To Blog or not to Blog

[egproductions]

I've always enjoyed sharing information and knowledge. In fact, most of us are on this forum for that inherent reason. That being said, I've been torn whether its a smart business decision to take a blog further than simply sharing ones recent projects/shoots. When does revealing trade secrets or approaches actually hurt your business since you are essentially giving others your "recipe". Speaking of recipes, if you want to use a related sample, is it smart for a chef/cook to start blogging and sharing the recipe and secret ingredients to the food they make in their restaurant? Will it draw in more business than it will ultimately hurt them since their menu items could potentially loose their uniqueness? Is blogging short term thinking or is it actually a smarter move to draw in business through other channels?

Thoughts....

[David Jimerson]

I think a lot of people just want the hit, like, or view numbers to pile up, without thinking about it any more deeply than that. It's a kind of reward, but in the end, it's not much of one. Very little tends to come from it, and when it does (like that makeup girl), it's a bolt-of-lightning kind of thing -- extremely rare.

I suppose, in some ways, it's not too different from street busking, putting on a performance in the hopes that people will toss money into your guitar case -- except you have better odds on that street.

[David W. Jones]

One problem with blogs, is once you start one you need to spend the time to keep it up. I can't tell you how many video production, or ad agency blogs I have seen where the last blog post was sometime last year, or even further back.

[Michael Schrengohst]

I think a lot of people just want the hit, like, or view numbers to pile up, without thinking about it any more deeply than that. It's a kind of reward, but in the end, it's not much of one. Very little tends to come from it, and when it does (like that makeup girl), it's a bolt-of-lightning kind of thing -- extremely rare.

I suppose, in some ways, it's not too different from street busking, putting on a performance in the hopes that people will toss money into your guitar case -- except you have better odds on that street.

That was my experience. Most blogs are a waste of time. Unless you can make money with it…..that is a longshot.
Most of your clients might look at it a few times but most won't waste the time.
I have a producer friend who is religious about his blog and posting to Facebook, etc.
It's usually his friends who make a comment. Most potential clients could care less.
Unless you have hours in the week to do it - it probably won't matter.
Plus it could be more of a downside in showcasing your clients.
A liberal client may not like your conservative clients and visa versa.
And the biggest downside is your are telegraphing to your competition what
you are doing and who your clients are.
I have let my website go dark. I don't Facebook or Tweet and I have deleted most of my videos off Vimeo
and I am still busier then ever - weird……..

[16mman]

I approach my blog as a place to better myself by writing articles that help me think things trough/define what I want to do and be as an artist. Having my blog posts be something that someone might bump into gives me just a little more reason to write them. If no one ever sees them, I've still bettered myself, so I'm happy. That being said, I only write maybe one post a month.

[Gillvane]

[QUOTE=David Jimerson;1986402041I think a lot of people just want the hit, like, or view numbers to pile up, without thinking about it any more deeply than that. It's a kind of reward, but in the end, it's not much of one. Very little tends to come from it, and when it does (like that makeup girl), it's a bolt-of-lightning kind of thing -- extremely rare.

[/QUOTE]

[jghenderson]

Step 1: Be Attractive
Step 2: Don't be Unattractive

[Dave ©]

Start with "why" you want to blog and make a decision to move forward or not. If your decision is to move forward, answer "who" (is your audience) and then decide if you still want to move forward. If your answer is still "yes" then move to "how" and "where." If, as an example, you're interested in writing personal stuff for your friends and family, put it on a personal blog. If you're interested in capturing the attention of your potential clients, blog accordingly and put it on your business site. I've seen very few film blogs that are actually useful to potential end-clients. But if that's not your customer (the one who pays your bills) then it might not matter. BTW, the "when" or "how often" answer is pretty easy. It doesn't really matter as long as you are consistent. Once a week. Once a month. Just do it consistently. Set expectations and meet them.

[roxics]

I think if all you're after is business, no one is going to care. There are so many professional websites that people don't read because it's seen as just a marketing piece.

On the other hand, if you are doing what you do out of passion and what you are making is something like an indie film, those things can be both interesting and beneficial to other filmmakers and potential fans of the project. Still not sure anyone will read it, but the chance is greater.

[egproductions]

This is all great feedback, however, I think my original question kind of got lost. my question wasn't so much about a blog being a worth the effort/time put into it but rather if the exposure is ultimatly good for a business. I never really expected much direct business to come from a blog, however, a blog could help in increasing brand value/recognition. Thats where the question comes in as to wether the added brand recognition (being a forward thinker or trend setter) outweighs the dissadvantage of giving away your methods.