I always ask them why – I want to know why they are focused on blogging. In most cases it’s because that’s what they hear about. Blogging seems to have the most visibility as a viable service from a marketing stand point.

When I get those clients that want to tackle everything from website content to content marketing I always tell them to hold off on ordering the extra content. The performance of the website along with their target audience (discovered through our research phase) is a big indicator on what we should be doing from a content marketing standpoint.

It doesn’t make sense to commit to (and order) 2 or more blog posts a week if your customers aren’t interested in that many, the topics would be difficult to produce in that quantity and your site doesn’t need that heavy of a content push in order to stay relevant and visible.

I’ve had some clients that, through the performance of their new copywriting and the research, we find that a blog would be a waste of marketing dollars so instead we put those funds toward PR, or video, maybe social outreach in other forms.

Heather – in regards to your last comment about clients who are afraid to take on the technical stuff for whatever reason; our goal with blogging/social media is sharing relevant content. If someone is stuck and can’t produce the content, I always recommend curating stuff that’s relevant. Through that method, if they take the time to put their own spin on it from time to time they can lend their perspective to it and still generate a little credibility and thought leadership among their audience.

If they’re worried about breaking stuff in a blog like wordpress, and don’t want to use the email function to make new posts, then there’s always sharing via social media. Making “notes” on FB works well in that regard.

I’m also a big fan of eBooks and try to direcy clients to offer mini eBooks and whitepapers where possible. For someone that is long winded (*raises hand*) and just can’t compile thoughts into a short post, blog or tweet, an eBook is a great medium to put a lot of great content in place and give it away to their community/audience every month.

@Monica – great points, thanks!

The small biz clients I know who get “blogging stuck” aren’t writing or technology-savvy. Writing a “quick” blog post could take hours (and depending on their writing skill, it may not be very good.) If you hate email and you’re afraid that you’ll “break something” every time you go online, uploading a post would be scary.

What would you suggest for these folks? For instance, Twitter for many folks is a much less scary “thing” – as is Facebook. And it’s still a way to connect with prospects. Or would you say that blogging is the only way to go?

Nevertheless, I do remind clients that, once their new content goes live, promoting their online presence doesn’t end there.

One tip that always seems to resonate well is the concept of continually building backlinks and pathways to their site.

Whereas social media doesn’t always make sense to them, the idea of getting listed on good-quality online niche and general directories nearly always does.

Thanks for your comment, @Kevin! Yes, I’m interested in what other copywriters would advise, too. What’s worked for your clients…?

Hi, @Eugene!

SEO existed long before blogging. The thing to remember is that Google tends to reward sites with excellent, “fresh” content. Plus, blogging is a way to showcase your expertise and show prospects that you know what you’re talking about. If you aren’t blogging, consider other ways that you can produce content. For instance, you could write an article a week (or hire a firm to help you.) That would help give your site some content, and you could track the ROI…

Thanks for your comment!

I was wondering though, is it possible to do SEO without a blog? I mean, not all businesses are suited to have a blog right?

I’m a newbie and I’m interested in learning SEO.

Take the example of a local roofing business that Heather mentioned.

Unless the business is based in a large urban area, it is unlikely to have a great deal of competition in local search. So, provided the site is well optimized from the start, it should take relatively little on- and off-site optimization effort to maintain high or top ranking in local relevant keyword searches.

For this reason, I would say that the idea of someone blogging their heart out for a local roofing company would be completely over the top.

Nevertheless, the importance of keeping a website fresh with interesting and relevant content should never be ignored.

Therefore, in view of the two points above, I’d be curious to know what other copywriters in this group would advise small local clients such as these.

@Carl- thanks for the interesting point. You’re right that there’s always a way – but I’m also thinking of small business owners that are “Internet challenged.” For instance, I know a local stylist who NEVER goes online – she doesn’t even use email (I know – amazing, right?) Could she drive more traffic/business with a blog of some sort? Sure. But she won’t do it (I’ve tried.) :) Nor does she have the cash to outsource.

I’ve suggested Twitter as it’s easier and faster – she can do it from her smart phone (and yes, she’s still learning how to work her phone!). We’ll see how it goes…. :)