keep on bloggin' on . . .

In one of my latest attempts at becoming secure with the answers to how should I be marketing my business?, I almost gave up this blog. It was a bittersweet thought, because it has so hugely and importantly become such a large part of my business, and for so long it WAS my business . . . the feedback was constant and plentiful, and I didn’t even have a website. My clients got to know everything they ever wanted to know about me, my business, and much, much more because of this blog. Fast forward to the Facebook scene. Fast forward even further to when we realized how amazing Facebook was for marketing our work, and sharing photos not only with our clients who were anxious to see a sneak peek, but their friends and families as well. I wasn’t sure that it made sense to keep on blogging, when people seemed to be spending their mornings leisurely scrolling their News Feed instead of their Google Reader. I hesitated, because I enjoy sharing more of myself than the few lines that Facebook gives me. I swayed, because coming up with blog topics aside from showcasing weddings became harder and harder as I became so accustomed to those one-liners, and my personal life became busier and busier. And it seemed the only thing I was making the time to blog about was what I was going to blog about. And as much as I appreciate my mom’s endearing comments on how proud of me she is at the end of each blog post, I wanted to be sharing my work with people in a place where I could reach them, day in and day out, and get feedback almost immediately. When my beautiful bride from this past weekend walked me out to say goodbye late Saturday evening, in the midst of sharing a million thoughts with one another about her wedding, her photographs, and how amazing their honeymoon in Maui will be, it slipped somewhere that she still read my blog. You still read that thing? I asked her, a bit incredulously. I’ve been thinking of giving it up. I explained my reasons, of reading a blog versus browsing social media, and finding the time to do both if one simply didn't have an audience anymore. She shook her head furiously at me. No, no, no, do not give it up. I understand what you’re saying, but do not give it up. It’s how your clients get to know you. It’s what makes you real. And that’s all I needed to hear, almost 6 years after my very first post, that the reason I started it is the reason it is still being read. So I’m going to keep on bloggin’ on. I’m sure at some point it may seem more obvious than it is now that it isn’t reaching others the way other internet shenanigans can and will, with social media and all of the what-have-yous of technology. But today, I’m going to blog. And tomorrow, I’m going to blog. And I’m going to share myself with my clients, because that’s just what I do. And now you get to keep reading about these beautiful Montana weddings I get to be a part of, and how my daughters are going to have a sister or brother next year, and how Fall is my favorite time of year, and how much I continue to love, love, love that evening sunlight. So thank you, beautiful Katie, for your insight, for reading, and for sharing with me. If my blog is important to just one of my clients, it is worth keeping . . .