Do you feel like you don’t have time to blog?
In your business, saying you don’t have time for something really means “I don’t see the value in that activity.”
You make time to work with clients because that’s how you make money.
You make time to hold consult or discovery calls with potential clients because that’s how they turn into clients.
You make time to do your bookkeeping and sort out your taxes — even if it’s at irregular intervals — because that’s how you take care of the money you make from coaching.
But blogging…
Where’s the value there?
Great question!
Let’s go on a Ms. Frizzle type adventure together and find out what value blogging has for your business.
Explore Your Voice
Blogging is an opportunity to share your authentic voice without artificial constraints. You’re not trying to squeeze yourself into the space of a heading on your home page or a Tweet or a “professional” sounding summary on your LinkedIn profile.
This is where you can wax poetic or make puns or dig deep into your inquisitive nature. Be yourself in your blog. Give potential clients a chance to feel your passion for your subject matter and what you do.
Let them hear your compassion for the people you coach.
Hearing your true voice helps people connect with you. Connection leads to trust and a feeling that they know you and like you. Are you familiar with the statement “People buy from people they know, like, and trust”???
This is especially true when it comes to a relationship as intimate as working with a transformational coach.
One of the biggest values of your blog is giving you not only the space to speak with your authentic voice…
But also the space to find that voice.
To practice writing as yourself in a low-stakes way. (Because you get a new crack at it each week!)
To figure out what a conversation between you and your ideal client feels like. And to get really good at being in that conversation. Blogging regularly can even improve your coaching skills by giving you practice being really present with the questions and concerns your ideal client is facing.
Give Out Samples
If a bakery wants you to buy its cookies, what does it do? Provide you with a sample. They know that’s by far the most effective way to get you ready to invest in your own full-size cookie — or pie or Mr. Bean cake.
Guys, I think I need this for my next birthday…
Your blog is an opportunity to show samples of the work you do and get potential customers excited as they start to imagine what it would be like to work with you.
You can provide samples in a few different ways.
?Offer tips, techniques, and quick wins so that readers get a sense of what they can expect from working with you.
?Show people some of the tools you use in your coaching and a preview of how to use them. They’ll see firsthand the effectiveness of what you offer.
?Share client success stories. Tell tales with plenty of detail to show where clients were before they worked with you and then where they were after. Help readers feel the same relief or joy. Give them an emotional sample of how you can help them.
Actionable steps and authentic stories make your work specific and memorable. They help you stand out from the other coaches your potential client is reading about or engaging with on social media.
They provide a sample of what it feels like to be your client.
They also show your generosity. When people help us, we remember them. Especially if they help us before we’ve ever purchased from them. When we’re ready to invest, these generous folks are at the top of our list.
Share Your Special Sauce
A lot of people do what you do.
But no one does it the way you do it.
Your special sauce is what makes you stand out.
- What do you do that’s different?
- What unique approach do you have?
- What sets you apart in your industry?
If you’re not sure what your special sauce is, take some time to think about it.
Once you’ve got an idea of what your special sauce is, you can define it and refine it through your blog.
- What tips, tricks, and tactics are you always sharing?
- What are your signature stories?
- What do these show about you and how you show up in your business?
Your blog is a valuable resource for finding and owning your special sauce. And also writing about it.
Your blog is unlike any other page on your website. There’s no room on your sales page to explain why you do things the way you do. A sales page is where you want people to take decisive action!
Your blog, on the other hand, is the perfect place to provide the background that leads to the decisive action.
You can teach, instruct, provide context, and explain WHY and HOW.
Writing about your special sauce on your blog allows you to lay the foundation for the desire and action prompts in other places on your website and in your sales emails.
So, does blogging add value for you?
Basically, blogging is like a masterclass in using your authentic voice to resonate with your ideal clients. It gives you a low-stakes, sandbox-type maker space where you can develop your message and your writing.
That’s the kind of thing you would pay for, no? And blogging is free!
- Do you want to define and refine your voice?
- Do you want to offer samples of your fabulous coaching style and get people excited to work with you?
- Do you want to get clear on your special sauce, and then show it off?
- Do you want potential clients to know, like, and trust you?
- Do you want to get known as an authority in your field?
- Do you want more visitors to your website and more content to share on social media?
If you said “Yes” to even one of those, blogging will add value to your business.
That means it’s time to make time for it.
Look at your weekly schedule and be honest about where your time is going. How can you create a window or a pocket where you can take time to draft blog posts — even short ones?
If you know blogging is right for you but you’re a bit stuck about your next steps, I get it.
I know it can be a bit overwhelming.
❓Where do you start?
❓What should you write?
❓How do you stay consistent?
❓How do you come up with new, high-quality content each week?
❓And what do you do when you get totally stuck in procrastination or perfectionism?
If you’re ready to be a blogging badass but you’re not sure how to make that happen on your own, check out Blogging Flow. It combines mindset, planning, and writing strategies plus accountability and a big ol’ dose of fun so that you have all the tools and motivation to commit to your blog.
If you want the value that blogging can give you, you have to invest your time and energy in it. But you don’t have to do it alone. I’d love to help you blog in flow.
To your blogging success!
?Megan