I’m pretty sure that you’re probably already aware of all the great reasons to start your own blog. However…I also know that despite knowing this, you still may be resistant to the idea. Maybe you believe it takes too much time and effort, you don’t think you are a great writer, you don’t know what to write about, you don’t know how to start one…

I understand all of the reasons that may be holding you back—so I want to address some of that resistance right now.

The Time and Effort Issue

There are a lot of ways to leverage your time and still generate quality content for your blog.  (Hint: you don’t have to always come up with original content yourself!) It can seem daunting at first, but I encourage all small business owners who are doing business online to at least give it a try. Just begin and get it going. Aim to post once a week. They don’t have to be long posts and they don’t have to be earth-shatteringly brilliant. But if you’re serious about using a blog to increase your visibility and build credibility, then blogging should be something you carve out time for just as you would any other marketing activity.

The “I Don’t Think I Can Write Very Well” Issue

As with anything, you’ll get better at writing the more you do it.   Even if you aren’t going to be winning any literary prizes anytime soon, so what?  If you’re knowledgeable about your topic (which you ARE) and if you’re passionate about what you are trying to convey (which you will be!) then these things will come through loud and clear in your writing.  You have a message to bring to people that can only be told by you—no one else. Put aside your anxiety about the competition or your abilities and just focus on getting started!  It will get easier, I promise. 🙂

The “Ack!! I Don’t Know What to Write About!!” Issue

Jot down any ideas that come to you for posts as you go about your day. I keep a file of topic ideas that I think of and I find this helpful to look at if I get stuck for what to write about. Other places to get ideas?  Try the newsletters you’re subscribed to, the questions you’re frequently asked by clients or even the table of contents of books you have on your shelf or ones you browse through in the bookstore. Remember, you can also mix things up a bit by doing other types of posts, such as audio or video, or even having others guest post for you.

Finally, if you are letting the fact that you don’t know where to start hold you back, I’m going to banish that excuse for you once and for all right now. 🙂  My signature system, The 6 Simple Steps to Kick Start Your Social Media Success walks you through exactly how to start and grow your own blog, down to the smallest details—even if you feel you don’t have a techie bone in your body!  You’ll be blogging in no time—and it won’t hurt a bit, I promise.

Your turn:  do you have a blog?  If so, share it with us in the comments.  If not, let us know if any of the reasons above are what’s been holding you back!

Photo credit: searchenginepeople.com