So you just noticed that one of your competitors has started a blog. Should you be worried?

The answer to that question really depends.

If the only web presence your business has right now is a traditional static web site, then yes you probably have some cause for concern.

Implemented well, their blog may very well give them a leg up as they increase their web presence, move up in the search engine rankings, interact with potential customers and generally put a human face on their business while opening another avenue to engage the marketplace.

However if your business has been blogging for a while (and doing it well) then having a competitor jump into blogging may very well be a good thing for you.

The Law of the Tide

Competition is a good thing. For example, have you ever noticed how often McDonald’s and Burger King’s are located right next to each other?

Or the way car dealerships seem to usually be concentrated in the same part of town?

Those businesses are in direct competition with one another yet they tend to group together. You might think it would be better for all of them to be as far from their competitors as possible.

But it’s not.

Because of what I call the Law of the Tide.

A rising tide raises all the ships in the harbor.

Looking at that photo above it’s obvious that as the tide comes in the shrimp boats will be raised just the same as the bigger cargo ship. The idea that the tide would affect one vessel differently than another just because they are different sizes might seem logical.

But the reality is they’ll all rise up exactly the same amount.

Blogging & Tides

How does the Law of the Tide relate to business blogging?

Well if your competition starts blogging too it will add to your efforts to raise awareness about your industry.

But even beyond that having a little competition can help spur you on to take your blogging to the next level. I think Jim Cronin over at The Real Estate Tomato goes a little overboard when he says that your blogging peers are not your competition. Competition is still competition whether they are blogging or not.

However I do agree with the gist of his article in that you shouldn’t overly worry about it. Jim makes a good point about competition in general.

Competition keeps you sharp and keeps you driven.
But, most importantly, it keeps the audience interested.
Imagine running a race, by yourself.
Now imagine that same race with a few others breathing down your neck.
You run harder, they run harder, and the crowd shares in the emotion.

The rising tide of increased competition will improve your blogging along with theirs. And your combined audiences get the benefit of your improvement.

It’s a win all around. So don’t worry. Keep blogging.

Photo by: SunsetSailorWU