According to a 2014-2015 HubSpot survey of over 3,500 professionals, “companies that blog are 13 times more likely to generate a positive marketing ROI,” or return on investment. Additional HubSpot statistics reveal that websites with more than 400 pages, which is completely possible once you build your blog up over time, gets six times more leads than those with fewer than 100 pages. So now that you know that blogging can be extremely beneficial to your business success, the question is: Do you write the blogs yourself or hire this task out?
Like anything else in life, there are pros and cons to each. Let’s discuss some of them now so you can make the best decision for your small business blog.
Writing Your Own Blogs
There are many benefits to writing your own blog, if that is what you decide to do. For starters, it can save you a decent amount of money by not having to hire a writer to create the content for you.
The amount of money you’re looking at shelling out depends on how often you want to post, how long your blogs are (writers generally charge per word), and whether you hire a seasoned professional writer who charges premium rates for his or her experience or a less experienced writer who has done fewer jobs and is still fairly new to the writing world, thus charges slightly less. Either way, this cost can add up over time.
Writing your own blog is also advantageous if you like to have complete control over everything that is written about your business online. So, by writing it yourself, you know that the blog says exactly what you want to say and exactly how you want to say it—no major editing necessary. Plus, some small business owners just like to write, so keeping their own blog is more a joy than a pain.
As far as disadvantages of writing your own blogs, the first and most obvious one is that it can be a huge issue if you consider writing a chore. This can make posting regularly something you dread, which may either cause you to give up your blog entirely or keep you not as consistent as you’d like, thus potentially making your blog less effective. Neither scenario is going to do you any good.
Another con of writing your own blogs is the amount of time it takes. Even if you’re a decent writer and you don’t mind blogging, it becomes just one more thing that you have to take care of in your already busy day. And when other, more important business matters are looming, that makes it incredibly easy to make writing a blog the last thing on your to-do list, which, again, means that you’re going to have a hard time keeping it updated with relevant, helpful content.
Hiring a Writer to Blog for You
Hiring a writer to blog for you, on the other hand, frees up your time and lets you delegate to someone who, in all likeliness, can do it faster and better because that’s what they do for a living. It’s also a pro to hire a writer to take care of your blog if you would rather go to the dentist than write your own content, find blog writing boring or difficult to do, or aren’t sure how to create a blog that effectively connects to your target market.
One con of hiring someone else to do your blogs, other than cost, is the time and energy that it takes to locate a good writer, vetting out your possibilities, and trying to find the one that is the best for you. It’s kind of like hiring a new employee, even if you’re just using them on a contract or 1099 basis.
Plus, after you’ve found one that you think can represent your small business the way you’d like in the blog, it also takes time to work with him or her to capture your brand’s voice. Additionally, like anyone you hire, you do run the risk that they won’t work out, which means that you’ve not only potentially wasted time, but also money in the process.
There really is no easy answer here, there’s just finding the answer that is right for you. So give consideration to each option and choose the one that seems to make the most sense given your like or dislike of writing, your budget, and everything else that is a factor when making this decision.
And if you’re ready to start your own blog, whether on your own or with a writer’s help, but you’re not sure what to blog about, read What Should You Blog About? Topic Ideas to Consider and you’ll have more than enough ideas to get you started!
I’m always interested in learning other small business owners’ thoughts on relevant topics and issues, so if you have a comment or unique article idea, feel free to contact me at [email protected] (put “Businessing Magazine” in the subject line, please). If I use it, it’s a free link to your website!
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