So it seems while I’ve been moving country, having babies, starting a business, getting dressed, eating dinner and breakfast I should have been writing it all down in an electronic diary. The world is in a blogging frenzy. Almost every website or Facebook page I have looked at over the last few months has had a blog. After a bit of research, I understand how it can be useful, I get it … but is it ACTUALLY helpful for everyone and every business? Or is this a craze that will see blogging find it’s way to the same corner of the stratosphere as My Space? (remember that?)
Prior to embarking on this adventure, I had a vague awareness of blogs … but had never taken the time to find one or read one. However, over the last six months my awareness of blogs and how they work has exploded. They are everywhere I look – and of course I’m looking a lot more as I research various topics for Practical Care. So thought I’d better get onto it and start one of my own, as there must be some benefit to it, right?? … Right??
Well first of all I have to find something worthwhile writing about ….. Trickier than it sounds, as it turns out. There are so many inspirational cancer bloggers out there – would my blog really stand out in a crowd? Well, I guess there aren’t too many healthcare professionals blogging at the moment, so maybe I can bring that to the blog party. I’ve decided to write a blog about cancer stories, treatment side effects and people’s experiences, as it relates to what we do – and I doubt people would care what I had for breakfast that morning. But do these types of posts really help build relationships with clients? Well, I guess if they comment it’s a way of engaging and understanding your readers, so that makes sense.
I’m also aware Google loves content so having blog posts from 500-600 words long helps along your SEO – but then do we fall into the trap of trying to pad out posts with meaningless information just to increase word count? Memories of essay writing at university come flooding back, ‘Just 200 more words and I’m done!’ And then there’s ‘Guest Bloggers” where you can team up with other bloggers to write blogs for each other. This means you can introduce yourself to other audiences as well as being introduced – and we haven’t even touched on the benefits of back linking. All this cyber space frenetic activity keeps those ‘Google Spiders’ happy and if they’re happy your website and SEO are happy which means you are happy.
And many people have managed to promote their blog to generate an income. For example, fashion bloggers get free clothes and sponsorships. Popular blogs can encourage subscription and sell side bar advertisements. And those who have particular interests can ultimately write for specialist interests magazines. These are all ways of increasing your income. But is it enough to pay the mortgage? And has that ship now sailed? Have the good deals been snapped up by the sheer numbers of bloggers, all desperate to make their mark and their fortune?
Well perhaps not, The Gold Coast recently hosted a blogging convention where thousands of bloggers spent the weekend networking and refining their skills. They all know how to string a sentence together and they are all adept at generating some sort of income from their blogs, which, in my book makes them pretty astute members of the business community, rather than a bunch of frustrated writers.
So, back to my original question, to blog or not to blog? Well as I’m now over my 500 words for this post, I can make it brief. Why not? It’s an opportunity to engage with your own audience, for them to see what and how you do what you do and it can give a more human face to your organization. It’s a way to engage with other bloggers and as I mentioned, there are a lot of bloggers who are very good at what they do which in turn can inspire you. It can help your website SEO and at the very least it will help you brush up on your writing skills and help you find your own writing style – I’m still trying to find mine. So happy blogging everyone, I’m looking forward to reading more blogs, perfecting this skill and building some (hopefully) interesting content for the Practical Care website.
Until next time…
About Sharon Schreurs, Practical Care
Practical Care was born in 2014 after founders, Sharon Schreurs and Heidi Green wanted to create a Chemotherapy Care Kit to help improve the most common side effects of chemotherapy, with a purely practical focus.
As an oncology nurse, Sharon would commonly write a list of practical items for patients when starting treatment. Over the years, this list became extensive. And although helpful, these items are not always readily available.
When Heidi’s mother in law was diagnosed with breast cancer, she experienced the running around. Together, they hope to improve patient’s comfort at a difficult time by providing things they are likely to need.
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