A few weeks ago, Doug brought up a point about blogging that seems obvious to some of us, but maybe not to everyone. Blogging very rarely makes you money by the sheer act alone. The idea that you can set up a blog, slap in some AdWords and watch the money flow is of the same ilk as late-night get-rich-quick schemes. Being successful at anything takes time and effort. Doug’s post made it clear that your purpose for blogging is to make connections that make you money later. It’s a long-term investment in your business.

The interesting thing is that no one commented on his post. After thinking for a while about why, the thought occurred to me that there’s two ways to think about this: big company vs. small company. At one point, Doug links to Olivier Blanchard’s post on measuring ROI on social media. I know that jumping off to read Olivier’s post immersed me in my past experiences building consensus for social media projects at Quicken Loans, like the “What’s the DIFF?” blog and the Quicken Loans Twitter feed. We struggled with questions like, “Why are we doing this?” and “How do we know if this is successful?”

Totally not what Doug is talking about.

Yes, we need to measure our social media efforts, and most blogging software makes it insanely easy to monitor what’s successful and what’s not. The idea of “blogging as money” is a bit longer term than placing the right paid search ads and hearing the phone ring as a result. As a business owner (or someone responsible for keeping business flowing), you know how to get the sales. You already have a plan to reach those who are ready to buy, and those who are actively researching you. Blogging reaches two more sets of people: those who aren’t yet ready to talk to you, and those that have purchased from you. These two groups are very important because that’s where your business will grow.

When you put yourself “out there” through a blog, you open your exposure to people who would not have thought of you. Nor do they really have to at this point. You’re connecting with people on a more personal level before they’re ready to buy. This engages a whole new world of people who clam up to the “sales process.” Yes, some of us actually hate being “sold to,” and will avoid it at all costs. But, give those people a chance to engage with you before they’re ready, and it’s an easier sell when the time comes.

Okay, I’ve sounded very “sales-y” up to this point, so it’s time to take it back to a human level. Bryan Stapp is a guy who creates awesome marketing plans for some pretty smart companies. As the guy responsible for getting new business, naturally he started a blog. I sat down with Bryan last week and we talked about what’s working for him and what’s not. His blog was at the forefront.

For those of you who haven’t yet started blogging, the important thing to know is that it really does take time to develop. Look at any new blog, and the first few posts don’t have comments. But, as you continue speaking your mind, people will come out of the woodwork and leave a comment or two. Hop right on that. Respond with a question or clarification. That starts conversations. Conversations build. Again, time.

Bryan started a conversation with someone on his blog, as usual. They discovered as they went on that they grew up together in New Jersey. You just can’t strike gold better than that! Yes, that’s gold. As soon as you establish that kind of connection with someone, especially mid-way through an unrelated conversation, you can’t get past that serendipity. Did this blog commenter shop other agencies for marketing services? Absolutely not.

How does this work? Why is it all who you know and not what you know? It isn’t. It’s both. Bryan had established with this person that he knows marketing. Add to that the personal connection, and there’s the human factor. Blogging makes entities small and large more human, if you do it right. So, now Bryan had a win on both fronts, and the business is solidly his. Would Bryan have been able to sniff out this opportunity and win it so handily without the blog?

Probably not. Blogging counts.