I’ve spent as much time talking clients out of starting a blog as I’ve spent talking them into a blog. If you hate to write (or can’t pay someone else to do it), can’t find the time to write, or don’t think you have anything to say, save yourself the heartache and don’t start a blog. But! If you want to get clients from the internet and are willing to write (or pay someone to do it), blogging is a great way to get people into your sales funnel.
The following is a down-and-dirty quick way to decide if blogging is for you and your business.

Benefits of a Blog:
- It’s a lot easier to add a new blog post than it is a new web page. With a little training, a non-technical person can add a blog post but you need a programmer to add a web page.
- A blog is a great way to build relationships online.
- A blog is a great way to keep in touch with clients and prospects.
- Because readers can comment on what you’ve written, you can create a dialogue with readers. (Depending on how you set up a blog, you can moderate comments before they are viewable to others.)
- A blog is a great way to become a recognized expert in your industry and to the media.
- People can find your business in ways they otherwise wouldn’t be able to find you. (i.e. blog directories, mentions in other blogs, social media sites like Digg or Technorati)

Blogging Options:
The first decision that needs to be made about a blog is figuring out where it will “live.” A blog (like a website) needs to be hosted on a server. There are two ways to do this:
Use a service like https://www.blogger.com/ where the blog lives on their server.
Host your blog on the same server as your website.

Here are the benefits and drawbacks of each:
	Using a Service	Hosting Your Own
Benefits	It’s free Can be set up in a few minutes	It does nothing for your own website’s rankings To get it to look like the other pages on your site, you need to have someone create a custom template
Drawbacks	Can drastically improve your website’s rankings Looks more professional than using a service Can make it look like the other pages on your website	Need to have someone set it up for you May need to have a slightly more expensive hosting plan

Which option should I choose?
- Use a service if money is really tight or you’re not sure you will keep up with it, go with a service. You can always go with hosting your own later. BUT, it’s kind of pain to move your old blog posts to a new blog.
- Host your own if improving your rankings and looking professional are important.

How the eMarketing Strategist Can Help:
- Explain how all this works in plain English.
- Help figure out what features you need.
- Give you pointers on what can be done to help improve your blog’s rankings.
- Coordinate with the programmer to minimize programming expenses.
- Give you pointers on how to increase readership and comments.
- Submit the blog to blog directories.