Over the past two years, multiple media outlets, journalists, and even bloggers have written at length about the death of blogs. There are other places to have conversations now, they argue, pointing to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat as the new ways to share your thoughts and your life and have conversations. Additionally, many bloggers are closing down, turning to other means of engagement and connection.
But for nonprofits seeking engagement, the medium is still alive and well. Blogging can still be a great way to share the personality, interests, and perspectives of your organization. The catch is that you have to be willing to put in the time and resources.
If you are thinking about starting a blog for your company (or if you have one that is feeling a little forlorn) read on to weigh the pros and cons of blogging.
To blog: You give your organization a voice
Blogging is a fantastic way to show off your organization’s personality, ideas, and thoughts behind the scenes. It allows your supporters to get to know you better and gives you a chance to highlight the things you do that you don’t always get to talk about.
Not to blog: You aren’t clear on your story
However, if you’re not completely clear on your story, your voice, your organization’s personality, a blog can quickly and easily reflect that. Because the world is inundated with so much more content now than ever before, blogs without thoughtfully crafted narratives and well-structured storytelling won’t attract as many readers.
To blog: You increase traffic to your site (and awareness to your cause)
Comments on blogs have decreased significantly. But traffic hasn’t necessarily followed suit. Devoted readers will check in to see look for new posts and newcomers will find you as long as you promote your posts on social media.
Not to blog: You don’t have the resources to be consistent
Devoted readers will return, but even your most diehard supporters will wander off if you go months between posts. Like any element of content marketing, consistency is key. If you can’t organize your staff to post roughly once each week, then you may not see the benefit of blogging (and you may only feel the pain of trying to keep up).
To blog: You create deeper engagement with your audiences
Conversation is definitely not happening on blogs anymore. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Blog posts today create streams of conversation on Facebook and Twitter, and get shared with a user’s own thoughts and voice. Any kind of engagement with a piece of content on social media, be it a Like, a comment, or a share, is an engagement with you and your work.
Not to blog: You are not comfortable with comments and engagement
Back in the newer days of blogging, many organizations went in halfway—they created a blog without the ability for users to comment. Today that is tougher to manage. You can still close comments on your blog (more and more companies and bloggers do) but you can’t prevent the conversation from happening on Facebook or Twitter.
To blog: You get to control the narrative
As journalism and media outlets are changing, every organization has the power to put themselves and their stories out there—to be the voice for their cause or write the stories about their work that people will read. This is a time of huge opportunity for organizations that used to have to wait for earned media or a big story about them to be covered by a newspaper or magazine.
Not to blog: You haven’t thought about the narratives around your work
Again, spending the time here is key. Blogging is a fantastic medium but making the most of it requires time and thought. As with anything, you get out what you put in.
To think about: Do you have the time to make blogging work for you?
Blogs can be a fantastic way to bring out your organization’s personality, engage with your audiences, and increase awareness around your work through meaningful storytelling. But blogging that is not done well shouldn’t be done at all. The benefits of blogging for your organization disappear when you aren’t able to devote the time and resources to do it consistently and well. So before you launch a blog, take some time to think about the topics here and determine whether or not you can make it work for you.
