Here's the thing: starting a blog is like getting a puppy. You better be ready to take care of it. Your heart better be in it, because it's going to require effort. And if you aren't consistent in tending it, it makes you look VERY BAD.

Yes, there are definite advantages to blogging. A strong blog can establish you as an expert in your field. It will benefit your site's SEO. Other industry experts can end up recognizing your content as valuable, and refer their readers to it, increasing your site's web traffic. These are all good things.

But those good things are dependent on well crafted, consistently published posts. Well crafted because, to paraphrase my mom, "If you don't have something relevant or useful to say, don't say anything at all." Any content that's just filler immediately comes across as such, and readers will abandon ship post haste.

Consistently published is critical because it shows you have your act together enough to put up a post every two weeks, or every month, or whatever time table works for you. Better to post once a month regularly than weekly but sporadically.

Because at the end of the day, the qualities expressed by your website and your blog will ultimately be ascribed to you and your business. You might be the most reliable, expert service provider in your field, but if your blog is neglected, users will assume you neglect your customers—and decide not to become one. Better to not have a blog at all than to have one that gives the wrong impression of how you do business.

If you *do* decide to start a blog, here are some quick tips to make sure that puppy lifts your business up rather than dragging it down:

• Schedule a regular time when you'll actually do the writing. "When I can get to it" won't work for most of the busy business owners with whom I work, so plan ahead and put it on the calendar. Maybe you do your books every other Friday. Extend that time slot to include an hour or two for writing your posts.
• Before you launch the blog, write five posts. Back date three of them at the appropriate intervals, with the most recent on or just before your launch date. Keep two on ice for emergency should you need them.
• Feel free to keep it short. I have a hospitality client that just posts a beautiful photo of their hilltop property every week or so. It doesn't have to be lengthy. As long as it is useful, beautiful, or relevant, a short post can be just as effective at reminding readers you're active and on your game.
• Write in bulk. Some people will take half a day each season and write 6 posts, then schedule them to publish every two weeks for the next few months. That way you're posting consistently without regular interruptions to your work schedule.

There's a lot of pressure on businesses to blog, but it's not a project to undergo lightly. Done right, it can boost your traffic, your SEO, and your profile within your field. Done poorly, you're going to wish you'd left that puppy in the window.

Hi! Welcome to A Baking Company's website! My mom started this bakery in Cincinatti in 1973. We make a delicious variety of pastries and baked goods for any occasion, using only the finest organic ingredients. We bake custom cakes for special occasions, including flourless chocolate, red velvet, and lemon cream. We are located at 123 Yum Street, and are open Monday through Friday from 7am to 8pm.

If your website speaks about your business or organization from your own perspective—this is who I am, this is what I do—it's suffering from Internal Writing. It's a lot more persuasive to write from the user's perspective, and frame what you offer as the solution they seek.

When I read internal writing, I hear a singer in my head stuck on one note: ME ME ME ME ME. But let's be honest: the user doesn't care about you! She's showing up at your site with her own priorities and goals, and hoping what you offer will help her reach them.

Think of it this way: the website user doesn't experience your content like a conversation, he experiences it like a store. Nobody walks into a store wondering who started it and why—the first thing they do is look around and see if there's anything there they like.  If there is (mmmm, flourless chocolate cake), they might dig deeper to find out more, and eventually want to know who started this palace of deliciousness and why. But don't lead with that.

In essence, don't tell your users about yourself and leave it to them to figure out if your product or service is right for them. Tell them why it is right for them in the first place. Instead of ME ME ME your copy should say YOU YOU YOU. As in, “Bring some zest to the party with our lemon cream cake” or “The best celebration requires the best ingredients: 100% of our cakes are 100% organic”. Make it relevant. Don't talk about yourself, talk about them—and how much they're going to love your cakes.

But here's how I see it: all my clients take their work very seriously. The chef would never "make do" with second rate ingredients. The proprietor would never "make do" with cheap linens. They put their hearts in what they do. Their standards are high. So it's a disconnect for their audience if they choose to "make do" with poorly lit cell phone images or generic stock imagery. It sends the wrong message. If you aren't serious about your users' web experience, how will they know you're serious about your services?

I know, it's not cheap to hire a photographer. Fortunately I can help identify which services are worth paying for (custom photography, of course!) and which aren't (think overpriced web hosting or SEO snake oil), so clients can get the most mileage out of their budget. 

Done right, custom photography is the perfect blend of accuracy and idealism. Accuracy sets the right expectations. For a hospitality client, a beautifully shot photo of the actual staff at the actual check in desk will represent them much better than a stock image showing a smiling model in an unspecific environment meant to express a vague notion of welcome.

When I say your custom images should be idealistic, I mean they should present what you offer in its best possible light. Taking the hospitality client again as an example, the photographer's understanding of lenses, filters, and other nuances of their craft will show a hotel room as beautifully lit, elegantly appointed, and spacious. No matter how gorgeous the actual room is, you'll struggle to achieve the same effect in a cell phone picture.

If you still need convincing, think of it this way: you want to appeal to both the head and heart of your web visitor (or brochure reader, or postcard recipient, etc.). Clear, concise copy with relevant information satisfies the head. But studies show our emotional reactions are stronger and faster than our intellectual ones, and photography more than any other element will set the emotional tone of your site. Have you ever opened a travel magazine to a spread depicting some paradisiac landscape and wanted to crawl right in? Those photos captured your heart. Custom photography for your website can spark the same yearning in your users, connecting with a deeper need and inspiring them to take action so they can be part of your story.