Blogging - Does It Bring in Business

Today on his legal blog  Drug and Device Law, Jones Day attorney Mark Hermann brings up the the bottom-line issue: Does his blog bring in business for him?  The answer is: No.  For a partner in a large law firm, a blog can enhance his relationship with existing clients and perhaps snag some small assignments.  But, overall, for Hermann it has not proved to be an effective new-business development tool. 

He does, of course, derive other benefits from blogging.  They range from being perceived as an expert in the Drug and Device niche to being interviewed by top-tier media.  In addition, he enjoys it.  For now, he will continue to blog, despite the hefty investment in time it entails.

Hermann's situation is very different from those of in small business, though.  My three blogs - the other two are here and here - bring in the lion's share of my new business.  In four years I have not attended in-the-flesh one professional meeting which would have cost me a registration fee, lunch/dinner expense, and traveling costs. 

For example, soon I will begin work on ghostwriting an opinion-editorial for a biotechnology firm.  The middleman on that assignment came across my ghostwriting posts on Google. Currently I am ghostwriting a full-length book for a professional services agency which came across one of my blog posts which THE WALL STREET JOURNAL had picked up.  Now and then presentation coaching assignments come in, also through THE WALL STREET JOURNAL links.

I would go as far to assert that no small business, no matter what its product or service, can afford to be blog-less.  It's not enough for the business to be on social networks.  A blog puts a human face on the business. That in turn becomes a pull force for attracting new clients or customers.

No question, blogging is time-intensive and it demands fresh content.  However, without it enterprises like mine would have been crushed in this economic downturn.