There are many excellent posts on how to become a more successful blogger. Many of these posts contain great content but they tend to focus more on the result/action then necessarily why you should or shouldn't start a blog in the first place. In marketing, "why" is arguably the most important question to ask. These questions are not intended to be a comprehensive list but more a starting point for analyzing if you should start a blog or continue blogging.

Why do I want to start a blog?

The answer because everyone else is doing it is not a good reason. There should be a goal in mind and a plan in place to execute that goal. Come up with a mission statement for your blog and do everything you can to stick to it. As an example here are some of our goals.

Who is the target audience for my blog?

Your audience doesn't have to be huge, it can be a very targeted group of people. Your target could even be as small as a few existing clients.

What value will my blog posts have for my targeted audience?

The one thing to keep in mind is value. What does your reader walk away with? Be honest with yourself, does this person have a reason to return to your blog.

Do I have realistic expectations for my blog?

Simply posting a few blog posts, does not guarantee that people will actually see it. Even with great quality content there needs to be a distribution plan. Be prepared to reexamine your blog plan every few months if necessary. Posting to social networks on which you have little to no influence will not lead to massive referral traffic.

Do I have knowledge of a particular area that people may be interested in?

For example a plumber could write about preparing pipes for winter or how to temporarily fix a leak. As long as it provides value to a target audience then the topic may be appropriate.The sales pitch is your knowlege not that Joe the plumber is the best plumber in xyz town. By being the source of valuable iinformation you build trust with your audience.

Am I prepared for the time commitment?

Creating blog content is more time consuming then it may appear. Sometimes more is less. There needs to be a balance in time spent creating and time spent promoting. Creating content on a daily basis is great but it is unrealistic for most people to be able to keep up that kind of pace. Quality should never be sacrificed for volume.

Can I handle criticism?

Be prepared for people to call you out if they disagree with your posts. One of our earlier posts drew some online critism and this inspired us to make a number of changes to the way we present posts. Our content is now easier to read, share and engage with. Criticism provides a valuable learning expereince. You don't have to change based on someone else's opinion but it doesn't hurt to listen.

Do I have the talent to write great blog content?

If the answer is no, you may want to hire someone to create content for you. This still requires your input, as your ghost writer may not know anything about your industry. Blogging will force you to write better. If something is not clear someone will point it out. This forces you to continue to learn and grow as an author.

How well do I handle adversity?

Be ready to fail and fail again. Blog success does not happen overnight, patience is neccessary.

Do I have a system in place to track the success of each blog post?

There are very few reasons to not have a basic analytics system in place prior to starting a blog. You need to be able to see:

• Who is reading my posts?
• Do they visit other posts after reading a post?
• How long do they stay on site?
• Where are your readers located?
• Do they share my content?
• What platforms refer the most traffic to my blog?

You should also come up with other factors that you consider when defining the success of your blog.

Am I passionate about the blog topics I am covering?

Don't blog just because you feel it is something you have to do, blog because it is something you want to do. People will not come back if you write like you don't care or if you come across lazy.

Did we miss anything? Please let us know in the comments.