etc. By way of example, here are some categories and article titles we use on the DCG BLOG:

• It's Free - Apple's Splashy iOS7
• Cool Stuff - Fitbit Goes Flexible with Flex
• Tips and Tricks - Stay Current and Secure with Secunia PSI
• Ask the Answer Guy - Is Dropbox Still Safe to Use?
• Security Corner - NSA's Recommendations for the Most Secure Networks
• IT Talk - Windows XP is Retiring. Get Ready to Upgrade.

So, don’t become one of those companies who have a blog that is as stale and old! Hang in there! Once you're teaching instead of selling, and blogging about it becomes a part of your work life, the task will get easier and more rewarding as time goes on.

About Brent Whitfield

Brent Whitfield is CEO of DCG Technical Solutions, Inc., which provides IT Support in the Los Angeles area since 1993. DCG exists to help our clients choose, implement, and manage IT and cloud solutions that are cost effective and reliable. DCG's pro-active approach to IT is ideally suited for companies who depend on reliable IT infrastructure, but don't want to spend a lot of money to keep it that way. DCG was recognized among the Top 10 Fastest Growing MSPs in North America by MSP Mentor. Brent has been featured in Fast Company, CNBC, Network Computing, Reuters, and Yahoo Business.