5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs to Blog
Did you know that blogging is an essential aspect of your business' online presence? Business blogging is a marketing tactic that most people overlook and undervalue. Blogging can literally provide you with FREE leads if you create a valuable content strategy.
Think about it: What’s your website worth if it just sits there looking pretty without visitors interacting with your content? At the very least, it’s a very expensive business card.
If people don't know your website exists, it's a waste of good design and money. Let’s talk about the benefits of blogging on your small business website.
What is a Business Blog?
Blogs are a form of content marketing that promotes your business online. A content marketing strategy focuses on creating and sharing relevant, valuable, consistent content to a target audience.
A business blog is a content marketing generator that does three main things for your website:
Provides value through well-written, strategic content on select topics.
Drives traffic based on a relevant, consistent posting schedule.
Offers a solution to readers by closing with a strategic call to action (CTA) promoting your business's product(s) or service(s).
In this blog, we’ll talk about the benefits of business blogging and why your business needs a blog. Here are five reasons why your business should start blogging today!
01. Blogs Elevate Your Brand Voice
Blogs are an opportunity to share what you know within your industry to attract ideal clients. Blogging is also an opportunity to give your brand a voice online.
Numerous brand voices and tones exist, but not all of them are fitting for your business.
Do you want your business to come across as educational? Inspirational? Conversational? Casual? Professional? Friendly? Funny? Snarky? The list goes on…
Select a handful of complimentary adjectives and actively use them to create cohesive, consistent content to reflect your brand.
For instance, don’t choose the words “loud” and “soft.” Those are not complimentary words, they are practically opposites! Keep the same “tone of voice” in every blog.
“A clear brand voice unifies your brand’s content across multiple platforms.”
Consider your brand voice before writing a blog or even posting on social media. If you have already shared content, review how it sounds. Does your business have a notable brand voice? Does it change or fall flat?
More to come on the topic of brand voice at a later date. Whatever you choose, consistency is key.
02. Blogs Provide Value to Your Ideal Client
You have a business because you are an expert in your industry (i.e., dental hygiene, health and wellness, construction, interior design, etc.). Start sharing what you know! Quality content that speaks directly to your ideal client serves both you and them.
Your win: the content positions you as an expert on a particular topic.
Their win: readers gain valuable information from the content, which, in turn, builds a level of trust in your brand (your win again).
Millions and billions of people are searching on Google all of the time. You don’t need to appease every person online, so write for the right ones.
Do you have a niche? Ideal client? Customer persona(s)?
Write out the description of your ideal blog reader and, therefore, the client. Once you figure out who you are talking to, blog content will be muuuch easier to write. The content will be hyper-targeted and your ideal client will keep coming back for more!
If you don’t know what to write about, think of the questions your clients ask most. Start by writing down your business’s top 10 FAQs. Answering these questions within a blog post presents you as someone who wants to help, not hoard information from potential clients.
Don't underestimate what you have to say. Maybe someone else in your industry has already covered a particular topic in length. But, back to brand voice, they didn't say it like you!
“You are selling your services, but you should be sharing your knowledge. ”
Be the blog someone shares with their friend or coworker because the content was so relevant and helpful.
Value comes in more shapes than just an informative blog post...
03. Blogs Turn Browsers Into Buyers
Blogs provide free value to readers because your business is sharing knowledge without asking for anything in return (or so they think). Blogging businesses get more out of their websites than businesses that don’t blog. Are your blogs generating leads?
“Small businesses that blog get 126% more lead growth than small businesses that do not blog. ”
At the end of your blogs, always include a call to action (e.g., "contact us," "schedule a free consultation," "download now").
But, before anyone gives you their personal information, they need to perceive value in the item they are receiving in exchange for their email.
For example, if you are a real estate agent, you may write a blog titled "3 Easy Updates to Increase Your Home Value."
At the end of that particular blog, you could ask for a reader’s email in order to download your free PDF, "What You Need to Know as a First-Time Home Buyer."
Don't be afraid to give things away!
Downloadable resources create an automatic sales pipeline for your business.
Alternatively, you can direct readers to service pages on your website that relate to the topic. Establish your business goals whether it’s email addresses, phone calls, form submissions, etc., and use that goal to direct your CTA at the end of specific blogs.
04. Blogs Promote Your Business and Position You as an Expert
When you share valuable content on your website, you accomplish two main things:
You improve your search engine optimization (aka SEO—basically how your website gets found on Google).
You create content that is shareable on other platforms to increase your website traffic and reach.
Maybe you found this blog post on Google, or maybe you found it on social media; either way, here you are! Reading the contents I’ve written. Why?
Likely because I’ve positioned myself as an expert, and you trust what I have to say. Or, this blog is helping me build your trust with the valuable information I’m offering for free based on my industry knowledge.
You can do the same for your business! Here are some ideas on how:
Write a blog post with a catchy title.
Create a graphic or choose an on-brand stock photo that pairs well with your blog title.
Use that same imagery to share the blog post on your social media platforms.
Create a weekly email marketing campaign that sends new blogs to your email list.
Those are just some simple steps to take as a new business blogger, but getting started is the hardest part! Having trouble figuring out what to write about?
05. Blogs Drive Traffic to Your Website
Every blog you post on your website has the potential to create a ripple effect. According to HubSpot, companies that blog get 55% more website visitors.
Before blogging, find keywords or phrases related to your business that people will most likely search to find your blog. If you want to show up for “coffee house in Annapolis, MD” use that keyphrase at least 3 times in your blog. Keywords drive website traffic.
Aim for about 1,000 words per blog, but no less than 600 words. Longer blogs give more room to incorporate more keywords. Google ranks longer blogs higher in search results because there is more content to index, crawl, and display. Regardless of the word count, always use headings, numbers, bullets, etc. (as seen in this blog).
We won’t get into the nitty-gritty details, but well-optimized, organized blog content helps readers and Google consume it faster.
Additionally, blogs are another form of content you can cross-promote on social media and your emails. The more exposure, the better. When you direct social media followers to read the newest blog on your website, you immediately increase traffic!
In summary, if you want to drive website traffic with your blog:
Find a valuable topic to write about (at least 600 words).
Select strategic keywords related to the topic and your business.
Use headings for easy readability and SEO (use keywords in the headings).
Cross-promote on other platforms.
Blog Better in Your Business
Now that you know the five benefits of a business blog, it’s time to start writing!
Blog posts are a great way to start building your brand, driving website traffic, and generating leads. By sharing your expertise online, people will find value in both the knowledge and services you provide.
Tell people something they don't already know.
Speak to a particular pain point.
Solve a problem.
In addition, make sure you are creating evergreen content (information that won’t expire). Think about it, fad diets are a "fad" for a reason, but spinach will always be good for you. See the difference?
Most importantly, always provide a call to action for people to take after reading your blog.
Feeling overwhelmed by writing consistent blog content that works for your business?
Need some copywriting assistance to help you boost your website SEO?
Copy that – let’s get in touch!
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