If You’re Not Trying To Save The World, Your Business Shouldn’t Be Blogging
Folks, don’t mourn the loss of most of the Inc. 500 blogs this year. They were doomed to failure anyway.
After reading Marcus Sheridan’s article, where he describes effective blogs as teaching, publishing, and educational tools, I’d like to go a step further and say that any blogger who isn’t trying to save the world will fail.
Done laughing? Good, because I’m serious. Come on, you know this. It’s Blogging 101.
If you have a blog that you expect to benefit from, you need to provide a benefit to others to get it. But blogging isn’t a retail transaction, over in a couple of minutes. It lasts years. So you need to have a very good reason to sustain it, and make it successful.
I say the only one that works is saving the world.
Who are you saving it from?
Who else? The bad guys. We’re in business, so it’s not much of a stretch to draw the lines around your territory and start defending it.
Misinformation. Fads. Guru-worship. Lies. Competitors. There are endless dragons to slay. Who says you have to pick just one? Open your blog editor and wade into the fray.
Teach. Learn. Expose. Experience. Recount. Reply. Wax poetic. Rant. Rave. Defend, defend, defend the world, even against yourself.
That’s building a relationship between your brand and your customers.
Agenda? Guess what? If you’re saving the world, you won’t be able to hide it. And no one will mind in the least.
blogs blogging professional blogging business blogs business
Photo credit: Jenn and Tony Bot, courtesy Flickr, CC 2.0.
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New England Multimedia I'm excited that you're awakening your loved ones, Michelle, and hopefully they'll start battling soon. Educating is key, and I think that as business owners with certain knowledge sets, we have the perfect opportunity to implement the power it gives, and share the knowledge for the good of others. While we're doing that, we're being positioned as thought leaders and experts, and our business will grow as long as we maintain our cause against the "bad guys." Saving the world? Check. Becoming successful? Check.
Your passion rocks Shakirah :) Some might look at what you're saying here and think it very naive. As for me, I understand *exactly* where you're coming from....and it's a dang good place. Keep pushing the vision that is value my friend!
And thank you kindly for the mention too :)
Marcus
Marcus_Sheridan Appreciate the encouragement. I think some might think it's juvenile, or even hypocritical for a business to talk about saving the world. Mostly people who a) aren't sure yet what they want, b) don't want to do any of the "dirty work" necessary to succeed and c) really are soulless and money-grubbing.
Besides, I didn't say we had to save the world. I just said we should try!
Glad to have you over, Marcus.
I agree with Samantha--love your angle, Shakirah! So glad that she forwarded me your compelling post this morning-wish I would have read it sooner. It takes courage to declare that you're saving the world one blog post at a time. However, without courage (as Maya Angelou has famously said) all other virtues are rendered meaningless. I say, all who dare to blog should follow your example: Blog Bravely!
amyshoultzphd Amen, Amy! Blog bravely...it's what you and I strive for each time we tweet, +, StumbleUpon, and write, isn't it? Courage in the face of adversity and ambient noise.
amyshoultzphd Good to see you here, Amy. Thank you for the encouragement; I hope to get braver than I am.
Fantastic post and angle Shakirah! Impressed.
I'm saving the world from the enemy with a capital E -- in general. Specifically, I hope to save the people who cross my path from giving up on their dreams just because some horrid tragedy or event occurred in their lives; or worse, giving up their dreams because some hater flung some acrimonious spit at them. I mission to help people walk in the light and sparkle that a child walks in, but with their adult wisdom, creativity, and resources along with that vulnerable innocence. Sound like a lofty, ethereal mission for a journalist and copywriter?
Absolutely not.
As you know, one word, one punctuation mark, one spirited affirmation (almost whispered) on the phone to someone can change the world. That's what I want to do with my writing.
S
texascopywriter What a comment--and what a mission, Samantha. Thank you for sharing it. A tall order it is not, as you prove every day with your sparkling personality.
ShakirahDawud Such sweet words coming from one of the best wordsmiths out there!
Love this post, Shakirah! I'm totally into saving the world. I know so many folks who are unemployed and waiting for the perfect job, and now they're just hoping for any job. Yet with social media -- which they're already using, especially Facebook and Twitter -- they have the ability right now to start home-based service or product businesses on a shoestring and do their own marketing. That's why we educate, educate, educate. We do a lot of Wordpress site development and social media setup and training for existing businesses, but we want to also wake up our friends and neighbors to the possibilities that lie before them, and now we're finally starting to see some friends take those first timid steps, fighting the "bad guys" named Fear and Doubt.So I absolutely get what you're saying!
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