I started my blog on April 2nd of this year. I announced it to all of our guests who's email addresses I have. I write every night after everyone has gone to bed and I love it. I have a lot more followers than I ever hoped I would. On days when I have 100 hits or less, I dream up contests to drive "more business" this way
I also have made up events like my "kitchen garden" I came up with the idea and then had to implement making a garden. So I have increased my workload somewhat, heh (that might have been stupid on my part)
One of my posts was about wanting to add chickens to our place and the response was amazing as well as it has been lucrative for me. I got a bunch of, not real, chickens and ducks from guests. Some came by, on their way to somewhere else, to bring them, others, like the people today who had never been here but had seen my blog, brought me this cute duck, because they couldn't find a chicken.
For me, the blog has brought business, most definitely. My May and June were both up by 20 some percent. May and June are not the best months for us, so it helped tremendously.
I have read everything I could find to learn about writing a successful blog...I am not there yet, but I am on my way. When you google it, I am in the number one spot. I think it is important to write about the community as a whole though that way it won't look self serving