Whenever I am asked to speak to a group of small business folks about social media, I always suggest the creation of a blog as the jumping off point to enter the world of social media.

More often than not someone in the crowd will remark, “I don’t read blogs, nobody has time for that, why would I want to start blogging.”

I then proceed to dissect this comment like:
1) I don’t read blogs – chances are you probably do – not like a magazine or a diary perhaps, but every second of the day millions of folks go online to search for products, services, companies, solutions and answers – and guess what kind of content they find – you bet, content from keyword rich, search engine friendly blog posts.

2) nobody has time for that – on this point we agree, a lot of folks don’t have time to sit down and pour over the random musings of perfect strangers – but, they do have the time and need to get information about the products, services, and companies they plan to do business with – and guess what kind of information they find when they search? – blog posts. Are you seeing a pattern yet?

3) why would I want to start blogging – if your intent with a blog is to develop a large, engaged, readership and to stake your claim as a thought leader in your industry, a blog is a wonderful vehicle, as long as you realize you must work like crazy to implement this strategy. If, however, you simply want to show up in Google searches for things like “Denver accounting software reseller” or “Boise hair salon,” then posting keyword rich, education based, location aware content a couple of times a week on a blog is your ticket to success.

Search as a way of life for your customers and prospects and has changed the game of marketing forever and while there are additional potent reasons to blog, enhancing your chances to rank well in the search game is reason enough for most small businesses to invest the little bit of time and energy it requires.