How Blogging Can Help a _______ in their Business?

I've been blogging since 2004, so I certainly have some opinions on this question. But Josh summed it up pretty well, when he recently answered this question on RecruitingBlogs.com as it pertains to recruiting.

I repost it here because I think blogging can universally impact just about any career (positively if done well, negatively if done poorly).

Here's the post (answer to the question) by Josh Letourneau, and here are links to both of his blogs:

1) %$#&! A Bald Guy's Random Bumblings on Headhunting & Strategic Sourcing

2) LG & Associates Search

Now, here's Josh:

Blogging can help a recruiter (or anybody!) in their business through the following ways:

1. Increase Recruiter Visibility (Search Engines Love Blogs)
2. Humanize the Recruiter (or ‘Career Partner’)
3. Warm up the Relationship as Blogs are Personal
4. Establish Legitimacy & Authority
5. Show that the Recruiter Cares Enough About their Personal & Professional Brand to Make This Type of Sustained Effort
6. Blogs Convey A Distinct Openness
7. Blogs are Interactive (Comments)
8. People Love to be “Informed” Rather Than “Sold”
9. Allow for more continuous brand impressions (i.e. what used to be known as a ‘Multi-drip’)
10. Blogs are a natural continuation of a 'Micro-Blog' or 'Tweet' - they make a natural and easy to implement landing page (did I also mension 'measurable' through built-in Blog controls?)

Great Recruiters always tell candidates to research the recruiter who calls them, and one of the easiest ways to do this is through a Google search on their name . . . which often leads to a blog as one of the top 3 responses.

Furthermore, a growing number of candidates and clients are so bombarded with recruiting calls that there are not receptive until they know more about us and what we stand for – a blog is a great place to start. Also consider the inherent level of candidate hesitance that accompanies a recessionary period - in a down economy, you have to work harder to build trust . . . and rightfully so.

*** In an initial email to candidates and clients, it’s easy to say, “I imagine you would like to get to know a little more about me before we connect – feel free to Google me or check out my blog below.” 99% of my calls today involve a discussion on one of my blog posts, which is a great way to build rapport!

In my estimation, blogging is no longer a question - it's merely a parity point. We can't afford to not do it! :)

Joshua Letourneau
Mg Director, SSF (Strategic Sourcing Framework)
LG & Assoc Search / Talent Strategy
BLOG: www.lgexec.typepad.com