I once wrote a post (that’s what this is - content in my blog: a blog post) titled, “I blog, therefore, I am.”

At that time, I assumed bloggers were also thinking carefully about what they wrote. I am not so sure, anymore.

Still, a blog is a useful tool, if you use it as a tool. Here are 25 things a blog can do for you…

1. Increase brand awareness. This comes from using your brand colors, logo, and fonts in each blog post and image.

2. Drive traffic to your website. Often, your ‘blog’ is part of your website, these days. In those olden days, we had separate blogs and websites. I prefer blogsites today.

3. Improve your SEO. Blogs are search engine friendly, if you add content that is useful, relevant and shareable.

4. Create a new focus on an old idea. That’s where you bring your originality to play.

5. Connect to other social platforms, and drive traffic to them.

6. Broadcast your message to your audience a little at a time. Blogs offer a way to share the whole message, or to share it in smaller chunks. This post could have been broken up into 5 sections, but I chose to do it this way.

7. Establish you as a thought leader. A topic I often covered on Lipsticking.

8. Supplement your PR efforts. Never do one or the other, always look at ways to combine your efforts.

9. Showcase work and expertise. You can offer white papers and ebooks within your blog.

10. Build community. Bring people together. Engage in conversation.

11. Start new conversations. Sometimes the folks who comment will offer insight or ask questions that you need to answer.

12. Build research and development, without spending a boatload of cash. This is where you ask questions or add a survey to your post.

13. Bring new voices to your audience. We do this in our videos with Smart Conversations.

14. Describe your work or focus more completely. Or more cleverly?

15. Offer a schedule you can live with, to share your thoughts, products, musings. You can write your blog at any time of day or night.

16. Give you a place to highlight a new product or service. REMEMBER: it’s about your audience. It’s not about the product or service. Make those offers about the solution to a problem, not about you and what you plan to do.

17. Create a network for referrals. Blogs are easy ways for folks to share what they find compelling or useful. Invite everyone to share your blog posts.

18. Inspire creativity. The engagement with your audience will definitely get you thinking and creating. This recent post shows how I tapped into my creativity, to share art with you.

19. Build relationships. People like to engage online. If you start a relationship via your blog, it will soon flow into IRL meetings and give you a warm heart welcome.

20. Communicate your values. Yes, every word you write demonstrates your values and helps people understand how you can to connect.

21. Be the first step towards writing that book I keep telling you to write. Yes, blog posts can become pages in your book, or whole chapters.
    
    
    
    

22. Force you to use new technology. For instance, vlogs (video blogs) were not as popular when I first started blogging. Over time, video became the way to go and now you see me doing more and more video.

23. A blog can just be a journal. You can have a separate blog of your own, that never sees the light of day. If you prefer typing to writing by hand, make your first blog private, and post in it daily. As you become used to blog writing, you will be inspired to have a live blog, for all the world to see.

24. Attract other thought leaders to connect with you. I love this because when you connect with other thought leaders, you have the beginnings of a team. Teamwork is always a valued way to operate.

25. Teach you better writing skills. I saved this for last because it’s an important observation. People who write on a regular basis, become better writers, over time. Plus, if you are approachable, and not easily angered (which is how you should be), you may invite corrections to grammar and punctuation. I do. Anyone who finds fault with my grammar or punctuation is welcome to comment and tell me. Just do it politely. Please.

And there you have it. 25 things a blog can and will do for you, if you use it correctly.

We can talk more about blogs and blogging, if you like. Just comment below. Have a blog? Do share… I would like to see your blog.

Meanwhile, I encourage you to take your Big Ideas to the next level with me. First, watch some of our Smart Women Online conversations.

Then, sign up for Smart News and get magic in your email box every Friday.

After that, check out our Facebook page.  Tell us which of these resonate most with you. Or, if none at all, tell us that, too.

Always…always…always…share YOUR social pages and blogs with me. I am eager to see them.

Enjoy!