Are you on the fence about blogging? Tourism colleagues tell you that a blog is essential. ‘Experts’ say you have to blog if you want to grow your brand.
Yet, deep down, you don’t really want to blog and you’re not sure the ‘experts’ understand your brand. In fact, you probably have a long list of reasons you don’t want or need to blog, right?
Let’s just add these 7 reasons to your list! And you’re done!
Is that little voice saying…but, but, but…
Even if you’re a definite undecided, on-the-fence blogger, here’s 7 reasons you can forget about blogging! That’s right, just don’t write a blog! These 7 reasons are solid!
But… as we all know there are 2 sides to a coin. So, along with the 7 reasons not to blog, I’m going to throw in the exceptions to these solid reasons just to play the devils advocate.
1 – You Have More Business Than You Can Handle
If this is the case in your world, then you have no reason to try to grow and take on even more business. No need to start or continue your blog writing. Maybe you work for Amazon or some other company that’s reaping the rewards of pandemic pandemonium.
If this doesn’t describe your world, a blog can help you connect with your existing clients as well as new prospects – and it can solidify your relationships during uncertain times.
2 – Your Clients Never Say This…
“I didn’t you know offered *insert your top selling travel experience* in your destination”.
“I didn’t know you sold *insert your top selling destination or cruise ship*, so I booked online”.
If these sentences were never uttered in your work life, don’t even think about blogging.
However, if you’ve heard something like that once or twice (or 100 times) showcasing your top destinations, attractions, or travel styles is why blogging clarifies your mission and service offerings.
3 – You HATE to Write!
So many people in our industry tell me they don’t have the time or talent to write. Other tourism pros say they just can’t commit or schedule their writing time because they travel constantly.
Does this sound like the reasons you’re not writing a blog? If so, don’t write!
You may want to reconsider when you see these stats!
Let’s take a different train of thought when thinking about blogging. Turn on the power of video and visuals and turn them into a blog post. Simply embed a video into your next blog post then:
- Write an engaging opening paragraph
- Insert the video
- Write a closing paragraph
- Link to related articles
- Boom! You’re done!
Do you have a plethora of photos? How about creating a photo blog to tell your story visually? Pictures really do speak louder than words! It’s easy with this roadmap:
- Write a catchy opening paragraph
- Choose images that tell your story for you
- Insert as many images as you’d like with captions for each
- Create SEO friendly headings
- Write a closing paragraph
- Link to related articles
- Done! 45 minutes spent on your masterpiece!
4 – Your Business Appears on the Top of Every Organic Search
Well, then you truly don’t need a blog. You’ve already conquered SEO.
Not you? Consistently writing a blog helps fuel the web crawlers as they look for new content and will boost your rankings. Optimizing each blog post will attract these web crawlers.
Here’s how to get started:
- Research top key words for your content
- Consider diverse related keywords; travel vs. traveling
- Mix things up with lateral key words; food tours vs. culinary tours
- Insert your key words into the:
- URL
- Page Title
- Meta Description tags
- On-page headings and sub-headings
- Within blog content
- Other SEO building text tips.
Not sure what keywords to use? Google can help. Manage your keywords so you know you’re using the strongest for your niche. Check out these tools.
5 – You Have No Time!
I get it; time speeds by when our industry is humming along. We’re running to catch flights, prepping for conferences, and participating in fam trips.
Is that the reality NOW? Probably not… unless you work for Amazon!
Since many in our industry are on a different schedule and have a different pace now, how about using the time to build a content library. Make the most of these tricky times by prepping for the future and creating content.
Don’t miss out on the silver lining of COVID – Time! Knuckle down and create:
- A series of blog posts that you can drip out over time
- A library of video content
- Webinars and courses to build future sales
- Podcasts that inspire and educate
- Make the most of your time with these bonus tips.
6 – My Email List is Maxed-Out
Really? Is this even possible? Whether you have 20,000 or 100,000 names on your email list, there’s always room to expand.
The bigger question is: Are all these people on your list bringing you business NOW?
Seriously, your blog can be another tool in your toolbox to grow your list and ultimately your bookings. Simply insert a lead magnet into each of your blog posts. You can create a graphic that links to your email collection tool and place that graphic in the middle or at the end of each and every blog post. Make the most of your lead magnet with these sharing tips.
Now, let’s take this up a notch and make the most of your old blog posts. Go ahead and add your lead magnet graphic to older, evergreen posts and watch your email list grow. The beauty of this is that now the web crawlers will see changes to old content and start ranking you more highly in a search. This means there’s the added benefit of a boost to your SEO. WooHoo!
7 – Your Social Sites Drive Millions to Your Website
Ok, millions every day! Right!
Or maybe you’re saying you have plenty of content to post socially and can’t add a thing to your posting calendar. Really?
If that happens only in your dreams, your blog may get you a bit closer to that target. Each time a new blog post goes live, ensure that it rolls onto each of your social sites. Social sharing at it’s finest.
You can automate this on the backend of your blog platform by using a plug-in. Check out these plug-ins for a WordPress site.
Alternatively, you can manually share your new blog to each social platform. Make sure you include a scroll-stopping image and comment-cultivating captions.
Picture what the future of travel will look like! Your blog writing will help shape this vision for your readers! So, get off the fence, pick up your pen and start blogging today!
Catherine Heeg, International speaker & trainer, focuses on social media marketing strategies for the tourism and hospitality industry. Connect with her at www.cmsspeaking.com and socially.
