I have a client. She’s a very good client, bringing in thousands of dollars to my business over the last several years.
When she originally found my business, she was just starting up her company. She heard me speak at an event, and decided to sign up for my ezine. She lurked on my list for a number of months while other things happened – she designed her logo, created her business plan, got funding, etc.
Then one day I ran into her again at a networking event. She said she had read my ezine for over a year, and loved the information it provided. She even had a special folder in her email account especially for my information, so she can go back and read it again and again.
We met for coffee. She signed up for my marketing services. And three years later she still has me on board to help market and grow her business.
Why did this happen? And more importantly, how can we make this happen again. And again?
Something shifted in her life. When she originally found me, she was motivated enough to take a tiny step. She signed up for my ezine, my free electronic newsletter that I send out twice per month. And that was fine for her for a while. She used it to gain new ideas, and help her plan out the next steps of her business model. Then the change happened, and she jumped on board as a client. Because she followed me, followed my advice, and was already in a relationship with my content, taking the next step was an easy one.
eZine – What About The Blog Post?
You are probably wondering why my title is The Only Reason You Should Ever Create A Blog Post, and up until now I’ve been talking about ezines. If you too have followed my ezines for a number of years, you know how I structure them.
- I give a quick note about my personal life – something quick to learn a bit more about me.
- I give one article that is exclusive to my ezine readers – information you can only get as an ezine subscriber.
- I give two short stories that start out in my ezine, and link over to longer blog posts.
And while many people still follow my ezine regularly, I also realize that email is a dying format. Why? Because social is so much easier to gain access to the information you truly want.
- You can choose an RSS reader like Google Reader, and have instant access to the RSS feeds you enjoy the most.
- You can use apps like Flipboard that give you instant access to your news streams in magazine style format.
- You can use Facebook and Twitter to follow people that provide quality information, and click to the news items that matter most to you.
Which is why I’m incorporating blog posts into my ezines, and have been doing so for the past two years.
I’m writing quality content that I know my readers love. And I want to share it in a way that my readers choose to read it – whether it’s through an ezine, through Facebook, or on a favorite app.
The true reason to create a blog post isn’t to sell your products or services, or to advertise your business. The true reason to create a blog post is to provide top quality information that helps your potential customers in some aspect.
If they can learn something new, and it motivates them to change something in their lives because of it (no matter how small), they will be back. You’ve made them think, and they value your expertise and your knowledge base.
By posting again and again, and spreading your content in a variety of ways, you are establishing a trail back to your business. Some will convert in a short period of time – a few days. Some will convert in a longer period of time – a few months or even years. But it your goal is to be in business 5 years from now, and have a steady stream of clients along the way, all it will really take is doing a little bit every single day.
Like one blog post – every day.
