Can I Pick Your Brains on Blogging?

[Karen Margrave]

To all of you bloggers, I know some of you have blogs that are highlighted on BP, are your blogs also part of a blog that you do seperately in your business, or do you do them only for BP? Do you write a blog that goes with your website?

How do you decide upon content for your blog? Do you have a theme that you go with for a while, or choose random issues that are connected with your business etc.? How far out to you plan your blogs?

As most of you know I am involved in real estate development and construction. Once projects are built, we sometimes handle the lease space out, and then sell buildings/units to investors, etc. I'm just not sure what type of content works best for my type of business. The point of my website is basically to give potential buyers/investors someplace to see who we are, what we are currently working on or have coming up, pick up potential buyers/investors, and future tenants. Not sure what segment of the business to highlight in a blog.

I read many of the blogs written by BP members, and they're very good. Just looking for pointers, opinions as to whether or not blogging is worth it, how often you do them, etc...whatever you can share will help me, and others. Thanks everyone!

[James Vermillion]

Karen,

I do not consider myself an expert blogger or even an above average one, but I enjoy doing it and find it has many benefits. I only blog for BP (never even thought about blogging until after I had been a BP member for a while and started my own member blog to write about things as they came up). Now, I write for the Bigger Pockets Blog exclusively.

As you know, I do sometimes go with a theme (I have done several 3 on 3 posts and have several more planned) while other times a write about things that have come up in my business and and I feel should be highlighted. I focus a lot on articles/posts that new investors would find particularly helpful, as I am still new to this myself and hope I am able to help others.

I can tell you several of the benefits I have enjoyed:

1) It makes me think about my own way of doing business. I think of it as a report card of sorts because when I am writing advice for others it forces me to think about if I am following that advice myself.

2) I have received business opportunities because of the articles I have written, which is always nice.

You have had many fantastic forum posts on BP, so if you are looking to use your website blog to show people who you are, read through your previous posts to get ideas (all you will have to do is expand them into blog posts).