The other day I had tea with a friend and she asked half-jokingly, “Should I still have a blog? Does anyone even read those anymore?” The short answer is yes, you should still have a blog, but use it like a Swiss Army knife.
Search engine optimization (SEO) and googling are weird these days with AI. Gemini and ChatGPT will summarize content so people aren’t clicking individual links as much. Because of that, should you still bother writing anything? It may feel futile but you still need a blog to show the search engines that you’re an active website. People still search for things like “freelance marketing content writer” and you want your website to pop up (if you’re a freelance marketing content writer).
Also, you never know how people will find you. I have a client I ghostwrote a blog for on a very niche topic. We wrote that post YEARS ago and she’s number two when people google for it. She gets a thousand page views every month from that topic alone. So yes, people still read blogs. And even if people don’t read blogs, they consume content in other ways, which leads me to my next point.
People (Mostly) Read Their Emails
People may not check out your blog every month or every week, even if you’d like them to but you know what they will check? Their email. Obsessively. Professionals check their email 15 times a day. Email marketing is an industry that is here to stay and just keeps growing. But what do you say in your emails? Should you only send an email blast when your business is having a sale? Unless you’re a Big Box store, no.
Talk to your customers and clients. Tell them stories. Answer their questions. Entertain them. Inspire them. Whatever you feel moved to do and fits in with your brand. And here’s where a blog is like a Swiss Army knife: Use your blog to create the email newsletter. As a freelance marketing content writer, I do this all the time. I write a blog, case study, or profile for my clients and then they email everyone on their contact list. They’re directly communicating with their clients and customers without creating totally new content. But wait! There’s more.
Use Your Blog to Create Social Media Content
Not only can you use your blog to create an email newsletter, you can use it for everything, which is why I say a blog is like a Swiss Army knife. Take a segment of your blog and create an Instagram post, something for Threads, a TikTok video, and a snippet for LinkedIn. Use your blog content for social media creation. Have one feed into the other. If you’re smart, you’ll direct people to your blog post so the whole thing comes full circle and then people will read your blog.
Should you still have a blog? Yes, you should. That said, not everyone has the time or capacity to write one. I know many people who have ideas burning a hole in their brains but they’re busy focusing on other things. That’s where I, a ghostwriter and freelance marketing content writer, come in. I excel at writing blogs and I can write them in such a way that it sounds like you. To really reap the benefits though, use the content in other ways. Make a blog a multifunctional tool like a Swiss Army knife. You’ll be glad you did.
If you want to chat about creating a blog or email newsletter for your business, contact me. Let’s see if we’re a good fit.