I got an invitation last week that I couldn't refuse. Well, two actually. I got asked to Guest Blog for a Social Media Site in the States – I love their site, their content and the calibre of their writers, so I was very humbled! I also talked with an Australian online company about the possibility of me Guest Blogging for their social media content. I have done some “Ghost” Blogging before for companies and blogged for clients as well as my own business.. but I have not yet tried”Guest” Blogging”¦ so I was rapt! So what is Guest Blogging and why should you consider saying Yes to it?

Considering I am still “green” when it comes to blogging (despite being a writer in offline businesses) I do admit that a request to Guest Blog did press my “Am I good enough?” button. But someone wise once said to me that you have to put yourself out there (actually there were a few people that said that). For now, I am going to focus on one of them – Annabel Candy. Who is Annabel Candy? See Reason 7 to find out. In the meantime, here are the other 6 Reasons too.

7 Reasons for Saying Yes to Guest Blogging.

1 Exposure & Brand Recognition. As a guest blogger you get to expose your business to a new audience that you otherwise may not have had the opportunity to reach. It is a great opportunity to show your writing style, your areas of interest, and your specialty knowledge in your niche!

2 Increased Traffic to your Site. It isn't guaranteed, but if you hit the right target with your blog post, you can receive a lot of traffic back to your site by readers interested in hearing more about what you have to say. Note: if you are Guest Blogging on a site bigger than yours, then make sure that your site is able to handle the potential surge in traffic!

3 Links. Mr Google loves Links. If you want to be considered an authority in your niche and to be found on searches, then links are important. I'm talking one-way backlinks from another site to your Blog”¦.the more popular the site the better. When your Guest Blog Post is published, it will include a bio and one-way link back to you!

4 Building Relationships. Guest Blogging is a great way to build relationships with other Bloggers and Readers in your niche, and it helps to build your profile online. Building relationships is so important”¦possibly more important than SEO. Social media and Blogging in particular is BUILT on relationships – SEO or Social Media may bring in the traffic, but if you are not building relationships then the traffic will just leave again. Turning your traffic into readers, subscribers, commenters and likers that you can engage with will build a dynamic Blog following.

5 It will make me a better blogger. Currently, I can write how I like, when I like, about what I like on my own blog, in my own domain. Confession time. I don't write often enough at present. I follow the advice of bloggers I respect in regards to how to write a good blog post, but i am not very strict with myself. When in someone else's domain, I will take more notice of the topic and content, the length of my post, the title and subheadings, making the content easily scannable for keypoints, including video, images or stats…and of course my writing style. Taking more care will make me a better blogger on my own site, I am sure. Note: for a great post about great posts, go here.

6 Everybody wins. It is not only the Guest Blogger and their site that benefits. It is a 3 way win-win-win. The Blog Host also wins by being able to feature fresh and different content. He or she gets to take a break while still posting up a great post! And the Reader gets to hear a different viewpoint or fresh opinion, providing variety.

7 Because Annabel said to do it. So, who is Annabel Candy? Annabel writes two Blogs with very respectable followings, a travel blog Get in the Hot Spot and a Blog about Blogging at Successful Blogging. I recently saw Annabel present at a Seminar about Blogging and her advice on Guest Blogging and her enthusiasm for it struck a chord with me. She has built a large following and attributes much of her early success to her Guest Blog Posts on Problogger (Getting Over the Blogger's 6 Month Itch) and Zen Habits (Low-Stress Ways To Move House and Declutter Your Life). In Annabel's words, these posts“encouraged 1000s of new visitors to come and see what Get in the Hot Spot's about. Best of all, 100s of them liked what they saw and subscribed”. Thanks Annabel. I will do as you say and channel my Inner Guest Blogger!

A number of blogs that I follow use Guest Bloggers, and I believe it enhances their Blog while providing fresh opinions, writing styles and content. What about you? Have you tried Guest Blogging for your business? Would you consider it? Do you like reading posts from Guest Bloggers on your favourite Blog?