I made the decision last week to pull the plug on my company’s blog. This pretty much contradicts what I am always saying (“Don’t give up!”), so here’s why I did it and what you can learn from my experience:
I already blog prolifically…for others
When I thought about it, I realized that I already had a great online presence. I blog for two of Network Solutions’ blogs, this one and Solutions are Power; Tech Cocktail, where I am also the lead editor; and the Web 2.0 blog, where, again, I am also the editor.
Writing yet another blog that focused on a variation of marketing, content and social media was just adding more noise to an already-crowded space. Plus, the reach I have on the other blogs is pretty wide and deep.
Lesson: If you can write about your area of expertise for an already established blog with an established audience on a regular basis, do it.
I used my best material elsewhere
It’s true, I did not save my best ideas for my own blog. Instead, I used it for the blogs I get paid to write, which makes sense. But I was constantly shortchanging myself, leaving me struggling for topics to cover in fresh ways or new topics altogether. The busier I have gotten, the harder it was to find the time to brainstorm exciting new blog posts.
Lesson: If you can land a paid blogging gig, give them their money’s worth, even if you end up doing this…
…Only half of what I published on my company blog was original
Repurposing blog content is a wonderful idea – after all, you already wrote your brilliant idea and insights down, why waste them? But when you start repurposing huge chunks of content from one blog for another on a regular basis, it’s a sign that you are spread too thin. Plus, search engines only reward new content, so a lot of my blog posts were basically invisible.
Lesson: If you already write and edit an average of 20 blog posts a week, creativity will hit a wall and your reach will suffer.
The blog wasn’t attracting an audience
I have to admit, I did not do a great job promoting my blog; I was too busy promoting the other blogs I write for. As a result, I was not attracting an audience, and without an audience, my blog didn’t have the comments, likes, and other signs of engagement that are core to a fun blog that an audience is attracted to. If you visit a blog with zero comments, likes or tweets, do you want to stick around?
Lesson: If no one is reading your blog, what’s the point in writing it? Go out there and promote it!
So, now that I no longer have a blog, how will I be promoting my company online? Glad you asked! I will be focusing my attention on building a community on Facebook and sharing my expertise there through a monthly marketing series that will focus on a different topic each month. We are starting it in June, and I am very excited about it!
Have you ever shut down a company blog? If so, why’d you do it, and what did you do to fill that void so you could continue to share your expertise? Leave a comment below!
Image by Flickr user Lenore Edman (Creative Commons)
Google+
