A would-be blogger recently wrote in with a concern about whether in blogging he might give too much away. He wondered whether  clients would call him to do the work if he showed them how through great tips and hints on his blog.

This is a brilliant question and one that is worth thinking through as you set up a blog.

Can you give away too much? Should you protect your secret sauce?

The short answers are “no” and “no.”

Why?

For a few reasons:

1) Even if you tell people exactly what to do, they won’t necessarily have the time to do it. But, because you’ve written about it, they’ll have the confidence that you can do it for them.

2) Even if you tell people all about your business, some will still need you to show them how it applies to their specific situation. And again, having seen what you’ve written about, they will trust that you know how.

3) Generosity counts. If you give, you will get. The more you share with others, the more they will share with you. Not everyone, perhaps, but enough.

4) You will learn as much about what you do as anyone else does. Blogging about what you do forces you to think about what you do and how to do it better.

5) You will reach more people. If someone likes what you’ve written, they may pass it along to someone else who needs exactly what you have to offer.

6) Is there really such a thing as a secret sauce anymore? You can learn how to do just about anything through the internet these days. If someone goes on line to figure out how to do something, they may learn it from someone else and then they may learn about that person’s products or services and hire that person instead of you.

What have I missed? Please chime in with comments. Let us know if you agree or disagree and why.