Despite what you may have heard, blogging isn’t for every network marketer.  If you’ve doubted the benefits of blogging, read on! Find out if you fall into the small category of entrepreneurs or who should not engage with customers on this digital platform.

Should you start a professional blog? Take the quiz!

You should NOT blog if:

1. You don’t need traffic on your website.

Perhaps your website is a fashionable accessory that is unrelated to your sales and growth. In that case, you don’t need a blog. A blog is a powerful tool that brings traffic to your website and helps increase online sales. In fact, 60% of companies have found that a blog is “critical” for driving traffic to their website. Only networkers who want to promote their website and make more online sales should spend time blogging.

2. You don’t want search engines to find you.

Are you in the tiny minority of networkers whose local market will never run dry and direct selling business will spread indefinitely by word-of-mouth? Congratulations! You don’t need a blog!

But if you do want to expand your business online, you need potential customers to have a way to find you. And that means you better start blogging. Search engines need fed with fresh, quality material on a very regular basis. Fortunately, the targeted content from blog posts are precisely the rich delicacies that Google and other search engines crave! Even 1 or 2 blog posts a week will gradually bump you up in search engine rankings and help your prospects find you. Keep in mind that 75% of searchers never scroll past the first page of search results, so the higher you are the better.

3. You’re not into Customer Engagement.

Your product or service completely speaks for itself. No need to follow up with the prospect or create an online buzz for your business. No need to speak to your customers in your own voice where they already are (on their mobile devices or computer). You’ve got it made!

Except, researchers have found that customers who engage with a brand online spend 20% to 40% more on that brand. The more they connect with you, the more loyalty they feel toward your business and products. Which leads us to the next point…

4. You don’t need loyal customers.

Blogging builds brand loyalty. If you’re not in the market for repeat customers, stay far, far, far away from a blog! Reading about the day-to-day journey of your company and real-life direct selling endeavors will probably make them fall head over heels for you and keep coming back for more. They may even start clicking over to your other social media channels if you have them linked to your blog. Be careful – an active blog will make you feel like you have thousands of devoted fans and loyal customers stalkers.

5. You’re not social.

Speaking of social media buttons, who has time for social media? (We are, of course, putting aside the fact that social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing) If engaging customers on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Pinterest isn’t part of your business model, no one will even notice if you don’t have a blog. After all, the point of social media is to drive traffic to your website and blog. It’s kind of a package deal.

6. You have nothing to share.

Anyone can run a successful network marketing company, right? If you were able to build your business from the ground up without any advice, suggestions, or encouragement from someone else, you know from experience that success in this industry is intuitive and easy to achieve. Who would want to hear all about your story and what you’re learning along the way to financial freedom?

You see, a blog isn’t a one-sided monologue. It’s a spirited town hall meeting. Your blog could be a wonderful platform to educate customers about the products, inspire other business seekers about the opportunity, and even train team members with real-life examples and valuable tips you’ve learned along the way.

But if you’re a self-made networker who’s not into sharing, a blog would push you far outside of your comfort zone.

Of course, if you WANT to grow your business, be searchable online, increase brand loyalty, and engage with your interested customers and prospects on the web (where they’re already shopping anyway), we highly encourage you to start blogging right away. You will be amazed at what two short, interesting blog posts a week (along with some social media plugs) can do for your business in a matter of weeks!