If you are marketing your business online, but not actively blogging…what are you waiting for? I don’t say this because blogging is a cool trend or a fun way to spend your time. I say it, because a blog is a core component to a smart online marketing plan. A consistent, well-strategized blog sets you up for long-term success in your marketing. If you are not convinced, I would like to share 4 compelling reasons to start a blog for your business.
First, let me begin by sharing some of the reservations I tend to hear about blogging from those who don’t do it (or don’t do it consistently):
- I don’t have the time to write blogs.
- I can’t come up with that much content. (If you have this fear, read here for ideas on overcoming writer’s block)
- Who would want to read my blog?
True story: I had two of these three reservations. A few years ago, my web developer asked me if I wanted to start a blog on my website, and I gave her a hard “no.” I felt overwhelmed by the idea of saddling myself with having to write content on a regular basis. It turns out, I was wrong. The blog has added so much value to my business and is now a critical component of my marketing plan, carefully woven in with my weekly newsletter and social media. It took time to get there, but I regularly have people find me from a blog, stumble onto more of my material, and become so comfortable with my marketing advice that they contact me for coaching. All without my knowing I was prospecting!
Yes, in order for a blog to be helpful for you long-term, you do have to carve out time consistently to produce material (articles, videos, limericks, comic strips, photos – whatever format makes sense for you). If you do, rewards await you, and the rewards compound over time.
Your #blog sets you apart and makes you seem like an expert worth listening to. #business #smallbiz Share on XSo, WHY do I recommend that you start a blog for your business? I will give you four compelling reasons:
- You establish yourself as an expert in your industry. When someone wanders onto your blog, they get to know your thoughts about whatever subject matter you are addressing. Maybe they found your blog, because they were researching something. Or maybe they found you, because someone referred your blog to them as a resource. Or maybe they have seen other material from you and this topic seemed interesting. Regardless of how they arrived at your blog, they are there. If they see value in what you are saying, you become a thought leader in their eyes. You have now risen above your competitors simply because you held your audience’s attention, shared some ideas, and they believed your ideas had merit. Even if another business has comparable offerings, your blog sets you apart and makes you seem like an expert worth listening to.
- You showcase your brand. Whatever you sell, chances are good that you don’t have a monopoly on your industry. Customers have choices. They could choose a competitor if they want – even if they have bought something with you before. Blogs are one of the ways you can begin to build loyalty among your audience, customers, and prospects. Blogs let you share the values of your business, your brand’s tone of voice, the reason why you do what you do, a day in the life of your team, and so many other topics that give your audience an inside look. People are attracted to getting an inside look. The ability to see what is happening behind the scenes allows them to connect with you and what you do. If they enjoy your blog and get value from it, they are likely to think of you first when they are ready to buy offerings like yours.
- You drive traffic to your website. Maybe you worked hard on a website or maybe you paid someone else a lot of money to create one for you. Don’t you want people to visit it? What’s the point for them to visit your site if there is never new information on it? How are they supposed to remember it if they aren’t seeing any links driving them back to it? A blog is the solution for this problem. Even if your other pages (like your home page, about page, services page, contact page, etc.) stay the same, your blog is a logical place to put new material for people to explore. You give them a reason to go to your website. Once they are there to see the content, you now have an opportunity to hook them in. Of course, it takes a well-designed, thoughtfully-planned, user-friendly website to get good conversions. But in order to get conversions from your website, you have to get visitors there first.
- You can improve your organic SEO. Search Engine Optimization is a many-faceted topic. So, a quick explanation first: Let’s say you need some information. You go to your favorite search engine and you type “good dentist Seattle” or “chicken cacciatore recipe” or whatever it is you needed to know about. How many pages of results do you search through before you stop looking for an answer? For most people, the answer is “not many.” If your website is coming up on the first page of search results, great! If it is coming up on page 10…..it’s a lot less likely someone will find it. There are different strategies you can set to improve your ranking, but blogs are an important step for most of them! When you start a blog (and it’s a good idea to get the support of a web developer to make sure the back end is set up wisely), you can designate the keyword that you want that blog to rank for. Then the more people land on the page, the better it will rank so more people can find it. Blogs attract leads to your website, and then it’s your job to get them excited about your business while there.
If you are too daunted to start a blog on your own page, consider guest blogging! You still get many advantages. And if you ensure that there is a backlink to your own site you will have the opportunity to bring in new traffic from other people’s audiences! See below for information on how to become a guest blogger on my site.
There are many good reasons for you to start a blog for your business. If you are doing other types of online marketing, blogs are a key component to include. There is a lot to say about this topic, and I look forward to sharing more of my thoughts about it to address the various blog-related questions you may have.