Entrepreneurship isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. It’s not about rushing a project out as quickly as you can to get it to the masses, it’s about spending the time to polish a product or service before it’s pesented to the masses.
Blogging, the act of writing content to reach a wider audience (very much like what I am doing here!) is an often forgotten way to help build a brand that many entrepreneurs ignore. Returning to the marathon metaphor, a blog can become a conveniently placed bicycle hidden in the bushes that you can hop on, ride to the finish line and leave others wondering why they didn’t do the same. Then, as it turns out, bicycles are completely allowed in this type of marathon, but everyone was far too busy training, exercising and telling everyone that they’re running a marathon to actually read the rules.
And suddenly, the blog–the bicycle–has helped you in your eventual victory.
Blogs, like this one (or the one at NobleNewman.com) are an avenue for entrepreneurs in more than one way.
Spread Your Knowledge, Show Your Expertise
One of the reasons that so many people are hesitant to put their time and/or money into a new business is due to a perceived lack of experience or knowledge. While you can’t fake experience, nor can you enter a new industry with it, you can certainly let your expertise mature.
Blogging is an easy way to show the public just how much you know about your industry without needing to have an extensive resume full of Fortune 500s to back it up. Think about how important name recognition can be; the recognition factor of Tesla founder Elon Musk has helped bring Space-X to notoriety recently, as well as Solar City.
By blogging, you can establish yourself as a thought leader or influencer within a certain community, helping to build your standing in the public eye and influence your business.
Reaching a Wider Audience
A blog might start off with a small viewership–perhaps just your friends or family. But over time, with some consistency and with an established brand, your audience can and will grow. From there, you can use your brand name in a largely cyclical manner–growing your audience through your established audience, and using that brand to establish your brand in the eyes of new audience members. Many established blogging websites (a WordPress site, Medium, Blogger, etc) can help you cultivate a following with their already strongly trafficked websites.
Minimizing Cost
A large number of the blogging websites above are completely free to use. If you’re building a business or a brand, establishing a blogging website and attaching a domain to it (usually fairly cheap to purchase from a site like GoDaddy) is a very cost-effective way to establish your brand in front of a wider audience. On top of that, the abilities of a blog to write about your products, interact with consumers and act as a central hub for your business–all for free (or low cost) means that blogging could, and should be the brand building blocks of the future.