Today, social media has overtaken practically any other method of getting information to your potential customers, clients, and supporters.

It’s not all bad.

There are countless reasons — and some great methods — to get your message across on social media.

Today, I’m here to plead with you to take some time off from the sound bites, and invest in that old fashioned blog.

If you don’t, you’re missing more than simply social media popularity.

You Are More Than a Sound Bite

It’s true that today’s average follower will simply Like or Retweet and be on their merry way. 

In fact, your average supporter may never make it over to your website to read your whole post.

But that’s irrelevant.

Investing in good sustainability content will do more for you than simply providing your reader with a few minutes of entertainment.

Investing in your blog will focus your message, your image, and your brand. But the real benefit lies in the focus it will give to your employees, and your mission.

11 Reasons to Invest in your Blog

#1- You’ll learn to ask the right questions

Putting in the time to make a great blog is a commitment. But one that will pay out in the long run.

As you develop a method to consistently curate, write, and publish good quality articles, you’ll learn to ask what activities you do that make you stand out. You’ll learn to seek out the successes that you’d like to be able to brag about in your blog.

The more you do that, the more you’ll naturally dig deeper into the hearts of your supporters.

#2 – Your mission statement will turn into action items

Forcing your organization to highlight what makes you unique and different will naturally progress into turning those ideals into actions. Actions, in the end, are what really matters to your supporters.

#3 – You will highlight your best actions

As you continue to find the things that are worthy of an entire article, you’ll naturally choose the best of what you do, and that will promote exactly what you’re doing right, and you’ll be able to see what you’re not highlighting. Over time, you might choose to spend your efforts in just the places you’re excelling.

#4 – You will tell an amazing story

One of the great things about blogs is that they’re conversational. It’s a nice way to brag in long form. But more importantly telling a good story will help your supporters to remember specifically what you do. As humans, we relate to and remember a story better than we do facts…up to 22 times more.

#5 – It will force you to be authentic

If you invest in your blog and publish consistently, over time it will be impossible simply to emulate other successful organizations. You’ll have to shine on your own. People respond to authenticity more than they ever respond to a false sound bite.

#6 – Your engagement will skyrocket

Your blog gives you a chance to engage your audience. No one will return to read your articles if you don’t somehow involve them in the process. Be engaging and bring them into how you’re solving your problems and solutions. Engagement leads to investment, and investment in your mission leads to donations.

#7 – It will force you to plan ahead

Your sustainability blog should not be an afterthought. It is not something that today is “nice to have.” Your blog should be planed out. It should have clear, measurable goals. And if it doesn’t, it gives you an excellent chance to…

#8 – Re-evaluate what you’re doing wrong

We all have off days, or invest in something we think is going to be great, but turns out we’re the only one’s who do. So, here’s your chance. Why isn’t your blog connecting with the public, or at least your supporters? Where can you be more engaging (#6!), what actions can you take as an organization that will lead to being able to honestly (#5!) brag about it (#2, #3, & #4!).

#9 – You’ll find your tribe

A good blog with good content will help self-select your supporters. This may sound like you’ll simply end up preaching to the choir, but think about it. Writing a blog to a group of readers who are already emotionally invested in your work (and therefore way more likely to hit the Donate button), is infinitely better than a thousand extra supporters who simply hit the Like button and move on.

#10 – You can experiment. You know, like a scientist.

This is an excellent place to test your content marketing. It gives you an opportunity to plug your expertise without the clear marketing message most readers pick up on today. As an online medium, it is cheap and easy to edit and adjust to what is or isn’t working. This is a major gift of communication today. Don’t squander it. Follow your analytics obsessively, and use your team to figure out why one blog post was shared a thousand times, and one was only shared a hundred times.

#11 – The search engines will reward you

More relevant, organic, interesting content makes you easier to find. Experts today say that regular, good quality content is the new SEO. Search engines have become smarter than we are. No longer can you simply say “sustainable baby shampoo” ten times in one paragraph and float to the top of the list. By investing in good quality sustainability content, you’ll be providing the search engines an authentic way to turn you into the expert I know you are.

But don’t take my word for it…

Use your platform as a place to communicate with your specific audience. Use it to promote your own brand and not simply as a place to spread sustainability news.

Build a relationship. Public consistently with a schedule and a calendar.

If you do this, you’ll find your readership might be small, but they’re informed, and better yet, they’re engaged.